Thur 2nd Feb 2012

Changes to the delivery of ambulance and nursing home services will have a devastating impact on the lives of thousands of families in the east Cork area, according to local Sinn Féin TD Sandra McLellan.

Speaking in the Dáil this week on the HSE’s National Service Plan, Deputy McLellan said:

“Some of the headline issues arising from this plan have been well highlighted. It is clear that the heart will be torn from our public nursing homes. We have already seen the ball start to roll in this regard. In Laois, in Athlone, in Dublin to name but a few. In my own area of east Cork facilities and beds are under threat in Fermoy and Youghal. Youghal Community Hospital is in danger of losing eight beds. The effect of this will be to leave vulnerable elderly people and their families at their wits end. Will there be a place available for my elderly loved one? If not, why not? Home help hours are being cut at the same time, as the state seems to be abandoning their duty of care.”

“Similarly the so-called “reorganisation” of pre-emergency care is causing considerable concern, and quite legitimately. Ambulance response times for 2011 were below target right across the board, yet the HSE somehow expect that by redeploying the same staff over longer periods in less sophisticated vehicles that this system will improve. This is simply unbelievable. Areas are up in arms.  I commend the work of the Save Youghal Ambulance group which has been fighting for the retention of their ambulance service in the face of proposed downgrades. The plan as outlined will cost lives and needs to be resisted.

SAVE YOUGHAL AMBULANCE PROTEST ILLUSTRATES REALITY
By Christy Parker   

The Save Youghal Ambulance Group’s latest protest against the HSE ‘s proposed changes to the east Cork ambulance service included dramatic simulations of a fatal car accident and a resuscitation scene.

Those attending last Saturday’s demonstration adjacent to the Community Hospital, witnessed the surreal replication of a young man, his leg askew and near severed, ‘blood’ pouring from his head while his female passenger lay motionless and bloodied in the wreckage of their grey Vauxhall.  Paramedics fought desperately to resuscitate a third occupant on the grass verge while a blue blanket covering all but a hand and protruding shoes of a fourth unfortunate indicated that any medical assistance would sadly come too late.

A placard towering over the wrecked car asked, “Will we die waiting?” in reference to the HSE’s planned reconfiguration of the ambulance service. Other placards haunting the grisly scene touted sentiments such as, “HSE makes Cuts –We Bleed” and “Employee of the Year –the Grim Reaper.”

Sinn Féin TD for East Cork Sandra McLellan, Youghal Mayor Eoin Coyne and Youghal Town Councillors Michelle Hennessy, Eoin Flanagan, Mary Linehan-Foley, Michael Beecher and Tara O’Connell, who is also Chairwoman of the Save Youghal Ambulance group, were amongst those who braved the icy midday wind.

The protest comes as the HSE’s prepares to begin implementing changes to the Cork & Kerry ambulance system in east and north Cork early in 2012. The plans include replacing overnight on-call paramedics and Youghal’s fixed base ambulance with a ‘roaming’ first responder paramedic car and a non-emergency vehicle, along with 33% reduction in ambulances in the Cork/Kerry region.

Critics fear emergency ambulances will have long distances to travel and are also unhappy with the Executive’s plans to man rural first responder vehicles with volunteers trained in defibrillator use, a cost-reducing measure that would also reach  HIQA targets for responding to cardiac incidents.

United message

Labour Minister of State for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock’s has called for the plans to be postponed, labelling them dangerous to the public as matters stand. Deputy Sherlock says there are many details yet to be adequately processed, “particularly in relation to rural communities,” adding that changes “should be phased in on a trial basis first.”

Meanwhile Deputy McLellan said Saturday’s protest “sends a strong, clear message of ‘hands off our ambulance’ to the government, Health Minister Dr. James O’Reilly and the HSE.” The TD added, “From the first meeting in the Walter Raleigh last summer, we all agreed that this would be a non-political campaign, that everyone would work together, GP’s committee members, politicians and the public and we have to keep that work going.”

