SOS campaigners march on
By The Editor, Friday, December 30th, 2011

THE lashing December rain couldn’t deter members from the West Cork SOS campaign who embarked on a two-day “stretcher push” today from Skibbereen to Bantry.

The group are pushing a symbolic stretcher complete with blue flashing light between the two towns to raise awareness of the ongoing campaign against proposed changes to ambulance services in West Cork.

Among those undertaking the trek is George Vladisavljevic, Vice Chairperson of the West Cork SOS campaign.

“We just have to keep the awareness up of what is going on,” he told westcorktimes.com, “we need to fight every step of the way to protect our service and we have no intention of giving up,” he said.

There has been widespread public opposition in West Cork to proposals to withdraw “on call” ambulance cover from Skibbereen and Castletownbere on weekdays after 8pm and replace them with rapid response cars that cannot carry patients.

The HSE insist the planned new arrangements will improve the ambulance service in West Cork.

Article Source: West Cork Times

THE Minister of State for research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock, has said the HSE’s imminent ambulance changes for Cork and Kerry must be postponed.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, after senior health service officials revealed controversial plans to drastically alter how care is delivered by next month, the Labour TD said the move was dangerous to the public.

Mr Sherlock, who is also chair of the Mallow Hospital Action Committee, said the initiative was “absolutely premature” and should be halted immediately as the details had yet to be ironed out. And in a warning over the safety of people in both counties, he added that expecting to use volunteer first responders to fill de facto gaps where ambulance services were previously in place, means it is inevitable patients lives will be needlessly put at risk.

He said: “To be frank, my view is that the roll-out of the service is absolutely premature because there are still issues to be dealt with, particularly the rural piece of the jigsaw.” He is also a vocal opponent of downgrading plans for smaller hospitals.

“First responders are not adequate for coping with trauma situations. There is still more work to be done on this before it is rolled-out, and it should be done on a trialled basis first. Rural GPs have clearly expressed a concern, particularly in terms of what happens when there are three ambulances at a scene and a fourth call comes in.

“A first responder vehicle may not be able to deal with that. This will work very well theoretically, but the reality is this shas not trialled or road-tested.

“What needs to happen is there has to be a further, deeper conversation with GPs and communities in Youghal, Newmarket and Rockchapel, I mention these areas because they are three rural locations affected. GPs do not feel confident about this new service,” he added.

Under the changes, which will be rolled out in north and east Cork early year, before expanding to the rest of the region by the end of 2012, on-call paramedic hours will be cut and replaced by moveable crew. There will also be less ambulances on the roads, with an emphasis on first responder volunteers to take care of their communities.

Large sections of the Cork and Kerry populations insist the alterations are cutbacks.

However, HSE national ambulance director, Robert Morton, has claimed this view is because “lies and fear” being spread in the affected areas.

Article Source: Irish Examiner

DO the politicos think we’re complete eegits? That we believe every word they utter in West Cork?

Not since the Battle of Béal na mBláth have people from Kinsale to Dursey Island been so traumatised by their snakiness! Whether the local FG and Labour buckos appreciate the fact or not, West Cork is up in arms – and the point at issue is the possibility that lives will be lost if the Coalition cuts the night time ‘on-call’ facility at ambulance bases.

As part of a ruthless cost-saving exercise, Health Minister James Reilly, Dame Enda and the ‘socialist’ chums intend to shut down the Skibbereen ambulance service between 8pm and 8am, the Castletownbere ambulance service between 8pm and 8am and the Bantry Hospital minor injuries assessment unit between 8pm and 8am (so far this year nearly a thousand people availed of the hospital service).

It’s ‘death by geography’ say outraged locals who are prepared to put the thumbscrews on the Fine Gael and Labour skinflints in order to get the plan revoked.

Political hoops

One of those targeted is FG new boy Jim Daly, who runs the risk of seeing his 8,878 first preference votes go swirling down the tube the next time he visits the hustings. As a result, he’s been jumping through political hoops in an attempt to appear as all things to all people.

Deputy Jim told this newspaper he never supported the removal of the ambulance service from Skibbereen and Castletownbere. However, mindful of the fact that he had to accept his responsibilites, he supported ‘reform’ of the service.

The Yanks have a word for that type of bet hedging. It’s called being a mugwump –mug on one side of the fence, wump on the other!

And, he’s not alone in his new found skill in political gymnastics. Other shrewd mugwump operators are government sidekicks, Noel Harrington TD and Labour TD Michael McCarthy.

Oh, and let’s not forget that raft of ‘socially-conscious’ coalition councillors. They, too, support the West Cork Save Our Service campaign and at the same time endorse the ‘reform’ plans of Dr Death and Dame Enda.

But, whatever about politicos having to obey their masters in Dublin, as far as local people are concerned the priority for government politicos in West Cork is to look after an electorate that kindly provided them with the best-paid jobs in the land. If they don’t do that, they’re gonners.

Balancing act

Yet, it has to be acknowledged that sitting on a fence can be a difficult balancing act. For instance, is it really possible for public representatives to toe the party line, express total loyalty to Dame Enda and his hatchet man, the dreaded doctor and, at the same time, respond to the wishes of people who still kinda believe the promises their wretched party made?

And, if they side with the people, do they run the risk of suffering a fate similar to that of Denis Naughten, the deputy who insisted that Dame Enda’s promises on Roscommon hospital should be kept? Naughten supported a Sinn Féin motion calling on the Government to live up to its election commitment. For his integrity, he lost the party whip and the chairmanship of the Oireachtas health committee.

Then there’s the case of Willie Penrose, the cloth capped brigader determined that his local army barracks should be kept open. ‘Goodbyeee Willie’ sneered comrades Gilmore and Rabbitte, the one-time admirers of North Korea’s dictator Kim Il Sung. Penrose was deemed surplus to requirements.

He was followed by Tommy Broughan, a Labour man of the old stock, who voted against the bank guarantee being renewed for another six months. He also got it in the back of the neck for sticking to his principles. Broughan’s credo was firmly that of Labour, namely that the bank guarantee was the worst economic move in the history of the state.

Sadly, he was merely echoing Gilmore’s pronouncement that it was ‘economic treason’ to use public funds to underwrite the debts of private banks. Not only did Broughan and thousands of foolish plebs believe the ex-Stickie man at the time, but they duly sent Gilmore’s gang (including the West Cork fellow) into the corridors of power.

Broken promises

And that’s it. The lesson is that principles bring trouble, particularly for those who try to disassociate themselves from their respective party’s dishonesty.

Nevertheless, broken promises inevitably create disillusionment and disgust, although if Fine Gael takes a leaf out of Cecil B De Mille’s book, the party might just get away with its fakery.

You know the story. Having been accused of doing the dirt on an actor, the Hollywood producer gleefully explained that a verbal promise was not worth the paper it was written on!

