Ambulance response performance falls - The Munster Express

Ambulance response performance falls General Stories The Munster Express

The ambulance response performance for the Dublin and South East region has fallen significantly, according to new figures released to TD David Cullinane following a Parliamentary Question to the Minister of Health.

In June The Munster Express reported on a disturbing incident where a 76-year-old Waterford City woman waited in agony with a broken hip and wrist as it took three and a half hours for an ambulance to arrive.

The woman suffered a fall in her back garden around 9.30pm but lay waiting on an ambulance until nearly 1.00 am. Her family and neighbours were afraid to move her in case they caused more damage.

The delay in the ambulance response was first highlighted by Cllr Joeanne Bailey at the June Plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council.

The National Ambulance Service is under severe pressure as they called for increased numbers and better working conditions.

Following up on the issue, TD Cullinane has said that new figures released by the National Ambulance Service represent a serious deterioration in response performance for the most urgent calls across Dublin and the South East.

Dublin South East is the Health Care region of Waterford. There are 6 health care regions in Ireland, with Dublin being dived into the three surrounding areas, Dublin and South East, Dublin and North East, and Dublin and Midlands.

TD Cullinane explained that the proportion of Purple calls reached within 19 minutes fell from an average of 76.6% in the first quarter of 2025 to 70% in the same period of 2026, while Red-call performance fell from 44.7% to 39.9%.

Purple calls relate to suspected cardiac or respiratory arrest, while Red calls involve other life-threatening illnesses or injuries.

“These are the most serious calls received by the ambulance service,” explained TD Cullinane. “Purple calls include patients believed to be in cardiac or respiratory arrest, while Red calls involve other life-threatening illnesses and injuries.

“In those circumstances, every minute matters. Yet across Dublin and the South East, three in ten Purple calls and six in ten Red calls were not reached within 19 minutes during the first three months of this year.

“The proportion of Purple calls reached within 19 minutes fell by more than six percentage points compared with the same period last year. Red-call performance fell by almost five percentage points.

“The deterioration was particularly severe in January. Purple-call performance fell from 77.1% in January 2025 to 68.6% in January 2026. For Red calls, it fell from 45.2% to just 37.4%.”

TD Cullinane claims these delays are no fault of the workers but result from staffing issues and working conditions. He also called for an explanation as to why Waterford’s Ambulance Base has not moved beyond the first stage or development, which comes before design or planning.

“This is not the fault of paramedics, emergency medical technicians or control-room staff,” he explained. “They are working under severe pressure and doing everything possible to protect patients despite serious staffing and capacity problems.

“Frontline ambulance workers have repeatedly warned about burnout, excessive overtime, late finishes and a service which does not have enough staff to provide the level of coverage communities need.

“The Government must also explain why the new Waterford ambulance base remains stuck at appraisal,” he continued.

“This is still a proposal preparing its preliminary business case. It has not moved beyond Approval Gate 1 into design, planning or procurement. There is no clear construction timeline and no completion date.

“Waterford needs a modern, purpose-built ambulance base which provides proper facilities for staff and supports additional crews, vehicles, training and operational capacity. It cannot be allowed to remain indefinitely in the early stages of the HSE capital process,” Deputy Cullinane added.

It is a common complaint of non-government TDs from the South East that the region is often overlooked for funding and investment relative to other parts of the country. TD Cullinane suggests the ambulance base may be another example of this as similar projects get pushed through in other locations without the delays seen in Waterford.

“The HSE has allocated €15.68 million nationally in 2026 for new ambulance infrastructure and the modernisation of existing bases. Projects elsewhere have progressed into design, tender and construction, but the Waterford project remains at appraisal,” he said.

“We need the HSE and the Minister for Health to set out when the appraisal will be completed, when Approval Gate 1 will be secured, where the new base will be located and a firm timetable for design, planning, construction and completion,” Deputy Cullinane added.

AARON KENT Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme - Munster Express Submit a Comment Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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