Tullamore Hospital spent €312k on private ambulances

The HSE spent €312,410 on private ambulances for the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore in 2015, an increase of 299% on the previous year.

According to new figures released by the HSE following a Parliamentary Question from Sinn Fein's health spokesperson Louise O'Reilly, Tullamore hospital spent €312,410 on private ambulances in 2015; €78,188 in 2014, €15,272 in 2013, and just €5,355 in 2012.

Nationally, €6,349,232 was spent on private ambulances in 2015, with the biggest spend coming in Portiuncula Acute Hospital (€1,3450,787), while at Mullingar hospital the spend came in at €218,161, and in Portlaoise €175,236 was spent.

Responding to Deputy O'Reilly, the HSE said that private ambulance providers are used to transfer “non-urgent public patients for various clinical reasonsâ€.

“Examples include transfers between hospitals, between residential and acute settings and transfers for diagnostic tests at another hospital. Taxis may also be used in cases where an ambulance is not required, for example to transport dialysis patients between home and acute hospital.â€

Some hospitals - such as University Hospital Galway, Roscommon University Hospital, and Cavan General Hospital - did not appear on the HSE's list for private ambulances.
In total, over €25 million has been spent by the HSE on private ambulance cover in the last five years, something Deputy O'Reilly said did not represent value for money.

Deputy O'Reilly said privatisation has been spreading across the service. “The outsourcing of ambulance services to private companies is further evidence of this. The government will say that it is more cost effective, however, there is no evidence of it being cheaper or more efficient.â€

“Figures released to me in a response to a Parliamentary Question have shown that the state has spent €25,630,392 on private ambulances since 2012. This colossal spend on hiring private ambulance services does not make sense or represent value for tax payers money.â€