Applying that principle to the litany of Coalition lies, it could be said that De Mille got it crazily right, and so might Fine Gael!

Spin doctors’ pay

Here’s another Coalition whopper: Under the much-publicised public sector pay cap, the maximum salary a spin doctor can earn is €92,000.

For eight years, one of Dame Enda’s spin doctors was a certain Mr Ciaran Conlon. The Taoiseach thought so highly of him that last week he encouraged Conlon to work for Richard Burton (he of the hilariously-named Department of Jobs), whereupon Conlon’s salary shot up to €127,000. Dame Enda explained that the obscene hike was appropriate in this ‘specific case’.

Meanwhile, two of Kenny’s other advisers, Mark Kenneally and Andrew McDowell trouser salaries of €168,000, thanks to the ‘specific case’ clause. Gilmore has one lad, Mark Garrett, on €168,000 and another, Colm O’Reardon, on €155,000 – all thanks to the special clause.

Mini-minister Lucinda Creighton appointed a chap named Stephen O’Shea as her full-time spin doctor, despite Department of Finance guidelines that this should not happen except in exceptional circumstances.

The ‘exceptional circumstances’ also came in handy for mini-minister Róisín Shortall, a lady who slotted in journo Maev-Ann Wren as her special adviser. The clause also worked for another unknown junior minister Shane McEntee, who appointed a ‘communications consultant’, Liam Cahill, as his right hand man.

Day of penance

Now that the ‘jobs for the boys’ syndrome has returned with all the brazenness of Fianna Fáil stroke-politics, the piety of Fine Gael senator, Martin Conway, takes the biscuit.

He demanded that bishops should designate a special prayer-day for people who wanted to express their abhorrence in the local church at what was done in their name. Perhaps the senator also should promote a special day of penance for the beneficiaries of Kenny’s rip-off ‘special clauses’ and ‘exceptional circumstances’?

Article Source: Southern Star

AN estimated crowd of 1,000 people marched through Skibbereen town last Saturday afternoon to protest at the proposed ambulance cutbacks for the region.

Despite the inclement weather conditions, the colourful parade attracted a very large crowd, which varied in ages from the elderly to the very young, from right across the affected communites from Beara to the Mizen. It was a jovial, musical and peaceful demonstraton, but it could not mask the intense fears the impending cutbacks entail for the region and the wider hinterland as conveyed by the many home-made placards on display.

The march organised by the West Cork SOS campaign was called to show the levels of fight and support the people of the region have for the retention of the current levels of emergency ambulance services and the maintaining of the threatened Minor Injuries Assessment Unit at Bantry Hospital. The march proceeded from Hurley’s Garage, along the packed streets of Ilen Street, Bridge Street and Market Street before concluding in the town car park where a specially errected platform was used for the organisers of the event and the invited local politicians to voice their support for the retention of the local services.

Poignant

Vice-chairman of the West Cork SOS Campaign George Vladisavljevic acted as a very efficient MC for the event which was very well organised and choreographed with excellent stewarding from Civil Defence units and local volunteers. Following the playing of a very poignant song called ‘Emergency Is All Around’ specially commissioned for the occasion by Bantry duo Tim and Fiona O’Leary, the Mayor of Skibbereen and chairman of the West Cork SOS campaign Frank Fahy began proceedings with an address to the very vocal and passionate crowd.

During the course of an impassioned speech which aroused wild applause at regular intervals, Mayor Fahy outlined his belief that the large turnout captured perfectly the concerns of the public throughout the vast hinterland of West Cork. The Mayor expressed his dismay at the lack of logic behind the proposed cutbacks and re-iterated his belief that the ‘Minister for Health and HSE are hiding behind slogans’.

During the course of his speech, the Mayor who read out apologies from both the Minister for Health James O’Reilly and Mr Ger Reaney, area manager HSE, for their unavailability to attend the march due to prior engagements, revealed that Mr Reaney in the course of an e-mail outlined the HSE’s willingness to meet the West Cork SOS committee on Monday, December 12th, whilst also revealing the Minor Injuries Assessment Unit at Bantry General Hospital will not close in January.

These two announcements drew a very enthusiastic reaction from the crowd at the gradual sense of progress made but the Mayor, whilst recognising the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’, cautioned against any false sense of optimism amongst the crowd ‘as it doesn’t mean the unit will not close in Feburary’ and that the people of West Cork will ‘fight them all the way’, which drew a raucous cheer from the crowd.

Skibbereen based GP Dr Ger O’Shaughnessy was next to speak and during the course of a well delivered oration on behalf of GPs throughout West Cork, he expressed his dismay that people were required to march in the year of 2011 to protect such important services. He outlined their total opposition to the proposed cutbacks and stressed there was no ‘ambiguity amongst his GP colleagues on this delicate and emotive issue’.

Statutory

During the course of his address, Dr O’Shaughnessy read out a litany of concerns expressed amongst his colleagues with the Bantry GPs remarking that ‘the Department of Health and the HSE have a statutory duty to provide a safe service to all the citizens of this country’, whilst the Clonakilty GPs declared ‘that decisions have been made for financial decisions and they will result in deterioration of services’.

Dr Shaughnessy concluded his stirring speech by declaring that ‘it is time to stand up and not be bullied by a big brother state who are supposed to cherish all the children of the State. We have to stand up and fight and we can’t be penalised due to our geography. He urged people to ‘keep the faith’ and reserved special praise for chairman of the campaign Frank Fahy ‘who was no revolutionary but no fool either’.

South West TDs Michael McCarthy and Noel Harrington echoed their ‘delight at being invited to such a worthwhile campaign and reiterated their willingness to contine their unyielding support to the West Cork SOS committee. Deputy McCarthy expressed his belief that the imminent meeting offers a ‘chink of light’.

Personal

Deputy Harrington who revealed his own personal actions are very much inter-twinned with the ambulance services as ‘my late father died in the back of an ambulance’ paid a special tribute to the emergency service workers for their marvellous work and expressed his belief that the ‘HSE don’t understand the geography of the region’ and pledged to continue the ‘fight’.

Senator Denis O’Donovan outlined his belief that ‘Bantry Hospital is one of the best hospitals in Ireland and provides a brilliant service for up to 60,000 people in West Cork and South Kerry. Senator O’Donovan revealed in the course of his address that Minister O’Reilly recently told him that ‘Bantry Hospital should be designated as a unique rural hospital’.

Sandra McLellan, Sinn Fein TD for Cork East, expressed her belief that the large crowd present at the protest march ‘would send a clear message that the HSE needs to scale back their plans to cut essential services, which will cost lives and those people in turn will become mere statistics’.

She reiterated her belief that the people of West Cork deserve the same sense of care as urban centres throughout the rest of the country. She concluded her speech by commending the SOS Committee and the large crowd attended and offered her ‘full commitment from herself and her party’ as ‘strength in unity is key’.

