The pressure in emergency departments such as University Hospital Limerick and Tipperary University Hospital is a huge contributor to lengthy ambulance response times.
That’s the view of Tipperary Independent County Councillor Seamie Morris in response to Freedom of Information figures which show ambulances took more than an hour to respond to 6,200 urgent calls across the country last year.
In one instance it took over 7 hours for an ambulance to arrive at a life-threatening emergency call in Co Waterford.
Speaking on Tipp Today earlier Councillor Morris said ambulances waiting at ED departments simply cannot respond to other calls.
“We did get excellent Paramedics and excellent ambulances but the point of the matter is that we didn’t get enough. And no matter how many we get if they’re stuck outside the hospital in Limerick you could have a fleet of ambulances and it wouldn’t do its job. So ergo if our A&E system isn’t working properly our ambulance service doesn’t work properly.”
Councillor Morris also accused Tipperary’s TDs of going to ground in relation to the crisis in the UL Hospital group.
“They’ve totally abdicated their responsibilities for things that they promised us – and one of them actually got elected on the back of keeping our A&E in Nenagh open.
“They have gone completely to ground. And if your politicians have gone to ground they have either embedded themselves with the HSE or they have become charmed by the HSE but they’re certainly not doing their job.”