Mayor Coyne described the simulations as “a sign of what could become a reality if the cuts are made to our ambulance service. The mayor said he was not particularly in favour of on-call as it stands but would want 24-hour on duty service ideally.

Cllr O’Connell described on -call as “a separate issue within the ambulance service, involving unions and funding and so on. We are simply citizens fighting to keep our ambulance.”

All three speakers are equally united in welcoming first responders “if fully trained to advanced paramedic standards,” as Deputy McLellan put it, “but only in addition to the present ambulance service and not instead of. A rapid respond vehicle manned by a paramedic is not the same as an ambulance manned by an advanced. Obviously we want to be sure that everybody gets the correct proper training to reach advanced paramedic levels,” she concluded.

Local protestor Bernard Leamy, perhaps illustrated the essence of the campaign most poignantly of all as he recalled a recent and first-hand experience. “My son Shane, who is 21, was taken very ill last Saturday and we had to call the Youghal ambulance at 2.45 am. It arrived within 15 minutes. Under the HSE changes it might take an hour to arrive but last week, thanks to the Youghal ambulance, he was in hospital within that hour.”

Meeting

Meanwhile, last week the HSE agreed to meet a delegation consisting of Youghal doctor Declan Matthews, Dr Bertie Daly of Newmarket, North Cork  and Cllr O’Connell to discuss their concerns. The meeting will be held in Naas on Tuesday Dec 20th. “The HSE is not au fait with the demands and conditions pertinent to rural areas and we will be stressing that this untested system could cost lives,” says the councillor.

Related Video:

HSE to meet groups on ambulance changes
By JOE LEOGUE

Thursday December 15 2011

INNOVATION Minister Sean Sherlock has confirmed late Wednesday evening (as The Corkman was going to press) that the HSE is to meet local Dr Bertie Daly and members of a Youghal-based protest group to discuss proposed changes to the Cork ambulance service with a view to ‘working out, compromising and engaging with people on their proposals.’

“The view amongst doctors on the ground was that this was being presented as a done deal, as if their concerns are not being listened to.

“As a Minister, my view is that if there are changes it should be about bringing people with you, to work towards engagement with a progress reporting mechanism coming back to local representatives,” he said. CORK people have been called upon to volunteer to respond to heart attacks within eight minutes — so the Health Service Executive can reach its targets for responding to cardiac incidents.

At a press conference on changes to the ambulance service in Cork and Kerry last Monday, the National Ambulance Service confirmed that members of the public trained to use defibrillators are counted as ‘first responders’ under the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) evaluation system.

 

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Speaking in response to the statement by Sean Sherlock yesterday asking for the postponing of the withdrawal of ambulance services in Youghal and elsewhere Cllr Michelle Hennessy has reacted with anger.

She responds “The position on the retention of our ambulance services in Youghal is not up for postponement. We in Youghal want the services kept as they are. The idea that some people are working away in the background needs to be brought out into the open. The people making the decision need to be in no doubt that the retention of the services is what the public want.

Sean Sherlock has on a number of occasions since he was elected not used his position in the cabinet to further the fight for ambulance services and the front line health services. He has sheepishly voted against motions under the protection of the whip system which directly were in favour of keeping our ambulance service. This type of politics is what people are sick of. What we want from our elected reps is a clear and consistent position on what they support. You can’t be appalled on one day and then vote with the government and HSE who are directly implementing the cuts the next.

I would also like to call on the Cllrs who are members of the government parties to put it up to their masters. This issue is only the beginning of what this government are planning to cut in the future and the grass root members need to make this a red line issue and stand up for their communities. The protest this Saturday is another way of showing that Youghal and its hinterland is very serious about the retention of its existing services and I am calling on everybody to turn up and support the event”

Related Video:

Strength In Numbers Appeal For Save Youghal Ambulance Protest. – By Christy Parker

THE SAVE YOUGHAL AMBULANCE CAMPAIGN continues on Saturday next (17th December 2011) with a major demonstration against the proposed alteration to ambulance services in the east Cork region. The protest is scheduled for the Community Hospital, beginning at noon and organisers are appealing for a large turnout. .