The parade concluded with the West Cork SOS vice-chairman thanking all the various politicians, both locally and nationally, and the large crowd for their support which ensured the parade was such a successful event.

Article Source: Southern Star

The head of the country’s ambulance service has agreed to meet a West Cork protest group, who marched against changes to the the local ambulance service last weekend.

Robert Morton, the director of the HSE’s National Ambulance Service, will meet representatives of West Cork SOS on Monday 12 December in Skibbereen. Last weekend, over 1,000 people marched in Skibbereen to protest the move to a paramedic on-call model, which West Cork SOS believe will result in the loss of two of the four ambulances on call in the region.

It means Castletownbere and Skibbereen are losing their ambulance cover from 8pm to 8am. There are concerns that after reconfiguration, just two ambulances will be on call from 8pm to 8am to cover a region with a population of 82,000. 



The HSE says it is acutely aware of the unique needs of the area, particularly the peninsulas, and the changes due to reconfiguration will bring about improved quantity and quality in the long term.

It says the introduction of rostered staff instead of on call staff and rapid response cars in addition to ambulances will ensure a far better service.

There are currently four ambulances based in Clonakilty, Skibbereen, Bantry and Castletownbere.

Beara spokesperson, Anne-Marie Cronin, is happy that the HSE has finally agreed to meet with West Cork SOS but is seeking a separate meeting for people in Beara. She pointed out that parts of the Beara peninsula, like Garnish Island, are over an hour from Bantry Hospital and much farther from Cork University Hospital.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, it could result in the loss of lives. A neighbour of mine had a heart attack two years ago on New Year’s Eve. He survived without side effects as a result of the ambulance turning up so quickly,” she said.

Ms Cronin added that the HSE need to explain their plan to the people of West Cork properly, as people have grave concerns about the reconfiguration.

George Vladisavljevic, the vice chairman of the committee of West Cork SOS, is happy that they have received their first formal response from the HSE and also wants them to explain exactly what their plans are.

“We want them to tell us exactly what their intentions are. We want a commitment from them. We don’t want anything that we don’t already have.

“We know there will be cuts but you don’t want cuts when peoples lives are at stake,” he said.

Mr Vladisavljevic said that he wants Minister James to accept responsibility for the changes he is imposing. He said that “one can delegate responsibility, but one can’t shirk it”.

One West Cork man, Andy Kenward, plans to walk all the way from Castletownbere to Cork with a stretcher, complete with flashing blue lights on St Stephen’s Day to protest the proposed changes.

Article Source: Cork Independent

MORE THAN 1,000 people took to the streets of Skibbereen in west Cork at the weekend to protest over planned changes to the ambulance service in the region.

Campaigners say the proposed new service will leave just two ambulances on call from 8pm to 8am to service 82,000 people in an area from the tip of the Mizen peninsula to Sheep’s Head and to the end of the Beara peninsula.

Organisers of Saturday’s march say the move to a paramedic on-call model will result in the loss of two of the four ambulances on call in the region, with Castletownbere and Skibbereen being without ambulance services at night. When not staffed, the Skibbereen and Castletownbere bases would each have one paramedic on duty in a car.

Spokeswoman for the Beara section of the campaign Annemarie Cronin said residents in the area were extremely anxious about the issue because it was a “life and death situation”.

The mayor of Skibbereen, Cllr Frank Fahy, said the next step for the campaign was a meeting with the HSE and ambulance officials, with talks due on December 12th in Skibbereen.

The HSE has previously said that traditional work practices within the ambulance service were changing to ensure the needs of people in Cork and Kerry continued to be met in an integrated and safe way within available resources.

Article Source: Irish Times

Ambulance chief tries to reassure protesters
By Eoin English, Monday November 28th, 2011

THE head of the country’s ambulance service has urged the people of West Cork not to believe “false and misleading information” which he claimed is being “pumped out by vested interests”.

Robert Morton, the director of the HSE’s National Ambulance Service, made his comments after more than 1,000 people from across the region marched against proposed changes to their ambulance service.

In his first public comment on the issue, Mr Morton insisted the changes are not about saving money or cutting costs.

He said the current on-call system is “archaic” and the move to an ‘on-duty’ system will ensure West Cork has a modern ambulance service that can meet strict HIQA guidelines on response times.

“The first thing I want to give to those people marching is reassurance. There is no need for public alarm,” Mr Morton said.

“We are acutely aware of the geography of the area and special consideration will be given to the peninsular regions. And the HSE is not in the business of putting in place services that are not safe. We have a mandate to improve services.”

However, campaigners insist the changes will result in the loss of lives.

Organisers of Saturday’s march in Skibbereen said the move to a paramedic on-call model will result in the loss of two of the four ambulances on call in the region, with Castletownbere and Skibbereen losing ambulance cover from 8pm to 8am. They are concerned that after reconfiguration, just two ambulances will be on call from 8pm to 8am to cover a region with a population of 82,000.

But Mr Morton insisted that if the changes are implemented, the region will have adequate emergency ambulance cover.

He said under the current system, ambulances are involved in routine patient transfers and can be out of the region for several hours.

Under the new plan, on-duty paramedics and advanced paramedics will be able to respond to emergencies in a rapid response vehicle, getting help to the patient fast.

But at Saturday’s march, Skibbereen GP Dr Gerard O’Shaughnessy, who said he was speaking on behalf of all West Cork GPs, said they are opposed to the changes.

“It borders on the incredulous that we have to gather in this way in 2011 to fight for what we believe are essential services,” he said.

“There is absolutely no ambiguity amongst me or my colleagues about our position in relation to these proposed cuts. We are totally opposed to them.

“They will adversely affect patient care and immediate care for very sick patients. If they go ahead, there will be an unsafe level of care during night-time hours.”

Skibbereen mother-of- four Majella Maxwell said: “This is down to money rather than patient needs.

“A couple of years ago I was putting my daughters to bed and they started jumping on the bed and one of them fell on the floor. She started having a seizure.

“The Skibbereen ambulance was there on the spot but she seemed fine and the seizure had stopped.

“The paramedics took her to Cork to be safe and she stopped breathing at the back of the ambulance.

“She came around but it is frightening to think what might have happened if an ambulance had not been available,” she said.

Spokeswoman for the Beara section of the campaign, Annemarie Cronin, said residents are extremely anxious because this is a “life and death situation”.

“It could make all the difference if a family member becomes seriously sick. You cannot put an advanced paramedic in a car in place of a people-carrying vehicle,” she said.

Among those marching on Saturday were TDs Noel Harrington, Michael McCarthy and Sandra McLellan, as well as Senator Denis O’Donovan.

Mayor of Skibbereen, Cllr Frank Fahy said campaigners hope to meet HSE and ambulance officials on December 12 in Skibbereen.

Fine Gael TD Mr Harrington said: “A lot of dialogue needs to happen to ensure that West Cork gets the best possible service.”

