NAS say they 'regret any negative experience' after ambulance delay for Laois girl
The National Ambulance Service have responded following concerns raised in Laois over a shortage of services
The HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) have responded to the concerns raised in Laois regarding the county's ambulance service after a 10-year-old girl was forced to wait for over an hour for an ambulance last weekend.
The young girl's mother, Ciara, said she had to call for an ambulance in Portarlington on Sunday after her daughter began to suffer a heavy nosebleed on her birthday. The nosebleed was of concern as the girl suffers from a blood disorder which means her blood does not clot.
Ciara was told by the emergency services operator that there were no ambulances available in Laois and so the family had to wait an hour and 10 minutes for the nearest ambulance to arrive from Athy.
Local Councillor Aidan Mullins and TD Brian Stanley have since raised serious concerns regarding the lack of services available in Laois.
The National Ambulance Service have now stated that they cannot comment on any individual case, however they "regret that any service user should have a negative experience."
In a statement from NAS, they said: "The NAS works to deliver the highest standard of care for people using NAS services. NAS operates a nationally integrated deployment model dispatches the nearest available ambulance to the most urgent calls, regardless of county boundaries.
"All 999/112 calls received for emergency medical assistance are prioritised using an internationally recognised system that triages calls based on clinical priority, which range from life-threatening- cardiac or respiratory arrest to minor illness or injury.
"This means that during particularly busy periods, lower-acuity calls may wait longer for an ambulance. The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) is the command and coordination hub of the NAS. It is staffed by Emergency Medical Controllers, Emergency Dispatchers, Clinical Nurse Managers, Control Supervisors and Control Managers."
They continued to say: "The Clinical Hub is a specialised service located in the NEOC, designed to provide advanced clinical support during the triage and management of emergency and urgent calls.
"The Clinical Hub is staffed by experienced healthcare professionals such as specialist paramedics, doctors and nurses, who work in tandem with emergency call takers and dispatchers. Its core aim is to improve patient care by ensuring that each caller receives the most appropriate clinical pathway based on their needs."
Commenting on the lack of resources raised by local politicians in Laois, the organisation said: "The NAS remains acutely aware of the unique challenges associated with delivering emergency services in rural areas and recognises the additional resources required to meet these needs.
"The NAS is undergoing a significant transformation programme to enhance service delivery, optimise resources, and expand its role in providing alternative and community-based care. Since 2022, additional investment has seen the NAS base budget increase by 41% (an additional €83 million) to €285 million in 2025.
"Over the same period, staffing levels have increased by 28%, with an additional 588 whole-time equivalent staff, bringing total NAS staffing to 2,655 WTE. Capital investment of €126 million has also been made in fleet replacement and expansion to support these developments."