In recent weeks The HSE has reaffirmed its intention to introduce immense changes to the ambulance system across Cork and Kerry, beginning with east and north Cork early in 2012. The plans are centred on replacing on-call paramedics overnight and a fixed-base daytime ambulance service with a first responder paramedic car, backed up in some rural areas, such as east Cork, by ‘roaming’ ambulance response crews. These crews may well have to travel lengthy distances when summoned.

Roaming

The roaming vehicles will comprise six ambulances removed from the 18-strong fleet that presently serves Cork and Kerry. The HSE claims that deploying these vehicles will cost less than 50% of the €200,000 it apparently costs to operate a ‘normal’ ambulance.

It has now also emerged that the first response vehicles –which will not be allowed to transport patients- will be largely crewed by “hundreds of volunteers”  trained in CPR and related care practices. The Executive believes this manoeuvre will enable the new system to meet Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA) requirements for responding to call-outs.

Throughout, the HSE insists that the quality of service will not decline and, on the contrary, will improve at a reduced cost. Even without the HSE’s legacy of mistakes and failings, very many people remain sceptical of this view. Youghal GP’s have said it looks promising on paper but they remain unconvinced of its viability in practice as it currently stands.

Postponement call

Labour Minister of State for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock, has called for the plans to be postponed, labelling them dangerous to the public as matters stand. Deputy Sherlock, who is also chairman of Mallow Hospital Action Committee, echoes the view that there are many details yet to be adequately processed, “particularly in relation to rural communities.” He adds, “It should be phased in on a trial basis first.”

Next Saturday’s protest marks the fourth public show of rejection against the proposals, following a public meeting and two street protest marches last August. Save Youghal Ambulance spokeswoman and Youghal Labour Town Councillor Tara O’Connell strongly urges the people of east Cork and indeed west Waterford also, to unite in strength on Saturday.

Enactments

The demonstration will include enactment of accident scenes and CPR demonstrations by way of exemplifying the crucial role of ambulance response times and procedure and the heavy demand on energy and stamina that a volunteer can encounter when administering CPR while an ambulance is en route. She encourages those attending Saturday’s event to bring banners and placards. A loud voice would also contribute towards conveying the message of rejection.

Save Youghal Ambulance Protest Demonstration is scheduled from noon to 2 pm at Youghal Community Hospital, Cork Hill.

THE Minister of State for research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock, has said the HSE’s imminent ambulance changes for Cork and Kerry must be postponed.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, after senior health service officials revealed controversial plans to drastically alter how care is delivered by next month, the Labour TD said the move was dangerous to the public.

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A major protest is planned for Saturday next at Youghal Community Hospital. The protest is against the HSE’s proposed “reconfiguration” of the East Cork Ambulance Service. Beginning at midday on Saturday at the Community Hospital, continuing until 2 pm, the protest will feature demonstrations of real life accident scenes and it will show how CPR can be administered, showing how long a patient might last . Members of the public will have an opportunity to voice their concerns about the proposed changes at this protest. Banners and placards are encouraged at the demonstration at Youghal Community Hospital this Saturday from midday.

THE HEALTH Service Executive yesterday moved to reassure people that proposed changes in ambulance arrangements in Cork and Kerry will lead to a better service for the public. This came amid fears reorganisation will lead to a downgrading in some areas.Robert Morton, director of the HSE National Ambulance Service, said the move from the system of on-duty and on-call to a system where staff will be rostered solely on an on-duty basis will result in an improved service.

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COMMUNITY ALERT MEETING HEARS GIVEN SAFETY IN THE HOME ADVICE. – By Christy Parker

Christy Parker concludes his review of November’s Youghal and District Community Alert meeting.