Mr Morton said the changes have been implemented in other regions and will be rolled out in east and north Cork in March. HSE officials are finalising the plan for West Cork but it will be at least eight months before it is implemented.

Article Source: Irish Examiner

THE SOS campaign to retain four 24-hour, full-time ambulances in West Cork stepped up another gear in Skibbereen on Saturday as hundreds of marchers took to the streets in protest at HSE proposals to remove nighttime ambulances from Skibbereen and Casteltownbere.

Skibbereen’s mayor Frank Fahy led the march accompanied by local TDs Noel Harrington and Michael McCarthy, and Senator Denis O’Donovan.

Sandra McLennan, Sinn Féin TD from Cork East also joined the marchers to show her party’s support for the campaign.

Up to a thousand people turned out despite the bad weather and marched from the town bypass to the car park of Fields SuperValu in the town where a rally was held.

Mayor Fahy once again reiterated the campaign’s objective of retaining the current level of ambulance service in West Cork.

He said that there had been some promising signs from the HSE that they may be prepared to listen to the concerns of West Cork people but that services remained threatened.

Skibbereen GP Dr Gerard O’Shaughnessy also addressed the rally and said that the campaign had the support of his colleagues right across West Cork.

Mayor Fahy said that the HSE had agreed to meet with members of the SOS Campaign committee next month and that the campaign would “fight them all the way” on any proposals to reduce ambulance cover.

Article Source: West Cork Times

FOLLOWING a lengthy and at times heated meeting with the West Cork SOS Committee in Skibbereen on Monday night, Cork South West Fine Gael TD, Mr Jim Daly, eventually agreed to address a list of questions to be prepared by the committee about the threat to local ambulance services and come back to them with answers within three weeks.

He also said he would support the call for no withdrawal of the current level of ambulance services in West Cork until there had been a complete review. Mr Daly had agreed to meet the committee ahead of this Saturday’s big protest march in Skibbereen, as he will be unable to attend it due to a prior commitment, and said he wanted to set the record straight.

Criticism had been levelled at him for not attending the packed public meeting, on September 30th last that led to the formation of the West Cork SOS committee. That meeting was attended by his Cork South West Dáil colleagues, Mr Michael McCarthy (Labour) and Mr Noel Harrington (Fine Gael), along with Senator Denis O’Donovan, Fianna Fáil, all of whom supported the public’s call for the retention of the current level of ambulance services.

At the invitation of Mr Frank Fahy, chairman of the campaign committee, Mr Daly met with members of the West Cork SOS committee last Monday evening in Skibbereen’s West Cork Hotel. During a fraught encounter, there was complete disagreement about the date when the planned cuts to services will be implemented, Mr Daly saying he had been told by Mr Ger Reaney, area manager, HSE, that the cuts would be implemented in 2013.

Being misled

In response, Skibbereen’s mayor, Mr Frank Fahy, claimed: ‘You are being misled and our information, which we have in writing, is that the cuts must be implemented by June, 2012.’

The TD said: ‘I would be extremely annoyed if my information is incorrect,’ whereupon Skibbereen Fine Gael town councillor Ms Karen Coakley urged her party colleague, Mr Daly, to phone Mr Reaney the following morning to clarify the situation.

The committee expressed their anger that their letters to the Minister of Health, Mr James O’Reilly, and their calls for a meeting had been ignored. It was pointed out that over 80,000 people in West Cork, many of whom had voted for Mr Daly, were effectively being ignored and the committee were requesting, on the electorate’s behalf, that he take their concerns to the Minister.

Mr Daly agreed that the minister should have responded to the committee’s letters within a two-week timeframe. He said: ‘There is a better way of doing business. I am not judge and jury. I am listening and learning tonight.’

Mr Daly suggested that the meeting ask Mr Reaney to speak to them and that the HSE address a public meeting, as it was his view that people had only heard one side of the situation. He said, if they heard the other side, they might change their views.

Members of Skibbereen town council who were present pointed out that they had been at a presentation by Mr Reaney and other members of the HSE regarding the planned cutbacks. Cllr Linda Carroll explained to Mr Daly that the presentation had been no more than ‘a sales job for the planned cuts.’

Mr Daly was also asked to say that he supported the committee’s call for the retention of ambulances in Skibbereen. He confirmed he believed the present services were inadequate and inefficient and, towards the end of the meeting, agreed that the current level of service should not be lowered until an overall review had taken place.

Ms Orla O’Sullivan, representing the YSI pupils of Mercy Heights who are also members of the committee, spoke of how aware and grateful the community was of the professional service it received from local paramedics. She said: ‘We are fortunate to have them, but Mr O’Reilly needs to wake up to what is going on!’

Honest broker

Mr Daly said: ‘All I am doing is being an honest broker. Everything is under review. It would be very easy for me to sit here and tell you what you want to hear.

‘I’ve asked the HSE to sit down with the GPs and explain to the GPs what they are proposing so the West Cork GPs can examine their proposals. I don’t do commitments and I do not give promises because I am not in a position to.

‘I don’t call the shots on what happens in West Cork,’ he added.

Cllr Linda Carroll said: ‘We are not opposing this for the sake of opposing it. There are differences between what we understand the situation to be and what you do.’

A member of the committee, Mrs Majella Maxwell, mother of four daughters, said one of her girls was only alive today because of the ambulance service being available.

Mr Daly said: ‘I have never said that I support the removal of the ambulance service from Skibbereen and Castletownbere and nothing should change until there is a review.

‘I will accept my responsibilities. I would not support any change whatsoever only when I am convinced that there is a better system in place and that there is an agreed alternative acceptable to the people.’

Mr Daly confirmed he would keep in contact with the committee and return with answers to their questions in three to four weeks’ time.

Meanwhile, for this Saturday’s protest march in Skibbereen, assembly will be from the by-pass road with parking available in Morgan O’Driscoll, Auctioneers, and in Cork Marts, Marsh Road. If the weather is inclement, the meeting will be in the West Cork Hotel.

Several local and visiting politicians have confirmed they will be attending. Mr Ger Reaney of the HSE has also been invited to attend.

Article Source: The Southern Star

CAMPAIGNERS fighting proposed cuts to West Cork’s ambulance service have accused the health minister of ignoring their plight.

The West Cork Save Our Service (SOS) group criticised Dr James Reilly last night as they announced a major escalation of their campaign, including a protest march through Skibbereen, and an email, letter, phone and text campaign aimed at the minister, and the region’s three TDs.

Campaign spokesman, Cllr Frank Fahy, the mayor of Skibbereen, criticised the minister for his failure to respond to their letter sent a month ago.

“The minister just isn’t listening to the concerns of thousands of people in West Cork,” he said.

“The last time we sent a letter to him, he ignored it for eight weeks. When we finally got an acknowledgement, it came from one of his officials.”

West Cork SOS was set up earlier this year after HSE proposals to slash the region’s ambulance cover emerged following a Labour Court ruling on the on-call allowance in the ambulance service.

