ICRR air ambulance still waiting for approval
A new charity-funded air ambulance service in Ireland, which was unveiled last September, is still waiting for approval to begin operations – a delay that Irish Community Rapid Response (ICRR) warns could cost lives, as well as incur additional payroll costs.
A new charity-funded air ambulance service in Ireland, which was unveiled last September, is still waiting for approval to begin operations – a delay that Irish Community Rapid Response (ICRR) warns could cost lives, as well as incur additional payroll costs.
ICRR announced the air ambulance service in September 2018, which is a partnership project (in both funding and service delivery) between ICRR, the Health Service Executive (HSE) National Ambulance Service (NAS) and the Department of Health. The service marks Ireland’s first charity-funded air ambulance service, and ICRR expected the helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) to be operational the following month.
The air ambulance – an Augusta Westland AW109 – can accommodate a pilot, two medics, a patient on a stretcher and an extra passenger, and is based in Cork, Ireland. In a press release from September 2018 the ICRR said that the service was ‘expected to respond to up to 500 calls per year and bring the population of a 10,000-square-mile area within 20 minutes of critical medical care’.
In addition, the ICRR estimated that the service would cost around €2 million a year to operate and has spent over €50,000 on paramedic training and nearly €400,00 on the development of the Irish Aviation Authority-approved airbase in Rathcoole.
Unfortunately, however, months have since passed and the service remains grounded in a hangar waiting for Health Minister Simon Harris to sign off on various recommendations from HSE NAS – which is partially responsible for the operation of the new HEMS – and the Department of Health – which will provide the paramedic personnel on board the air ambulance helicopter.
Despite signing a service-level agreement with the HSE in January, ICRR noted that it is still waiting for ministerial approval to begin operations as a declared asset of the HSE NAS and respond to emergency calls.
“A due diligence process is currently ongoing to ensure a model of safe, appropriate service delivery is in place. Once complete, a start date will be agreed,” the HSE said in a statement. In addition, the ICRR noted that: “Minister Harris holds final responsibility to make this decision, based on recommendations he receives from the HSE NAS and the Department of Health.”
Until then, the service continues to incur costs. The ICRR added: “Existing air ambulance services have been proven to save lives, both in Ireland and abroad, and this is why getting the service into operation is imperative, as delays could cost lives.” The ICRR has also extended its gratitude to the public for the ‘overwhelming support for the service’ and continues to encourage an imminent start date for the HEMS.