The HSE has agreed a deal that will lead to the introduction of the State’s first community-funded air ambulance, based in County Cork. The charity Irish Community Rapid Response (ICRR) said Friday that it expects the service to be up and running “within weeks”. Under the terms of a service-level agreement with the HSE the health service will provide the medical staff for the unit, which will be centrally dispatched according to need around the country by the ambulance service. ICRR director John Kearney said that “the sooner this vital service is live, the sooner a life will be saved and grief will be spared”. He urged the Department of Health to confirm a specific starting date for the service and thanked the public for their support of the project.

Source: The Irish Times June 14, 2019 19:34 UTC