The HSE then drafted proposals to cut 24-hour ambulance cover in parts of the HSE South region.

If implemented, the proposals would leave the entire West Cork region, with a population of 82,000, with just two ambulances overnight — one based in Bantry and one in Clonakilty. Two rapid response vehicles would be based full time in the region.

There are also fears that a special injuries assessment unit at Bantry General Hospital is to close overnight from next January.

Mr Fahy said it is time to up the political pressure with a protest march in Skibbereen at 12.30pm on Saturday, November 26.

And he urged people to get involved in the group’s email, letter, phone and text campaign targeting the local TDs, Jim Daly (FG), Noel Harrington (FG), and Michael McCarthy (Labour), as well as Dr Reilly.

Last night, Mr Daly said he shares the SOS committee’s frustration about the minister’s delay in replying to their letter.

But he said he also shares their desire for “absolute clarity from the minister on this important issue”.

“The people of West Cork deserve nothing less than a full and unequivocal commitment from the minister that they will receive the very highest standards of emergency care and the sooner this commitment and clarity is received the better,” he said.

Article Source: The Irish Examiner

THE West Cork SOS campaign to save the night-time ambulances in Castletownbere and Skibbereen enters a new phase this week as the group organisers plan to intensify opposition to the cuts.

The loss of the two ambulances would leave just two, one based in Bantry and one in Clonakilty to cover all of West Cork from 8pm to 8am.

The area has a population of some 82,000 and from the far peninsulas and islands it can take up to two hours to get to Cork.

A protest march will take place on Saturday, November 26th in Skibbereen getting underway at 12.30pm.

Communities from Beara to Mizen, and all points in between are expected to make the journey to support the protest.

As well as retaining ambulance services at current levels the SOS Campaign also wants the threatened Minor Injuries Assessment Unit at Bantry Hospital to be retained.

West Cork SOS is also commencing an email, letter, phone and text campaign targeting the three TDs in the region Jim Daly (FG), Michael McCarthy (Lab) and Noel Harrington (FG) along with Minister for Health Dr James Reilly.

An SOS spokesperson said, “While two of the local TDs are supportive of the campaign, it is felt they need to signal more commitment.

“More pressure needs to be applied by them at a national level to get the message across that the impending cutbacks to the ambulance services in West Cork are unacceptable and will certainly cause deaths if implemented.”

Contact postal addresses, email addresses and mobile phone numbers of the Minister for Health and West Cork elected representatives are all published on the campaign website westcorksos.com.

To aid the campaign, an email facility is now also available on the website.

The campaign is also still awaiting a reply to a letter sent to the Minister for Health four weeks ago outlining the concerns of people across the area of the effects of the impending cutbacks.

“Coupled with recent announcements of the impending closure of the A & E Unit South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital (SI-VUH) Cork hospitals along with the forthcoming centralisation of Ambulance Control for West Cork to Tallaght in Dublin, West Cork SOS has now no option but to intensify its campaign against the cuts,” said the spokesperson.

TDs Jim Daly, Noel Harrington and Michael McCarthy and Fianna Fáil senator Denis O’Donovan along with representatives from Sinn Fein have been invited to speak at the upcoming demonstration in Skibbereen to give them a chance to publicly lend their support to the campaign.

Article Source: WestCorkTimes.com

Let’s Rile Reilly West Cork ambulance group plans to bombard minister with emails over cuts
By Helen Walsh, Wednesday November 9th, 2011

A TORRENT of emails, letters, phonecalls and text messages is to be unleashed on the Minister for Health as part of a campaign to halt cutbacks to the ambulance service in west Cork. The West Cork SOS Save Our Service, Save A Life campaign was set up to fight:

● The removal of the Skibbereen and Castletownbere ambulance services between 8pm and 8am
● The closure of Bantry Hospital Minor Injuries Assessment Unit between 8pm and 8am.

Mayor of Skibbereen, Labour councillor Frank Fahy said the impending closure of the A&E unit at Cork’s South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital, along with the forthcoming centralisation of ambulance control for west Cork to Tallaght in Dublin, had left West Cork SOS with no option but to step up its campaign against
the cuts. Today, it is launching an e-campaign targeted at the Minister for Health and the three Cork South West TDs — Fine Gael’s Jim Daly and Noel Harrington and Labour Deputy Michael McCarthy.

It is being supported by people whose lives were saved by the local ambulance service — including a mum who lost a huge amount of blood during a home birth nine years ago.

An email facility has been set up at www.westcorksos.com which allows people to directly email the representatives. Contact postal addresses, email addresses and mobile phone numbers for the Minister for Health and the three TDs have also been published on the campaign website. A petition to oppose the cuts has garnered more than 1,200 signatures online and a further 5,000 on paper. A public demonstration is due to take place in Skibbereen on Saturday, November 26.

West Cork marches to halt cuts to ambulance

PEOPLE from Mizen to Beara are to take to the streets to oppose any plans to cut ambulance services in
west Cork. The West Cork SOS — Save Our Service, Save A Life campaign protest march is due to take place at 12.30pm on Saturday, November 26, in Skibbereen.

Communities from Rosscarbery to Eyeries are expected to make the journey to support the ongoing battle for the retention of current levels of emergency ambulance cover and the threatened Minor Injuries
Assessment Unit at Bantry General Hospital. Plans currently under consideration would see the entire area of
west Cork, which has a population of approximately 82,000, covered by two ambulances overnight — one in
Bantry and another in Clonakilty. The closure of the minor injuries assessment unit at Bantry means anyone requiring hospital treatment would need to be transported to Cork city.

In a bid to pre-empt any of these measures, the SOS campaign has set up a petition to oppose the cuts,
already garnering more than 1,200 signatures online and a further 5,000 on hard copies. Today, they are launching an e-campaign to highlight the issue with Minister for Health James Reilly and the three Cork South
West Government TDs — Jim Daly and Noel Harrington of Fine Gael and Labour’s Michael McCarthy.

It comes exactly four weeks after Mayor of Skibbereen, Labour councillor Frank Fahy, wrote to Minister Reilly outlining the community’s concerns and advising him of the campaign’s plans. As yet, the mayor has received no response but said he hoped the minister would listen to the members of the public who were sharing their stories on the campaign website.

The e-campaign allows people to write and send a personal message to any or all of the public representatives via the SOS website from their own email addresses. Cllr Fahy said the group was asking people to be polite but firm and to use the campaign as a personal testimony to the importance they place on the local emergency response services and their feelings about the proposed cuts.

Cllr Fahy said west Cork was going to be further disadvantaged with the reconfiguration of ambulance
command and control centres, which will see two centralised centres collating all calls — one live in Tallaght and a second, back-up centre, in Ballyshannon, saying there would be no local knowledge of west Cork area in central command.

Time was of the essence for our Heidi

CASE STUDY
Emily O’Sullivan, from Skibbereen town, tells her story.