Amongst the speakers at November’s Youghal and District Community Alert meeting, which convened as a morning session at the Nook bar, was Diarmuid Cronin, Southern Garda Region, (Counties Kerry Cork), Development Officer.

Mr. Cronin delivered a brief but highly informative talk on the nature and need for Community Alert in communities, with particular emphasis on safety amongst the elderly. “Community Alert goes back 25 years and is an east Cork/Churchtown South development (co-founded by Youghal strand resident Moss Lynch),” he began. “It is a partnership between An Garda, local communities and Munitir na Tíre and is sanctioned by the Department of Justice.”

The speaker said there are about 200 groups active in the region, each with its own distinctive character, depending on the number and general profile of its membership. “There is a huge diversity and every organisation is a reflection on of the members’ ambitions and interests,” he explained. “My role is simply to assist in whatever way needed,” he added.

Most vulnerable

Mr. Cronin proceeded that “one of hardest tasks for any Community Alert group is researching and defining who is vulnerable and what makes them so. From my experience, I think those most vulnerable are those who have withdrawn into themselves and so live with very few friends or perhaps no friends at all. This is far more common than you can ever imagine,” he observed, warning that “there are many people in your community now who do not have a network of people around them and so have nobody contacting them on a reasonably regular basis. If something goes wrong, such as a fall an accident, nobody knows.”

Underlining the point, the official described an incidence in east Cork in recent months whereby an elderly woman had spent 15 days on the floor of her kitchen before being discovered. “She had been an active, out-and-about sort of person but didn’t have close friends or neighbours. We can’t imagine the horror of what she endured during that time,” he said.

Personal alarms

Such terrible occurrences have contributed to the awareness and installation of hundreds of thousands of centrally monitored personal alarm systems throughout Ireland, the meeting heard. The appliances are free of charge, other than a small yearly maintenance fee. Application forms are available from the garda station (or from Community Garda Peter Queally in Youghal) and installation is performed through Community Alert personnel.

The alarms system enables the wearer to press a panic button on a wristband or pendant, which quickly brings a response from someone in the monitoring station. Mr Cronin outlined how the user’s personal and medical details are instantly activated on a screen in the monitoring station, when the button is pressed, alongside a series of numbers (family, friends, local gardaí, etc.) to contact for assistance. “If they cannot hear the wearer or if the situation demands it, they immediately summon help,” he said.

The speaker stressed strongly the importance of those acquiring such availing of the service to wear or carry the ‘panic button’ apparatus at all times and “not hang it off the dressier Sacred Heart picture where it will be useless if needed.”

The official also reassured that accidental activation of the button was part and parcel of the system and “in no way inconvenienced the monitoring station personal at all. In fact they are quite glad to find that the button is working perfectly and will usually advise people to test it out regularly to reassure themselves. They get up to 70,000 such accidental alerts per year,” he added.

About 100 such alarms systems have been installed in Youghal in the past two years, both for people living alone and with partners or family. The only stipulation is that the applicant must be 65 years of age or over.

Responding to the floor, Mr. Croinin illustrated further the vital role played by socially monitored alarms in protecting the elderly. “Three Christmases ago a man in Kerry was burning rubbish on a bonfire when he fell into it,” he commenced. “He pressed the button and the alarm alerted the monitors. He pressed it repeatedly for five minutes and every time someone in the station responded, meaning he had three different people actively summoning help form three different sources for him. They knew it was very serious and so three individuals and the local gardaí dashed to his aid. He was very seriously burned, spent months in hospital but is hale and hearty now and still tending his garden. The device saved him.”

Fires

The recollection diverted the focus to fire risk in general. Mr. Cronin said Community Alert programmes had seen the death rate through fire in Cork fall from the highest in Ireland to the lowest in six years. The statistic behind the decrease is that 90% of people who die in fires die unnecessarily, he revealed.

