THE ambulance service has been challenged to explain why 14 paramedic crews were pooled outside the county’s largest hospital at the same time.
Footage obtained by the Donegal News shows that over a dozen ambulances were off the road at Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) on Monday evening.
Critics claimed that ambulances’ purpose is to save lives but they are “not able do that if they are not on the road”.
Questions have been asked about why so many ambulances were pooled in one location instead of being strategically placed throughout the county so that they could arrive on-scene to emergency callouts as soon as possible.
Concerns have been expressed that ambulances parked at LUH could mean longer response times, potentially in life-threatening situations, to areas like Malin in Inishowen in the north of the county, or to the south to Donegal Town, or to the west to Glencolmcille.
Senator Manus Boyle, from Bruckless in the south-west, has warned previously of an “urgent need for a thorough review of the National Ambulance Service in Donegal” amid claims that people in health emergencies have waited for an ambulance for as long as two hours after calling 999.
The emergency bay at LUH on Monday evening with up to 14 ambulances waiting to admit patients from all over Donegal. At 9pm, there was up to 14 HSE ambulances parked outside with doors open as medics awaited admission of their patients.
Senator Boyle told the Donegal News today (Wednesday): “We have had this problem before of ambulances like this at Letterkenny hospital.
“The main problem is that we have to get them away from LUH quicker. There has to be a better handover time.
“Ambulances need to be discharged as quickly as possible. We really need someone in Letterkenny to turn the ambulances around quicker to get them back on the road.
“At the end of the day, they are there to save lives – and they are not able to do that if they are not on the road because they parked up at a hospital for several hours.”
When the Donegal News visited LUH’s accident and emergency (A&E) department, some 13 ambulances were parked and witnesses said “another was on the way from Buncrana”.
The HSE was asked to explained why up to 14 ambulances were parked at LUH.
Concerns were expressed about ambulance access with some of the vehicles congested in a bay that is used for 999 crews to deliver patients in need of emergency treatment.
The congestion also resulted in some of the ambulances being parked at the side of the road and adjacent to the A&E roundabout.
This newspaper contacted the HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) to ask for a response to the situation that unfolded at LUH this week.
We asked why up to 14 ambulances were grouped at LUH, is a record kept of such incidence; and what is the protocol for ambulances after arriving at the emergency department.
This newspaper also asked how many ambulances are in use by the HSE NAS throughout Donegal and how many paramedics work in each ambulance.
HSE RESPONSE
The HSE did not fully respond to these queries.
A spokesperson did state that the HSE is focused on measures to “improve hospital turnaround times” that include “real-time tracking of patient handovers in emergency departments, allowing delays to be identified and escalated quickly”.
The HSE uses Hospital Ambulance Liaison Supervisors (HALS) to resolve operational delays and has committed to recruiting two more for LUH, explained the spokesperson.
She said: “The HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) is currently undergoing a significant programme of transformation to enhance service delivery, optimise resources, and expand its role in providing alternative and community-based care.
“Over the period 2022 to 2025, the HSE has invested significantly in the development of the National Ambulance Service.
“This includes a 41 per cent increase (€83m) in the NAS base budget to €285m, a 28 per cent increase in staffing, with 588 additional [Whole Time Equivalents] WTEs, bringing total staffing at the end of 2025 to 2,655.”
Whole Time Equivalents (WTEs) are units of measurement used to calculate the total number of hours worked by employees compared to a full-time worker.
The spokesperson added: “There has also been €126m investment in fleet replacement and expansion.
“Plans for 2026 include significant additional investment in the order of €20m new revenue funding, including 263 additional staff, and bringing the total funded complement for 2026 to 2,920.
“In parallel, the NAS, working closely with acute hospital partners, has introduced measures to improve hospital turnaround times and ensure patients receive timely, high-quality care.
“These include real-time tracking of patient handovers in emergency departments, allowing delays to be identified and escalated quickly.
“Where required, NAS can deploy Hospital Ambulance Liaison Supervisors (HALS) to individual hospitals to support crews with patient handovers and help resolve operational delays.
“As part of the 2026 investment package, four dedicated HALS are being recruited for deployment in the HSE West and North West region, including two for Letterkenny University Hospital.
“The number of NAS ambulance crew on board an ambulance is typically two, unless there is a student paramedic on placement.”
The NAS deploys ambulances from 24 locations across the HSE West and North West region, including from eight separate locations in Donegal.
These are Ballyshannon, Buncrana, Carndonagh, Donegal, Dungloe, Killybegs, Letterkenny, and Stranorlar.
The NAS is the statutory pre-hospital emergency and intermediate care provider for the State.
It responds to 435,000 calls each year, employs over 2,400 staff across 118 locations, and has a fleet of in excess of 620 vehicles.
The 435,000 calls are handled by over 240 National Emergency Operations Centre staff each year from bases Ballyshannon in Donegal and Tallaght in Dublin.