My two-year-old daughter, Heidi, has a rare form of diabetes called diabetes insipidus. Last February we called an ambulance after she started having a seizure. The ambulance got here in minutes, but the personnel didn’t want to move her until she was seen by an advanced paramedic. However, he could not find our house, so we went in the ambulance without him and met him outside Skibbereen.

Things were critical by the time we reached Cork University Hospital and my daughter was rushed to resuscitation. We were told in the hospital that the only reason she is still alive today is because we had got her to the hospital so quickly, something I could not have done myself. The type of seizure she had was due
to a lack of sodium in the blood, a side effect of the medication she takes for diabetes. We were also told by the consultant that time is of the essence with these seizures and that it is rare for kids to survive them without long-term brain damage.

Thankfully, our daughter has no long-term damage, something I will always be grateful to the ambulance personnel for.

THE chilling scenario last Friday night, September 30th, that the Castletownbere ambulance was the only one available in the West Cork region – all others being out on call – was met with palpable anger and dismay by the hundreds of people who filled the ballroom of the West Cork Hotel in Skibbereen to overflowing.

They were packed in for a public meeting called by Skibbereen Town Council and chaired by Mayor Frank Fahy, who outlined the current status of each ambulance in the region that evening and stated: ‘That is the situation as I stand before you tonight and that is before any planned cutbacks!’

‘Death by Geography’ was the prospect if the planned cutbacks to the service, the withdrawal of the ambulance service in Castletownbere and Skibbereen, seven nights a week between the hours of 8pm and 8am, were implemented.

The closure of Bantry Minor Assessment Unit from January 1st, 2012, will add to the already overcrowded situation at Cork University Hospital. Mr Fahy reported that over 800 people had needed the services of the minor assessment unit between 8pm and 8am this year so far, and that would mean in future another 800 heading to Cork for treatment.

There was no one in the room last Friday night who supported the proposed cutbacks in services and, at times, the debate got quite heated. At other times, people were emotionally distressed explaining how the local ambulance service had, literally, saved their lives.

Heir Island’s Daniel Murphy said the prospect of the proposed cuts was worrying but pointed out that the TDs had voted to downgrade ten hospitals, including Bantry. He said the numbers of tourists who visited the area in the summer needed to be included in any statistics.

National problem

Ed Harper from Cape Clear said he would be in Dublin for the public protest that was planned for October 15th when the IMF was in the country. He said his community was nine miles off the coast and it took 45 minutes in a lifeboat just to reach the shore, but the problem was a national problem.

He said: ‘They are paying people’s gambling debts whilst putting our lives at risk. I hope when it does finish up in the streets, our local TDs will be with us and not with the government.’ Mr Harper commended Skibbereen Town Council and Mr Fahy for calling the meeting.

Dr Ger O’Shaughnessey, from the Medical Centre, Skibbereen, said that, at the moment, without the cutbacks, sometimes there was a long wait for ambulances and this was a daytime reality on a regular basis. He said: ‘Bantry ambulance is regularly out of Bantry. It was out every evening over a seven-day period.

‘I think this is a classic example of the gulf that we have at government and local level. It (the service) is needed here in West Cork and we need a local proposal with a local solution.’

Cork county councillor, John O’Sullivan from Timoleague, who is a member of the Regional Health Forum, stated: ‘The abolishment of the on-call system should not mean the loss of ambulances and ambulances being replaced by a reduced service.’ He called for hard facts and figures so that these may be presented as a case against the cuts in language the HSE could understand. Although it was stated the cutback in the ambulance service will take 12 months to be implemented, the ambulance cutbacks will come into place in June, 2012.

Following a lengthy meeting, 24 people have volunteered to form a committee, headed by Mr Fahy to take action on the matter.

During the evening there was wholehearted support for a variety of proposals to take action in different ways, such as a petition, a march from West Cork to the Dáil, travel to Dublin on a fleet of buses and others advised civil disobedience.

School project

A number of transition year teenagers from Mercy Heights Secondary School, Skibbereen, have chosen ‘Save the Ambulance’ as their Young Social Innovators project. There’s also a Facebook page, ‘West Cork ambulance service saved my life let them save more,’ to keep up to date with progress on the campaign.

Mr Ger Reaney of the HSE had been invited the previous Monday to attend the meeting, but, according to Mr Fahy, had called that evening to say he could not attend. Politicians present included Cork South West TDs, Michael McCarthy (Labour) and Noel Harrington (Fine Gael, while Senator Denis O’Donovan (Fianna Fáil) had left a family wedding to attend.

County councillors in attendance included Messrs Adrian Healy and Brendan Leahy, Skibbereen; Dermot Sheehan, Goleen; Declan Hurley, Dunmanway; Christopher O’Sullivan, Clonakilty, and John O’Sullivan, Timoleague, while some members of Clonakilty Town Council attended, as did every member of Skibbereen Town Council.

Article Source: The Southern Star

Campaign to oppose ambulance cuts grows
By Louise Roseingrave, Monday, October 03, 2011

THE only ambulance available in west Cork last Friday night was stationed in Castletownbere, 85km from where 470 people gathered at a public meeting opposing cuts to the service.

The revelation drew gasps from a crowd that packed the 320-seat capacity function room at the West Cork Hotel in Skibbereen, where there was standing room only for a further 150.

The stark reality of an already strained service meant that any emergency requiring an ambulance in Skibbereen at 8pm on Friday night was facing a wait of almost two hours.

Skibbereen Mayor Frank Fahy recalled a fatal accident on the N71 last April involving 12 people travelling in two cars in a head-on collision at Rosscarbery. Sanghita Das, from Kolkata, India, was pronounced dead at the scene.

“It is tragically clear that if the sixth casualty had not died at the scene, there would have been no ambulance for her. It was only chance rather than good management that those ambulances were available at the time,” Mr Fahy said.

The proposals to cut 24-hour ambulance cover in parts of the Health Service Executive (HSE) south region follow a Labour Court ruling on the on-call allowance in the ambulance service. The HSE plans to remove ambulance cover from Skibbereen and Castletownbere between 8pm and 8am, to be replaced by two rapid response vehicles.

In the second phase, the HSE plans to restore 24-hour ambulance cover to Castletownbere, but not to Skibbereen.

The current national ratio of people serviced by each ambulance nationwide is 37,000, Mr Fahy said.

If HSE proposals are introduced, the ratio jumps to 58,000 people dependent on one ambulance in west Cork, the “most geographically diverse region in the country”.

Remote peninsular locations including Kilcrohane, the Mizen, Sheep’s Head and Beara along with the islands will suffer acutely, Mr Fahy said.

Ed Harper from Cape Clear said it takes 45 minutes to reach the mainland. “Any delays in an ambulance arriving could be disastrous,” he said.

Cllr John O’Sullivan from Timoleague, a member of the Regional Health Forum urged people to build a strong case against the cuts in a “language the HSE can understand”.

