Maynooth Ambulance Services

Moonbeam

This is from Facebook

"Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes
Press release from Maynooth CAHWT on proposed cut-backs to ambulance services in the town.
PRESS RELEASE FROM MAYNOOTH CAMPAIGN

Due to cutbacks in the HSE budget ambulance services in Maynooth and surrounding area are going to be curtailed from September. We are all more than aware that these cuts to
budgets arise from Troika restraints and payments to failed banks.

Details are sketchy but it seems that there will be no ambulance service from the Maynooth depot from 7am to 7 pm at least one day a week. We will be relying on ambulances from Dublin at these times.

These are the kinds of cutback that are going to affect real lives in our local community. Those with serious injuries, emergency illness and our elderly, many without a means of transport.

Response times will be increased and every minute counts when someone is in pain or even more seriously their very life is in danger.

The CAHWT is calling a PUBLIC MEETING in Glenroyal Hotel this Wednesday evening 5th September at 8pm. Several public representatives have been invited. Please attend to show your dissatisfaction at these measures.

What is it going to take until we stand up and demand our public representatives to put its peoples' health before the bankers wealth?"


This scares me slightly:(

granturismo

Surely this cutback is a Dept of Health issue.

Is the campaign against household and water charges campaigning against all government cutbacks?

Where is the nearest ambulance centre?

L1011

Oh, the irony that a campaign who refuse to pay taxes are protesting about an affect of the state not having enough tax revenue.

granturismo wrote: »

Where is the nearest ambulance centre?

Maynooth Business Campus, which is the one that's apparently having its hours cut; after that its probably the nearest DFB station - Lucan?

edit: Lucan hasn't got one so I have no idea.

Orion

"Dublin City Fire Brigade ambulance crew will now have to cover the area"
http://www.thejournal.ie/ambulance-service-cutbacks-575563-Aug2012/

This is nothing to do with non-payment of the household tax. These and similar cuts are being pushed through using that as an excuse.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0818/1224322386289.html
http://www.donegaldaily.com/2012/08/18/sneaky-government-using-house-tax-as-excuse-for-cuts-pringle/

This is typical Shock Doctrine tactics - people don't pay an unrelated tax so we're cutting unrelated services. In reality the HSE have cut these services and that money comes from central funds. To use the household tax as an excuse is just bull$hit.

So it's not ironic at all. The CAHWT don't even imply that it's to do with the household tax -they are simply calling a public meeting to protest against it. I haven't paid this ground rent charge and don't intend to. But I do pay a lot of money in taxes every month and I've commented on this very forum against CAHWT linking water charges (which I agree in principal with) to the regressive, unjust and inequitable household tax. So don't imply that not paying this German model, anti-home-owning charge means people object to paying tax in general.

L1011

Orion wrote: »

So it's not ironic at all.

You have a twisted definition of irony.

The CAHWT are supported by the only "socialists" in the world who oppose taxes on property, can't count and now cry when services are cut due to the state having low tax revenue.

As goes "shock doctrine" - if you can *find* where its claimed that his cut is down to the household tax I'll be surprised; purely because its not being claimed.

Orion

MYOB wrote: »

You have a twisted definition of irony.

The CAHWT are supported by the only "socialists" in the world who oppose taxes on property, can't count and now cry when services are cut due to the state having low tax revenue.

As goes "shock doctrine" - if you can *find* where its claimed that his cut is down to the household tax I'll be surprised; purely because its not being claimed.

You're associating the two yourself. This service being cut it completely unrelated to the property tax. So there is no contradiction or hypocrisy in the slightest with CAHWT complaining about it while refusing to pay property tax.

I'll probably go to this meeting myself - if you're there we can go for a pint afterwards and have a good old-fashioned pub argument and solve all the world's problems

[edit]
This all OT I think too so to hopefully stop Buffybot closing the thread:
Having the already-stretched Dublin City Fire Brigade servicing North Kildare is simply madness - people's lives will be at risk if this continues. That said - I'm certain I read elsewhere that the service will be available in the area for Friday and Saturday nights when there are late bar openings. Can't find that right now - if I do I'll post it up here.

L1011

Orion wrote: »

You're associating the two yourself. This service being cut it completely unrelated to the property tax. So there is no contradiction or hypocrisy in the slightest with CAHWT complaining about it while refusing to pay property tax.

I'll probably go to this meeting myself - if you're there we can go for a pint afterwards and have a good old-fashioned pub argument and solve all the world's problems

Tax is tax. The CAHWT support refusing to pay tax and then start crying when there's cuts caused by the state not having enough tax revenue.

If they actually paid all the tax they're liable to pay they might have a right to cry - but they don't pay all their taxes.

That their entire position is based on "ah, the economy would be fine if we didn't pay for THE BANKS" makes it even worse. Everyone involved blatantly ignores that even if we'd never given a cent to the banks we'd STILL have a multi-billion per year deficit and we'd STILL be introducing property tax.

I somehow doubt the CAHWT would be too happy to have someone in their meeting going around trying to explain the actual facts of the matter to people, so I won't be there.

Peppa Pig

Is the closest service not in Leixlip? - the lifeline service are based across the road form Intel and are used by the HSE for North Kildare.

donspeekinglesh

According to this week's Liffey Champion the ambulance base will be closed on Wednesdays, and that cover would be provided from Newbridge (I think).
Nearest DFB station is probably Blanch.

granturismo

donspeekinglesh wrote: »

According to this week's Liffey Champion the ambulance base will be closed on Wednesdays, and that cover would be provided from Newbridge (I think)..

I guess that should be Monread Rd in Naas - not in Maynooth but closer than Newbridge.

n0brain3r

Just to give an idea of the level of cover at the moment I live in Maynooth and have had the misfortune to have had to call an ambulance twice. I won't go into details but the first instance was a full blown emergency with an unconscious child 2 years ago and the second last July a conscious adult but suffering debilitating pain.

