County Clare is set to receive a significant investment in the National Ambulance Service (NAS), with a 12% expansion of service cover to be delivered across the county this year.
Senior NAS officials today confirmed the plans at a briefing for Mid‑West Oireachtas members organised by Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Cooney.
Those presenting included Robert Morton (National Director), Niall Murray (General Manager Operations, Mid‑West), Cathal O’Donnell (Clinical Director), Niall Noonan (Key Stakeholder Engagement) and Paul Gallen (Head of Service, NAS West).
The briefing was attended by Deputy Cooney and Senator Maria Byrne (Fine Gael), Deputies Cathal Crowe and Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fáil), and Deputies Donna McGettigan and Maurice Quinlivan (Sinn Féin).
NAS officials confirmed that 20 new frontline emergency care staff will be appointed in Clare. Six whole‑time equivalent (WTE) positions will be based in Kilrush and six in Ennistymon, with the location of the remaining eight to be finalised. A further six WTE intermediate care posts will be assigned to Ennis, while five additional ambulances will be allocated to the county.
A new WTE Community Paramedic post, bringing the total number in the region to four, is also expected to be Clare‑based.
Oireachtas members were told that the NAS submission for 2027 will seek an additional 65 staff for the Mid‑West, against a backdrop of a 10 per cent increase in call volumes.
Speaking after the meeting, Deputy Cooney said Clare had been given “very significant focus” in the latest round of planning.
“From a Clare perspective, the news today is that NAS has placed a very significant focus on the county in terms of investment, including staffing and additional vehicles,” he said. “There was a particular emphasis on west and north Clare due to the distance to the emergency department and the historic under‑investment.”
He continued, “Members were also briefed on the business case for a new ambulance base in Kilrush, which has the backing of senior figures in the HSE’s Capital and Estates unit. The current base is not fit-for-purpose.
“Air ambulance provision for the Mid‑West was discussed at length. Officials outlined that an annual operating cost of €4 million would be required, and noted that the same investment could alternatively provide four additional full‑time ground‑based ambulances,” added Deputy Cooney, “There remains a debate as to what would provide the best service for rural communities given the daylight and weather constraints on operating an air ambulance service. Of course, there is an argument that both investments are required to provide the best possible coverage for more remote communities.”
Deputy Cooney described the meeting as “very constructive and informative”, and thanked NAS officials and fellow Oireachtas members from Clare and Limerick for their engagement.
The group has now committed to outlining to Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill what additional NAS investment will be required across the Mid‑West over the next three to five years.
“We will issue correspondence to the Minister with the specific request to ensure the NAS budget submission is given full support,” Deputy Cooney said.
Clare Fianna Fáil TD for Clare, Deputy Cathal Crowe has also welcomed news that Clare will receive a significant boost in ambulance resources later this year.
Deputy Crowe said: “This is a very welcome development for County Clare. I am glad that these new ambulances and the paramedics who will crew them will be in place within a matter of months.
“While the development of a new hospital at Raheen in County Limerick will help to relieve pressure at University Hospital Limerick, the reality is that this facility will be a considerable distance for many people living in the northern and western parts of County Clare.”
At the meeting, Deputy Crowe raised the potential for an air ambulance service to be based in Clare.
“I believe there is a strong case for locating an air ambulance at Shannon Airport. Such a service would provide rapid emergency coverage to all parts of Clare and the wider Mid-West within minutes.
With a dedicated air ambulance service planned for the northwest, it is important that Clare and the Mid-West are given similar consideration. I will be pressing the National Ambulance Service and the Minister for Health to actively consider this option.”
Meanwhile, welcoming the news, Clare Junior Minister Timmy Dooley said “the increase in personnel and ambulances make a real difference to people across Clare who have had long waiting times for ambulances to go to A&E.”
“This will help to improve access to A&E services throughout the county, especially those in rural areas & urban areas who have had issues getting an ambulance due to high demands. This will be addressed directly with more ambulances on our roads and importantly, more paramedics to operate them.”
“Extra personnel will also ensure higher quality of care for patients and a more sustainable work life balance for those who work in the national ambulance service. I will continue to engage with the NAS and other bodies to ensure those in Clare receive a high quality of care,” he added.