After an invitation by Mr Fahy to establish a working committee to oppose the HSE proposals, 27 attendees put their names forward.

A petition was signed by 632 people and a Facebook page has been established to mobilise support against the cuts, due to be introduced in 12 months time.

Fifteen minutes after Mr Fahy’s announcement, the ambulance at Castletownbere was called out on a 999 emergency leaving the region with no available ambulance cover.

“We won’t be made fools of by mindless actions of HSE management putting our lives and our families lives in danger,” he said.

Article Source: The Irish Examiner

A HUGE crowd of 700 people turned out at the West Cork Hotel on Friday night for a special public meeting organised by Skibbereen Town Council in opposition to proposed changes to ambulance services in West Cork.

Among those attending the packed meeting were local TDs Michael McCarthy and Noel Harrington as well as numerous local councillors.

Skibbereen Mayor Frank Fahy told attendees that proposals to replace ambulance cover in Skibbereen and Castletownbere with Emergency Response Vehicles after 8pm would have devastating and dangerous implications for ambulance cover across West Cork.

“We are not asleep down here in West Cork,” he said, “and we will not let the HSE get away with this,” which was greeted with thunderous applause.

Ann Cullinane of Clonakilty Town Council said that her members would be passing a motion in support of Skibbereen next week while Pat Lennon of High Street, Skibbereen suggested the group place open letters in the newspapers challenging the Government and the HSE.

Daniel Murphy from Heir Island said the implications of the proposed cuts for islanders was “very worrying indeed” while Ed Harper from Cape Clear said that his community was nine miles off the coast and it took 45 minutes in a lifeboat just to reach the shore, any delays in an ambulance arriving he said, could be disastrous.

Cllr John O’Sullivan from Timoleague who is a member of the Regional Health Forum urged people to build a strong, factual case against the cuts in a “language the HSE can understand”.

He said that West Cork had 12 months before the changes were due to come into force and now was the time to act.

Frank Fahy said the HSE were asked to send a representative to the meeting but they had pulled out at the last minute.

TDs Noel Harrington and Michael McCarthy both pledged their total support for the campaign and pointed out that they had both challenged the Minster for Health in the Dáil on the issue and would continue to do so.

Cllr Dermot Sheehan from Goleen said that the huge turnout proved the people of West Cork are totally against the proposals, “now I know the people are with us,” he said,

Article Source: westcorktimes.com

Ambulance service cuts ‘will cause deaths’
By Eoin English, Monday, September 26, 2011

A MOTHER whose daughter’s life was saved by a West Cork ambulance crew has backed a campaign fighting HSE plans to re-configure the service.

Emily O’Sullivan believes the only reason that her two-year-old is alive is because of the rapid response of the ambulance crew who rushed her from Skibbereen to Cork University Hospital (CUH).

“We believe if they had not got her to hospital so quickly we would not have her here with us today,” she said.

Emily is one of dozens of people who have shared their stories ahead of a public meeting in Skibbereen on Friday to discuss the HSE’s proposals.

Following a Labour Court ruling on the on-call allowance in the ambulance service, the HSE has drafted proposals to cut 24-hour ambulance cover in parts of the HSE South region.

It includes proposals to remove ambulance cover from Skibbereen and Castletownbere between 8pm and 8am, to be replaced by two rapid response vehicles.

And in the second phase, the HSE plans to restore the 24-hour ambulance cover in Castletownbere, but not in Skibbereen.

Mother-of-three Delia Jackson said the proposals are “frightening”.

“We have a service that’s completely inadequate as it is. We are pleading with the HSE to improve the ambulance service — not take any more from it,” she said.

Her three-year-old son suffered a potentially serious head injury in a fall.

Blood was pouring from his ear and he had a large gash at the back of his head.

She rushed him to South Doc in Skibbereen and was told that he would need a complete head scan to rule out a skull fracture or brain injury.

But the doctor was told that an ambulance would not be available for 40 minutes.

Ms Jackson had to drive her son at speed to Cork University Hospital (CUH) where luckily, a scan revealed no serious injury.

In another incident, she broke her back in a fall from a roof.

An ambulance was on the scene within 10 minutes and she made a full recovery.

Ms Jackson said her son’s accident highlights how overstretched the West Cork ambulance service already is, and her own accident highlights how important a proper ambulance cover is.

Natalie Webb said she lost a dangerous amount of blood during a home birth. An ambulance arrived and the crew began blood transfusions.

Natalie said the crew was brilliant and got her to hospital quickly.

“They saved my life,” she said.

Skibbereen Mayor Frank Fahy has urged people to attend the public meeting.

He said: “Having served in all ranks of the fire service to the rank of station officer of Skibbereen for the last 25 of my 46 years service, I am acutely aware of the operation of the emergency services and have no doubt that this curtailment of the ambulance service will cause deaths in this area and further aggravation of serious injuries and illnesses.”

* The meeting takes place in the West Cork Hotel, Skibbereen, at 8pm next Friday.

Article Source: The Irish Examiner

WEST Cork’s Oireachtas representatives and the members of Skibbereen Town Council said they will not stand idly by and allow the ambulance service in Skibbereen and Castletownbere to be curtailed.

Leading the offensive was Mr Brendan Leahy, who, at a special meeting of Skibbereen Town Council on Monday, called on all sectors of the community to resist any attempt by the Health Service Executive to introduce ‘cutbacks’ in the night time on-call facility at the Skibbereen and Castletownbere ambulance bases.

There are four bases in West Cork, namely in Bantry, Castletownbere, Clonakilty and Skibbereen, and these are staffed for 12 hours a day from Monday to Thursday with the other 12 hours from 8pm to 8am operating on an on-call basis. There is, however, staffing both day and night at the weekends, from Friday to Sunday.

It has been suggested that the 8pm to 8am on-call facility from Monday to Thursday will be dropped at Skibbereen and Castletownbere, leaving the entire region with just two ambulances available to respond to night time emergencies during these hours.

Mr Leahy, who is a member of both Skibbereen Town Council and Cork County Council, as well as being a paramedic and a member of the local ambulance service, pointed out that the service accounts for just one percent of the HSE’s budget, so any cutbacks would be negligible and could, in fact, result in the loss of life.

He said he was aware that Professor John Higgins, who launched the new advanced paramedic system as part of the HSE South regional configuration plan, had driven the peninsulas, including making a visit to Allihies, to get a true impression of the huge spread of West Cork, an area that includes three peninsulas and several inhabited islands.

Not good enough

But, Mr Leahy said it was ‘not good enough’ to propose that Skibbereen and Castletownbere would be left with one paramedic on duty in a car from 8pm to 8am from Monday to Thursday, because if they were confronted with a real emergenc,y they would not be authorised to transport a patient to hospital, meaning an ambulance will have to be called in any event.

