The Northern Irish Ambulance Service has refuted claims that a number of ambulances in Derry could not reach the scene of the emergency in Creeslough last year because of a rule pertaining to visas.
Fine Gael Senator Emer Currie told the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly that paramedics were prohibited to cross the border due to visa issues.
The incident was part of a wider issue surrounding the difficulties surrounding registration and visa regulations for healthcare services, especially those near the Northern Irish Border.
Medical Director of the Northern Irish Ambulance Service Dr Nigel Ruddell says ambulance services responded immediately and no ambulances were withheld.
Dr Ruddell spoke to Greg Hughes on this morning’s Nine ’til Noon Show:
NIAS Statement in Full:
‘We have been made aware of recent media reports relating to our response to the tragic incident at Creeslough on the 7th October 2022 which state that some NIAS crews were unable to respond as they did not hold a necessary visa.
We wish to put on record that the NIAS response to Creeslough was not affected in any way due to border or visa issues. No NIAS staff were prevented in crossing the border for any reason and we are deeply concerned at any reports suggesting this, as such comments will be deeply upsetting to the victims and families who were and
still are affected by this tragedy.
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) received an emergency call for assistance from the National Ambulance Service (NAS) in Donegal at 15:37hrs on Friday 7 October 2022, following an explosion at Applegreen Service Station, Creeslough, County Donegal.
NIAS immediately dispatched a range of resources including the Air Ambulance with our Helicopter Emergency Medical Team, our specialist Hazardous Area Response Team, ambulance officers, paramedics and emergency medical technicians as well as some of our non-emergency transport crews to assist our colleagues in the National Ambulance Service. NIAS dispatched further crews on the evening of the 7 th of October to relieve those who had responded during the afternoon.
Our HART team and Emergency Planning resources remained on scene overnight and well into the weekend as they worked with our colleagues in the National Ambulance Service to continue rescue and recovery efforts. The unstable condition of the building made this a very difficult and dangerous scene, but our HART crews are specifically trained to deal with such incidents. Sadly, our crews also assisted in transporting some of the deceased to the mortuary in Letterkenny.
Our thoughts remain with our colleagues, friends and neighbours who were affected by this incident, and in particular those in the Creeslough community who were directly impacted.’
Statement from British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly:
‘We have been made aware of certain inaccuracies in the reporting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly’s recent report, Protecting the Common Travel Area in the post-Brexit era.
The report reflected claims made to the Assembly’s Committee on Sovereign Matters by individuals familiar with challenges in cross-border working. As an example of the challenges of the current situation, an anecdote given to the Committee in oral and in written evidence, relating to the attendance of paramedics at the Creeslough explosion in October 2022.
The Committee was told that there had been an instance where paramedics had not been able to attend the site of the Creeslough tragedy as a result of not having an Irish work visa.
In presenting the Committee’s report to the Assembly on 24 October 2023, and in her subsequent interviews, Senator Emer Currie has reflected the content of the Committee’s report. The Committee in turn drew on the evidence available to Committee members.
The Assembly wishes to place on record its sincere thanks and appreciation to members of all the ambulance services and other emergency services which attended the Creeslough tragedy. The Assembly appreciates the professionalism and dedication to duty of these services and their commitment to providing the swiftest possible response and the best possible care to all who require their assistance.’
