Air ambulance to be state-funded
A well known charity has said its stepping back from its helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS), which will now be a state-funded service instead.
The Irish Community Air Ambulance made the announcement as it confirmed it is changing its name to Critical while also adding that it will focus on expanding its network of volunteer emergency medical responders.
The charity was established in 2009 as Irish Community Rapid Response, and in 2019 it successfully launched Ireland’s first and only charity air ambulance. Since then, it has been tasked to more than 1,500 serious incidents and emergencies.
Critical, the emergency medical response charity, will continue to provide the HEMS Air Ambulance until 28 February and will then pass the baton to the new state-funded HEMS service based in the south west.
Micheál Sheridan, CEO of Critical said: “The Irish Community Air Ambulance was established by our charity in 2019 in response to what we knew was a need for a HEMS service in the south west of Ireland. We have consistently shown how vital the service is, so much so that it is now set to be fully funded by the state.
“We would like to thank all of those who helped keep HeliMed92 flying for the past three years and the HSE for its support over the last 10 months. We will now focus our efforts on our ground-based volunteer emergency medical response initiative and bring critical and advanced levels of care to more communities across Ireland, both rural and urban.”
Critical is working closely with the National Ambulance Service and has a number of volunteer emergency medicine doctors and volunteer emergency medical responders around the country.
These volunteers are tasked by the National Ambulance Service to support the provision of pre-hospital emergency care to critically ill and injured patients in their local communities.
Robert Morton, Director of the National Ambulance Service said, “Since its establishment in 2019, the Irish Community Air Ambulance has clearly identified the need for a dedicated HEMS located in the south west of the country. I would like to thank the CEO, the board, the staff and volunteers for their work and commitment during that time.
“Like many charities, Covid had an impact on its ability to fundraise, hence the HSE has helped to fund the operation of the ICAA helicopter since March 2022 and will now operate the HEMS in the south west on a long-term sustainable and publicly-funded basis. Again, we commend the work of everyone involved in demonstrating the need for this vital service.”
The charity will be launching a new website in the coming weeks.