Ambulance waiting times in Cork to rise amid ‘detrimental’ cuts, claims union representative

People in Cork and Kerry could face increased waiting times for ambulance services under planned “detrimental” cuts, union officials have claimed.

The proposed cuts, announced last Friday by the National Ambulance Service (NAS), are due to come into effect next Monday.

According to Siptu, the plans include cuts to overtime which would necessitate the dropping of 15 ambulance shifts across Cork and Kerry.

Siptu sector organiser John McCamley said the union is urgently seeking engagement with NAS management.

“There are deep concerns about how many shifts will be lost by not providing overtime arrangements as they currently exist, and we’re calling on management to properly staff and resource the services in the Cork and Kerry area,” he said.

“It is our absolute concern that the planned cuts will have a detrimental effect on the service, and we have identified 15 shifts, at 14 bases across the two counties, that will be lost if the cuts come in, and that can only have a negative effect on waiting times.”

According to Siptu estimates, the lost shifts affect 14 bases, including: Mallow, Millstreet, Macroom, Kanturk, Fermoy, Castletownbere, Skibbereen, and Clonakilty in Cork; and Tralee (two shifts), Dingle, Listowel, Killarney, Kenmare, and Cahirsiveen in Kerry.

In a statement to The Echo, a HSE spokesperson said: “The National Ambulance Service, in consultation with our trade union partners, are currently reviewing the best use of all available staffing hours in the South West [Cork and Kerry] within our approved resource level.

“This is to ensure that staffing hours are effectively deployed to cover all forms of leave and that the approved level of service for NAS can be maintained during all leave and training arrangements without relying on excessive overtime, which can be detrimental to staff wellbeing. This is being done on a phased basis over September and October, but please be assured that the NAS service level in the South-West has not been reduced below our approved resource level.”

Labour Party councillor for Mallow, Eoghan Kenny, said any reduction of services would have a detrimental impact on local communities.

Joe Lynch, Sinn Féin councillor for Cork City South West, said it was important to note that ambulances respond to calls far beyond their base and can be called anywhere, so the loss of an ambulance in Macroom on a given day is the loss of ambulance right across Cork city and county.

“I am calling on for this plan to be shelved, and for there to be proper engagement with workers and their representatives to ensure no community in Cork suffers a loss of service,” he said.

Becky Kealy, Aontú’s Cork North West representative, said she was very concerned for staff and patients in the region.