Injured Laois pensioner waiting on ground over two hours for ambulance
An elderly Laois pensioner was waiting over two hours on the ground for an ambulance, a councillor has reported.
The woman aged in her 90s, living in Portlaoise was later found to have broken bones.
The situation almost reached the stage where she needed resusitation with a public debrillator used by her family.
The incident has been highlighted by Portlaoise Municipal District Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald, as she calls for an overhaul of the ambulance dispatch system in Ireland.
She has also asked Laois County Council to request facts from the Health Service Executive on just how many ambulances are avaialble to service the Portlaoise area.
"I know we have to wait for an answer from the HSE. This is no reflection on ambulance service, they are absolutely excellent. But the amount of time it takes to get to people from one end of the country to another.
"My elderly neighbour broke her hip and her ankle. She was two and a half hours waiting. They had actually said to pick a spot to get a defibrillator because the woman was just going.
"There won't always be an ambulance for everyone, but two and a half hours. I don't know what kind of system they have, what are you supposed to do when someone is going out of consciousness?
"There should be a better service for pepole who maybe all their lives have never looked for it. There has to be a better way.
"The staff we hear are excellent. It just getting to people quickly. It's very annoying and very worrying. How many ambulances are there to serve Laois? Can we get an update? People are losing it with this service," Cllr Fitzgerald said.
Cllr Fitzgerald confirmed that the lady is recuperating since her injury.
Cllr Willie Aird seconded the motion, which Laois County Council will now act upon by requesting the information from the HSE.
"I am getting nothing only complaints. A boy broke his leg on a pitch and was left waiting hours too. If we invest in something, and the time is not being shortened, it's not a success.
"I go back to when an ambulance was parked up at Portlaoise hospital. We should always ensure an ambulance is ready for an extreme emergency.
"That service is not there now. Now you can be told an ambulance is on its way from Wexford. They are sent from all over the place. There could be more in Portlaoise. We could ask them to come to a council meeting and explain why," Cllr Aird said.
Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley said that her husband who is Deputy Brian Stanley, recently raised the issue of slow ambulance response times to the Public Accounts Committee.
"Unfortunately it's called 'dynamic deployment'. There have been times that Laois was left without an ambulance. That's the policy they have. There are times that an ambulance could be on the way to Wexford and it another one gets near, it is stood down and turned back. They gave a commitment to keep within a 50km zone.
"We have a similar population to Scotland, but we have half the ambulances Scotland has, and half the staff. They are doing trojan work. The reality is we're being left without ambulances.
"Some of the staff are doing 17 hour shifts and are completely burned out," Cllr Dwane Stanley said.
Cllr Barry Walsh said he did not realise the extent of the problem.
"It should be a priority service, this is people's lives," he said.
Cllr Noel Tuohy called it "a silly way to run a system".
The council's Director of Services Simon Walton said he was noting two key concerns.
"That is the response times, and the number of ambulances available to the Portlaoise Municipal District. I can invite a representative to a future MD meeting to take questions," he said.