Deputy Collins has been given permission to raise on the Adjournment the question of the delay in the arrival of medical attention at the scene of an accident at Cappoquin last Sunday week. Deputy Collins has 20 minutes.
Adjournment Debate. - County Waterford Accident.
I wish to thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment. I wish also to thank the Minister for Health for coming to the House to discuss a number of problems which have arisen from this accident involving two motor vehicles at Clamp Cross, Aglish, near Cappoquin, County Waterford. Two young people were seriously injured and there was another person not so seriously injured.
My information is that, despite a request to a doctor to come to the scene of the accident, he refused to do so. I only make this allegation in the House because of the information available to me. There may have been difficulty in making a telephone call to Dungarvan. I am satisfied there was a delay in the arrival of an ambulance at the scene of the accident. I have been told the ambulance did not arrive until one-and-a-half hours after the accident.
The men who man the ambulance service in Waterford city are excellent and carry out their duties very efficiently. There may be some reason for what happened on the night of this accident. There may have been some problem with the telephone service. I would be grateful if the Minister would look into this aspect.
I understand that a local veterinary surgeon came to the scene of the accident when requested and rendered first class medical aid. I believe that in relation to one of the seriously injured young people his action stopped the bleeding and saved that person's life. I would like to take this opportunity of congratulating him on his public spirit in coming to the scene of the accident.
There are a number of important matters which need the Minister's attention. We must avoid a situation like this not only in west Waterford, which is ten to 20 miles from the ambulance centre, but in other places which are a fair distance from accident centres. It is vital to have telephone communication between the scene of an accident and ambulance centres to ensure that an ambulance arrives in the quickest possible time. This is vital.
The places I am talking about — Aglish, Cappoquin, Careen, Lismore, Carrow and Ballyduff — are some distance from Dungarvan. It is vital that communications should be quick and efficient and that a very efficient ambulance service should be available. The South-Eastern Health Board should look at all the west Waterford area to ensure that an efficient ambulance service is available.
I suggest that, instead of people having to ring a doctor in a locality at the scene of an accident, it would be more efficient if people could dial 999, give their location and say they want an ambulance and a doctor. The telephone operator could immediately connect them to an ambulance centre. It would be the responsibility of the ambulance centre to contact the doctor in the area. That is an efficient system and is preferable to the present system where a person rings up a local doctor.
I appreciate that there are not group practices in rural areas. A doctor practises on his own. He may be doing excellent work and be highly regarded, but he is entitled to his sleep. The ambulance centre in each health board region should have a list of doctors on duty in the various counties served by the health board. This should be available for County Waterford, so that the ambulance centres would be able to take on responsiblity for contacting doctors on duty. That would make for more efficient and more speedy contact with doctors on duty who would be able to go to accident scenes immediately.
Such a service is not available except in the event of major accidents in which case, I am sure, there is a system through which a corps of doctors and nurses and fire brigades would be recruited. I am suggesting that there should be a similar system for minor accidents which would cover an entire county.
I was reluctant to raise this matter in the House but I have a duty to do so because it may contribute to a situation which would not allow a recurrence of the type of accident I have been speaking about. I have been referring specifically to my own county but I am sure all Deputies will have the same concern in regard to their counties. I am asking the Minister to inquire into this accident, how it was handled and the procedure he intends to adopt in future to deal with accidents of a similar nature in remote areas.
I should like him to tell me the arrangements he intends to make with health boards on the establishment of procedures to ensure that rapid medical and ambulance services will be available even in remote areas.
This is a serious question. I have been in west Waterford and I have heard complaints of the availability of medical services in cases like this. There have been questions on the Order Paper to the Minister. It is the Minister's responsibility to set up efficient procedures with regard to the contacting of ambulances and duty medical officers which could proceed rapidly to accident scenes. In the case I have been citing, I am glad there was no loss of life and I wish to pay a tribute to a local veterinary officer who came out to render what can only be described as excellent medical treatment. I hope the Minister will not treat these representations lightly.
I should like to thank Deputy Collins for raising this matter. It gives me an opportunity to put the facts on record, particularly in view of some of the reports which appeared in newspapers and which do not reflect credit on the ambulance services in particular. I have made inquiries from the South Eastern Health Board who have responsibility for the provision of accident and emergency services. The board report that at 12.50, post-mid-night, on Monday morning, 28 June last gradaí in Youghal were notified that a traffic accident had occurred at Aglish. The Youghal gradaí notified the gardaíin Dungarvan, who went to the scene. On arrival there it is understood that the gardaí notified the ambulance service. This call was received in the ambulance depot at 1.10 a.m. The ambulance centre was notified there had been an accident and an ambulance with driver and a nurse left at 1.15 a.m. This ambulance brought three casualties to Ardkeen Hospital at 2.25 a.m. The Deputy will appreciate that the run from the scene of the accident to Ardkeen Hospital is about twice the distance from Dungarvan to the scene of the accident.
It is ten miles from Dungarvan to the accident scene and 40 miles from there to Ardkeen.
I understand that the mileage works out at 52. The ambulance was able to leave the depot at 1.15, five minutes after the time of the alert. The service would have appeared to have been remarkably speedy and it must be remembered that 52 miles had to be covered from the scene of the accident to the hospital. It must be remembered also that the ambulance crew had to get the patients into the ambulance and render some immediate on the scene assistance. Three local general practitioners were called to the scene at approximately the same time as the Garda were notified. They arrived without delay.
The health board have emphasised that the first call to the ambulance service was received at 1.10 a.m. I have arranged for the Department to obtain a full report on the incident, but it is clear from the information given already by the board that once the ambulance had been called it went immediately and speedily to the scene and brought the patients to Ardkeen without delay. If the Deputy has any information in regard to the suggestion that a local doctor refused to go to the scene he should give it to me and I shall refer to it in the report which will be drawn up. The information I have is that three doctors were called and three doctors arrived on the scene following the call by gardaí, and the three doctors were there when the ambulance arrived. It appears that the ambulance arrived quite speedily but there seems to be some confusion and there may have been some difficulty in communication. I have made it clear what happened once the alert was given.
I should like to join with Deputy Collins in thanking the veterinary officer. I congratulate him for giving a first aid and medical service. I agree with the Deputy on the question of telecommunications. Perhaps the people concerned did not dial 999 and ask for an ambulance although it may have ultimately been a 999 call which brought the Garda.
I was up the Wicklow mountains last Monday night with an old folks' outing and one of the elderly people had an accident. We dialled 999 and the Naas ambulance was there literally within a matter of minutes. The accident was quite serious, as the lady has been detained in hospital and is having an operation, but the ambulance men gave her excellent attention. I understand in cases of accidents it is better to dial 999 immediately. It is intended for emergency cases and, obviously, should not be used in cases of minor accidents. Ambulance personnel are fully trained to deal with emergencies. They are the best people to treat the injured and the sooner they arrive on the scene the better. They are also in a position to treat injured people on their way to hospital.
I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this matter here so that the facts can be clearly established and I will communicate with him when I have a full report.
The Dáil adjourned at 10.55 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Friday, 9 July 1982.