The first time round was 17:30 on a weekday and they arrived at 18:05 from Blanchardstown Hospital and the second was at 04:30 and the ambulance arrived at 05:12 from St James.

I've lodged a complaint re the call in July and am awaiting a response but should I need to call an Ambulance again I'd have to seriously consider driving to the hospital myself rather than wait for assistance.

L1011

Peppa Pig wrote: »

Is the closest service not in Leixlip? - the lifeline service are based across the road form Intel and are used by the HSE for North Kildare.

They're cutting use of agency staff so I imagine private ambulances will be called less.

ytareh

n0brain3r wrote: »

I've lodged a complaint re the call in July and am awaiting a response but should I need to call an Ambulance again I'd have to seriously consider driving to the hospital myself rather than wait for assistance.

Yes ,Ive often thought that the car would be faster in some/many circumstances .I guess youd have to weigh up the advantages of paramedic expertise and risks in untrained movement with broken bones etc .

n0brain3r

ytareh wrote: »

Yes ,Ive often thought that the car would be faster in some/many circumstances .I guess youd have to weigh up the advantages of paramedic expertise and risks in untrained movement with broken bones etc .

I hear you but in both instances I could of driven to the hospital faster than the time it took for the ambulance to arrive. In fact for the 04.30 call I called my sister who lives the Wicklow gap side of Blessington to come and look after the kids and she arrived behind the ambulance! A distance of 25 miles on secondary roads.

Does Maynooth have any first responders? I know in Wicklow volunteers train and are dispatched by the ambulance service locally to call outs.

Pingpong

Maynooth Ambulance area of operation (Traditionally) Nth Kildare:
The towns and townlands of: Maynooth, Leixlip, Celbridge, Ardclogh, Straffan, Hazelhatch, Kilcock, Enfield, Johnstownbridge, Moyvally, Broadford, Carbury, Derrinturn, Leinster Bridge, the M4 corridor Leixlip to Kinnagad and all in between. Also the workforce in the following companies of Intel and HP are as large as some big towns. Now the ambulance can be sent anywhere in the Leinster area.

There is only one ambulance on duty in Maynooth at any given time.

The public also need to know that the Military Ambulances are used in Kildare on a very regular basis, complementing a full HSE ambulance service which is already stretched to breaking point at certain times.
The HSE does not use Private Ambulance Service's for A+E work in Kildare.

Filling the roster gap:
From 7am to 7pm on each and every Thursday the ambulance station in Maynooth will not be manned by roistered members of staff.
This shift will be covered by; and only when available, Non-roistered staff (surplus staff), a Motorcycle lone responder or a lone responder in a car. The last two are non-transporting so you’ll still be waiting for an ambulance.
The other option when none of the above is available is “Cross station cover”. An ambulance from Naas, Athy, Baltinglass or Dublin, or indeed anywhere really, that’s the reality now will have to be dispatched to Nth Kildare. This creates a domino effect in the service with ambulances criss-crossing the region covering calls in areas that they’re unfamiliar with. And the reverse will happen when another station closes, the Maynooth ambulance crews will find themselves in other areas. Or, the HSE are hoping that an Ambulance from the Midlands or the West of Ireland will be driving by Maynooth, empty, retuning from a Dublin run.

Rolling station closures:
The following stations will close from 7am to 7pm for one day a week from now on. Arklow, Baltinglass, Maynooth, Swords and Tallaght.
That's it in a Nutshell.

Moonbeam

That makes me feel slightly better.
Spending my days with small children,being pregnant and knowing if something happens I need to call and ambulance I find it all a bit scary tbh but that clears things up a bit for me.

aaabbbb

Cut off ambulance service for a day they said ? Sure get sick on another day they said.... morons !! >:(

Orion

Anyone here go to the meeting. I had another meeting to go to myself so couldn't make it.

aaabbbb

Orion wrote: »

Anyone here go to the meeting. I had another meeting to go to myself so couldn't make it.

Didn't know there was one , I just overheard people talking about the cuts while out and about

Moonbeam

I couldn't make it either as one of kids was teething,grumpy and asleep.
Would love to hear how it went.

Fire1985

n0brain3r wrote: »

ytareh wrote: »

Yes ,Ive often thought that the car would be faster in some/many circumstances .I guess youd have to weigh up the advantages of paramedic expertise and risks in untrained movement with broken bones etc .

I hear you but in both instances I could of driven to the hospital faster than the time it took for the ambulance to arrive. In fact for the 04.30 call I called my sister who lives the Wicklow gap side of Blessington to come and look after the kids and she arrived behind the ambulance! A distance of 25 miles on secondary roads.

Does Maynooth have any first responders? I know in Wicklow volunteers train and are dispatched by the ambulance service locally to call outs.

All the retained firemen in maynooth are first responders . I'm based in Louth & we are.

L1011

Leaflet for another protest that I saw today claimed that we'll be getting ambulances from Cavan covering. Didn't check to see if there were any more similar clangers...


(ok, its a very simple typo, it just happens to make it look rather hysterical)

Mycroft H

There is also an ambulance based at Edenderry, Navan and the Mullingar and the Defence Forces ambulance at the Curragh (which is used a lot) have in the past been called out in the Maynooth catchment area in addition to the above mentioned.


Count yourselves lucky - in the Carbury/Edenderry/Derrinturn area we never had an ambulance until very recently, with the nearest being Mullingar, Maynooth or Tullamore. Times for response were 1 hour plus (and that's if the ambulance was standing ready to go). That was the norm.

You can blame Croke Park and the inability of the HSE to cut the crap at the top so they are cutting the real front line services here. Madness