Specialist community ambulance hub being established in Mayo

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has confirmed that Community Health Care West is developing a specialist community ambulance team in Castlebar.

He revealed the news when asked by Depeuty Demis Naughten to disclose the location of 18 ambulatory care hubs as the HSE had refused to do so.

The minister stated: "The development of Ambulatory Care Hubs or, more properly, Community Specialist Teams, is an operational issue and is a matter for the HSE.

“My department was provided with an update from the HSE in April that work was underway to identify short, medium-and long-term options for accommodating specialist teams across the Community Healthcare Organisations (CHOs).

“It is understood that this work was conducted in line with standard HSE Estates processes in terms of planning for system wide accommodation needs and included consultation with CHOs and local and national estates.

“The department has not been formally advised by the HSE of the location of the 18 community specialist teams.

“However, through work on other Oireachtas business, the department has recently become aware that Community Healthcare West is to develop teams in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, and Galway City in the first phase of the roll-out and in Castlebar in the second phase.”