Amongst various information sheets on personal and home security that were available through Mr. Cronin, the following offers timely advice pertaining particularly to stove fires in the season of cheer and home fires burning: i) Children are particularly susceptible to serious burns from a stove so place a safeguard round the apparatus; ii) never use lighter fuel, diesel or kerosene to light a fire; iii) clean your chimney a least once yearly and inspect it monthly for soot or creosote accumulation; iv) be absolutely certain that your stove is properly vented; v) clean the stove or fireplace frequently; vi)  Use ash or oak firewood preferably as they burn hottest and for longer; vii) keep firewood covered, off the ground and not touching any building as air circulation dries it better.

In the event of sustaining burns, it is advisable to: i) cool the area immediately by soaking it in cold water; ii) avoid using ice as it can further damage the skin; iii) never use creams or oils in the immediate aftermath but instead apply a hydro gel type dressing or a smooth, cool damp cloth; iv) do not pop burn blisters as that leaves the area prone to infection; v) if a burn is serious go straight to a hospital; vi) do not try to remove clothing stuck to the skin by a burn as this may peel off skin or tissue; vii) if burned around the eyes or mouth or have trouble opening them remain still as possible and await medical help; viii) if possible elevate the burned area so that it is higher than your heart, but if the neck is burned lies prone until medical assistance arrives.

Home Safety Check List

The attendance was also provided with a Safety Checklist to reduce the risk of fall in the home. Amongst the recommendations are:

All rooms: i)No loose carpeting or rugs with non-slip backing; ii) dispose of mat edges that can cause trips; iii) remove furniture from traffic areas; iv) tape wires to walls; v) ensure all lights are working.

Stairs and Inclines: i) remove items from steps; ii) ensure room for easy movement at top and bottom of stairs; iii) no loose carpeting or upturned edges; iv) handrails securely attached and at appropriate height; v) proper lighting and switches at either end of stairs; v) handrail on inner wall along with bannister.

Bathroom:  i) Properly mounted grab bars near tub, shower and toilet; ii) non-slip surfaces in tub and shower; iii) nightlights in rooms; iv) non-slip maths ad rugs; shower/tub bench or seat.

Bedroom: i) Bedside table with non-tip lamp and room for eye glasses; ii) clear access between bedroom and bathroom; iii) comfortable sturdy chair to aid dressing; iv) emergency Bulkhead light in case of electricity cut outs.

Kitchen: i) Items reachable without a stool; ii) sturdy high stool for use during food preparation; iii) flooring free of cracks or upturned edges.

Individual: i) Socially monitored alarm working ok and familiar with use; ii) someone to check on individual daily; iii) schedule annual medical check-up; iv) discuss medications with physician to determine effects on balance; v) establish light exercise routine.

The next Community Alert meeting is on Tuesday December 6th in Cumann na Daoine at 7.45 pm.

Sinn Féin TD for Cork East, Sandra McLellan, has claimed the ambulance service in the HSE South area is at breaking point and that the planned reconfiguration of the service will drive it over the edge.

Speaking in response to leaked HSE memos Deputy McLellan said:

“Internal HSE memos revealed by the Corkman this week confirm that there were several instances when areas in Cork were left without adequate ambulance cover due to new work directives. The HSEs answer to this appears to be to ask ambulance crew to routinely cover on-call after already working a 16 hour day. This is completely outrageous and in direct contradiction to earlier instruction issued in May.”

“It beggars belief that the HSE would expect ambulance staff to be in any fit state to deliver appropriate care after such a long day. The role paramedics play in the pre-emergency care of patients is vital. I have said from the outset that the HSEs plan to reconfigure ambulance services is seriously flawed. I have called on the Government and the HSE to invest in the ambulance fleet and in ambulance personnel. The recruitment embargo continues to have a devastating effect on the service.”

“This series of internal communications highlights the fact that the service is at breaking point, with insufficient staff and an inappropriate skills mix to deliver the service in the new dispensation. That the HSE would even contemplate reconfiguring the service without addressing these deficiencies is life threatening.”

Related Video: Save Youghal Ambulance – Protest Walk 29 July 2011