The Mayor, Mr Frank Fahy, also spoke in opposition to the proposal, saying that ‘the outcome would have severe implications and consequences for the West Cork area generally, and more specifically Skibbereen.

‘Skibbereen,’ he said, ‘is the second-busiest 999 ambulance in West Cork, second only to Clonakilty, which provides a service from Rosscarbery to Kinsale.’ And, he alleged that the HSE would be ‘putting lives at risk … to save the pay of one paramedic, or EMT from 8pm to 8am because in an emergency situation the paramedic would still have to call a doctor, or an ambulance, to the scene.’

When the subject was first broached in the media, at the beginning of the month, the HSE issued a statement and made the point that no ambulance bases are closing, but that traditional work practices – the on-call service – are changing throughout the country in line with Labour Court recommendations.

The HSE official said: ‘Discussions currently under way are as a result of a Labour Court recommendation requiring the abolition of on-call for all ambulance personnel in Cork and Kerry.’ It also stated that the HSE South proposals are looking at ‘introducing changes in work practices on a phased basis.’

It was this final point that was raised by Mr Noel Harrington, TD, at Skibbereen Town Council’s special meeting on Monday. He told the members of Skibbereen Town Council that he had been given an assurance by a HSE official that the changes to Skibbereen and Castletownbere were at least twelve months away and that East Cork, namely Youghal and Middleton, would be dealt with first.

Reading from a statement issued by the Minister for Health, Mr Harrington said: ‘…the first phase will not affect the West Cork service; the NAS will set out the priority for stations to move to the new model.

‘Following implementation, reviews will be held under the Labour Relations Commission, and implementation in West Cork and South Kerry will not proceed until this review is completed.’

In the meantime, the councillors and the Oireachtas members, Mr Noel Harrington, Mr Jim Daly and Senator Denis O’Donovan, agreed to write, voicing their strong opposition to the proposed changes, to the Minister for Health and the Health Service Executive.

Article Source: The Southern Star

Opposition to ambulance service cuts
By Leo McMAHON Saturday July 2nd, 2011

Strong opposition has been voiced to what appears to beproposal for cutbacks in the night time ‘on-call’ facility at ambulance bases in Skibbereen and Castletownbere.

Cllr Brendan Leahy, at Monday’s meeting of Cork County Council, seconded a motion from his Labour party colleague in Fermoy, Cllr Noel McCarthy, calling on the Health Service Executive (HSE) to immediately restore on-call services to all ambulance bases in the county.

There are four bases in West Cork – at Bantry, Castletownbere, Clonakilty and Skibbereen.

Cllr Leahy is a paramedic, but speaking as an elected public representative, he said the service, which accounted for just one per cent of the HSE’s budget, was actually enhanced last year when Professor John Higgins launched the advanced paramedic system as part of the HSE South region configuration plan, but predicted this would be lost under the latest cut backs.

The four West Cork bases were staffed for 12 hours by day Monday to Thursday with the other 12 hours on call and staffing day and night from Friday to Sunday.

However, the on-call facility at Skibbereen and Castletownbere from Monday to Thursday were to go according to information obtained by Cllr McCarthy who claimed that lives could be lost as a result here and also in affected towns in North and East Cork.

Such a situation in a huge geographical area including three peninsulas and several islands, warned Cllr Leahy, could leave patients in a very vulnerable situation and was unfair on both ambulance staff and the public.

When not staffed, the Skibbereen and Castletownbere bases would each have one paramedic on duty in a car, but that person wasn’t allowed to transport a patient to a hospital and had to call an ambulance.

Valuable time.

In such a vast area, a paramedic could be attending a person at night, but may not have ambulance cover to provide transport, resulting in valuable time being lost because the Bantry and Clonakilty ambulances could be on a call-out or on a lengthy journey to Cork University Hospital and not be readily available.

Having just two ambulance bases operating at night from Monday to Thursday for call-outs in an area stretching from Kinsale to Dursey Island, just wasn’t on and he voiced opposition to the cut back arguing it was an issue more important than budgets, rather it was about people.

Similar concerns about cut backs affecting Fermoy, Midleton, Youghal, Kanturk, Millstreet ambulance bases were highlighted by Cllr McCarthy, who predicted lives would be lost if night time ambulance cover was removed.

Cllr Dermot Sheehan (FG) said the same service as provided in the city should apply to West Cork, while Cllr Ronan Sheehan (Lab) said all citizens should be treated equally and Cllr Kevin Murphy (FG) described the cut back as ‘an attack on rural Ireland.’ Cllrs Jerry O’Sullivan (FG) and Barbara Murray (FG), Noel Collins (Independent) and John Mulvhill (Lab) also supported the motion.

County Mayor Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) called on the HSE to listen to and respond to the basic needs of the people and, voicing dismay with the effectiveness of its regional health forum meetings, suggested such bodies abolished. Cllr John O’Sullivan (FG) and Michael Hegarty (FG) concurred.

It was agreed to write to the HSE.

HSE reply
Contacted on Wednesday, the HSE Communications section replied as follows: ‘The HSE would like to clarify that no ambulance bases are closing but that traditional work practices within the ambulance service are changing to ensure the needs of people in Cork and Kerry continue to be met in an integrated, safe and effective way within available resources.

‘The discussions currently under way are as a result of a Labour Court recommendation requiring the abolition of on call for all ambulance personnel in Cork and Kerry. HSE South management and the unions have, to date, successfully reduced the level of on call from 44 hours per week down to 16 hours per week. Management and unions have agreed the need to continue to reduce, and ultimately abolish, on call and these current discussions are about developing a plan to achieve this outcome on a phased basis. Following HSE South management’s presentation of their plan to SIPTU last week, SIPTU representatives welcomed the plan and agreed that the plan’s proposals could only be implemented within existing resources.

‘The proposals identify that full co-operation is required from all staff in relation to implementation of the plan and, to this end, the proposals, which SIPTU have brought to their members, are to be discussed further in August when meetings between HSE South management and ambulance staff will take place at each ambulance base in Cork and Kerry.

‘It is important to note that these discussions are taking place under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission and are fully consistent with all of the terms of the Public Service Agreement.

‘The HSE South proposals look at introducing changes in work practices on a phased basis. Phase 1 would see ambulance bases e.g. in the East Cork area, that currently have an on call arrangement in place after 8.00pm, move to a new work practice where crews are rostered to work 24/7, 365 days a year (rather than on call).

‘An evaluation of the service will take place after each phase in completed to identify any issues arising. It is proposed that the more rural ambulance bases e.g. Castletownbere, Kenmare, Bantry, Skibbereen, Caherciveen would be looked at in the later phases. These new work practices will enable the HSE South move towards a modern emergency response service involving paramedics, advanced paramedics, community first responders and GP Out of Hour services working together to respond in an efficient manner to emergency situations. This approach is consistent with international best practice and will ensure compliance with Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) standards around response times.’

Article Source: The Southern Star