One crew was almost killed during Storm Darragh last weekend after a tree fell on their ambulance when they were called out to bring a patient with a “sore foot” to hospital
The lives of paramedics are being put at risk by people making non life-threatening 999 calls in bad weather.
It is understood the incident happened in the north west during the Red weather warning. The windscreen of the emergency vehicle was shattered and the crew were lucky to escape serious injury. Another paramedic who works on the east coast said the National Ambulance Service is being inundated with people calling ambulances because they think they will be seen quicker in A&E.“We are getting multiple calls for people, especially the elderly with cough and flu symptoms. We have to take them to hospital and they are often left in a chair and waiting 12 to 18 hours to be seen. A case such as this would normally take a crew out of action for four hours.
The HSE said all 999 calls are clinically triaged to ensure patients with life-threatening illness or injury receive the fastest response. The HSE said all 999 calls are clinically triaged to ensure patients with life-threatening illness or injury receive the fastest response.
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