Ambulances spend an average of 43 minutes at CUH dropping off patients before becoming free

That's according to a HSE commissioned audit of performance which was conducted over a six month period

Ambulances are spending an average of 43 minutes at Cork University Hospital dropping off patients before becoming free for their next call.

That's according to a HSE commissioned audit of performance which was conducted over a six month period.

The report also found that the majority of ambulances are taking too long to respond to life-threatening emergencies where patients may be suffering a cardIac arrest, major bleeding or choking.

The audit recommends an additional 250 ambulances along with the hiring of 750 extra staff to be appointed to the the National Ambulance Service in order to meet official emergency response times.

David Hall, the CEO of Lifeline Ambulance says the report shows that lives are being put at risk due to the inadequacies of the system:

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