This article is from page 52 of the 2006-07-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 52 JPG
THE Health Service Executive in the mid-west was forced to employ the services of a private ambulance company to cover emergency and routine calls in Ennis last week because its own staff were not available to work, it has emerged.
The HSE has confirmed it had no option but to hire the private ambulance to cover calls in the Ennis area on Saturday, June 24. The HSE spokesman confirmed that it is not common practice to employ the services of private ambulance firms to cover calls and does so only “when there is no other option.”
The ambulance, operated by a Kildare based private ambulance company was deployed in the town where it located itself in the carpark of a local hotel rather that at the general hospital where the HSE ambulance service station for the greater Ennis area is situated.
“Our primary concern is for the safety of the public. The question has to be asked, what qualifications do these ambulance crews have? Our understanding is that the driver of the private ambulance did not have adequate training while the second crew member was Polish and had little or no English,” one angry Emergency Medical Technician said.
The HSE has rejected these claims saying, “the private ambulance company operates in the four HSE areas and is HSE approved. It also has an ongoing training programme with the national ambulance training school. Both staff were qualified EMT’s and have fluent English.
“There are several other issues here as well. That ambulance was sent to Dublin with a patient. This left the HSE crew out of pocket by the loss of overtime and allowances. What’s going to happen next? This could become the norm across the board and where would that leave us? This is our biggest fear,” one Clare based EMT said.
“We are also concerned that this private ambulance was secretly parked up behind a local hotel awaiting calls from the Regional Control Centre in Limerick,” another EMT added. “Why wasn’t it based at the hospital or the ambulance station,” he added. In response the HSE said, “It is a matter for the private ambulance company where they base their ambulance once they are in the general area required and we can communicate with them.
“It is simply bad management. How can you have five people to cover holiday work while as many as 15 people are on holidays at any one time?” staff ask, claiming they were not told in advance of plans to bring in a private company.
The HSE has confirmed however that, “At several meetings, staff representatives have been informed that if HSE staff are not available, a private ambulance will be employed.”
The HSE also declined to comment on the reasons why staff were not available to work.