New ambulance services begin operating in Wicklow
The Wicklow PeopleAfter years of campaigning, new ambulance services are to arrive in County Wicklow.
Backed by an €8m investment in 2025 and a €16m allocation in 2026 from the Department of Health, extended cover in Arklow on Monday, Tuesday and Sunday will take effect from September 1.
Arklow has been lacking in ambulance coverage between 7am and 7pm every Tuesday.
The additional investment is targeted to address capacity requirements for pre-hospital emergency services including a range of specialist services delivered by the National Ambulance Service (NAS).
The lack of ambulance cover in the area has been raised repeatedly in recent years. During a meeting of Arklow Municipal District in May 2023 councillor Peir Leonard expressed concerns about the issue.
Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore has also been a vocal advocate for this enhancement, raising the issue in the Dáil in both 2023 and 2024 and consistently following up through the parliamentary question system to monitor progress.
The service gaps in Wicklow stems from a decision in 2012 by the HSE to drop or alter overtime operation requirements by the ambulance service.
When it did that, it moved it from eight hour to 12-hour shifts.
However, that left gaps in several stations, and rather than increasing the number of staff, the HSE decided those areas could go without cover for those two days per week. Cost savings required at the time were a consideration for the move.
The Arklow rosters had been set in this pattern since approximately 2010 due to changing work patterns at the time, such as staff moving from a 40-hour week to a 39-hour week and changing to 12-hour shifts.
The changes mean there will now be two extra staff as well as extra shifts for ambulance cover in Arklow.
The Tuesday day shift will now have a crew from 7am to 7pm, and 10am to 9pm.
Cllr Pat Kennedy believes the long campaign that he has been a huge part of has been worth it, and hopes with an increased fund next year, more services can be added.
“Having ambulance cover will help meet the needs of the communities across our county and it is long overdue.
“With an increased fund for services doubling next year, I would like to see more services being added, along with extra staff.
“But I am thrilled that extra cover has been given and increased staff has been allocated.
"I anticipated this change for a long time, and I’m delighted to have helped deliver it for our communities.”
In a statement the South Wicklow/North Wexford Community First Responders said it will make for a positive change, hailing the new service cover as “great news.”
To meet the demands of the growing and ageing population, the NAS is currently developing a new strategic plan out to 2031.
The plan will set out an ambitious roadmap for the NAS in the coming years.
It will see the service continue its long-term evolution from a patient transport service to a modern, responsive and mobile medical service.