Mayo ambulance base left short-staffed 15 times in past three months

The ambulance base in Castlebar was left short-staffed on 15 occasions over the past three months.

The information has been furnished to Councillor Michael Kilcoyne at today's meeting of the HSE West Forum.

The statement issued to him outlined: "The National Ambulance Service operates on a countrywide basis and mobilises responses to calls based on clinical priority, in accordance with our model of dynamic ambulance deployment.

"In this respect, ambulances may travel to and be dispatched from various locations, irrespective of their base, since they are not confined to work in specific geographical areas.

"While this model yields obvious benefits for patients awaiting an emergency response in the community, it does mean on occasion that stations can be left without an immediately available crew.

"This is not indicative of the base's overall efficiency or the quality of service provided to the community, but is rather a reflection of periodic fluctuations in demand.

"Regrettably, it is not possible to accurately determine the number of occasions where this has been the case in the last three months.

"Notwithstanding the above, over the course of the last three months, the service experienced 15 instances where a single shift could not be fully staffed.

"These occurrences are known as "single dropped shifts”, and are typically the result of short notice sickness or unforeseen circumstances.

"On 11 of these occasions, existing ambulance shifts were adjusted to release a solo rostered advanced paramedic who was redirected onto a Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV), so as to maximise available cover under the circumstances.

"For the remaining shifts, the solo rostered staff member was paired with another solo shift from a nearby station to optimise resourcing and maintain a responsive service.

"I would like to assure you that whenever a shift drops, every effort is made to cover the gap in the first instance, and when this is not possible, that alternative arrangements – such as those described above – are implemented to ensure continued service to the community."