Just one ambulance on call in Athlone on certain nights

The HSE has confirmed there is only one ambulance on duty in Athlone on certain nights, leading to concern about delays to response times when that ambulance has already been called elsewhere.

The issue of ambulance coverage in Athlone was raised at a recent council meeting by John Dolan, who had a near-death experience in 2017 when his heart suddenly stopped at his home in Fardrum.

"I've seen calls to my area where the ambulance was coming from Roscommon and it can take 25-30 minutes. If that had happened in my own case, I wouldn't be here," he said. 

Cllr Dolan said people had recently been in touch with him about the level of ambulance service coverage in Athlone.

"I owe my life to the work that is carried out by the ambulance service. What I have been told is that there are two ambulances on call in Athlone, but this is down to one at certain times of the week.

"I'd compare that with Roscommon, which has three ambulances on call at all times," he said.

"This is not about the (ambulance service) personnel. The personnel are top class, we all know that. It's about how the service is managed."

The Westmeath Independent contacted the HSE about the situation and received a response which stated that there are "two emergency ambulances on duty in Athlone Ambulance Station during the day Monday to Sunday." 

"There are two emergency ambulances on duty at night in Athlone each night, except Tuesday and Wednesday nights when one emergency ambulance is on duty," it stated.

The HSE added that ambulances are dispatched on a "closest available basis, regardless of county or other geographical location."

As a result, it said, ambulances from Ballinasloe, Mullingar and Tullamore are sometimes called in response to emergencies in Athlone.

During the recent council meeting, Cllr Paul Hogan said all of the local representatives had "heard stories about ambulances covering huge distances because another ambulance might be elsewhere on a Wednesday night."

Cllr Michael O'Brien agreed. "I have friends who are paramedics, and the shortfalls in the service are shocking," he said.

The councillors unanimously agreed to Cllr Dolan's proposal to invite a HSE representative to attend an upcoming meeting of the Athlone Municipal District in order to discuss the service.