Irelands First Medical Drunk Tank comes to Galway

Sponge Bob

Yes we are getting a very special ambulance service in Galway.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/27479-pubs%E2%80%99-night-ambulance-place-new-college-year

Based in the city centre, the ‘Night Medics’ service will run from 9pm to 4am each night and is aimed at providing a quick response to anyone requiring urgent medical treatment, and relieving pressure on the HSE’s official ambulance service.


The public ambulance service is under particular pressure on weekend nights when there are two or three ambulances on duty.
Already, 20 venues in the city signed up for the new service during a successful pilot scheme, which ran over 10 days during the Volvo Ocean Race.


And more premises are expected to sign up for the scheme over the coming weeks – it is opened to pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, hotels and other night-time venues.

Bet it won't park near Supermacs in Eyre Square all the same.

biko

If it keeps the drunks away from the A&E it's all good

snubbleste

Who is funding this service?

Bing_IRL

Such a proud moment for Galway!

Sponge Bob

I wonder if the Super will relent on the closing hours now.

vumpireofkid

snubbleste wrote: »

Who is funding this service?

Sounds like the pubs sign up to be serviced by this ambulance. Probably pay a monthly fee or something.

Mrs OBumble

snubbleste wrote: »

Who is funding this service?

As it says in the article "Already, 20 venues in the city signed up for the new service".

AFAIK, effectively it's a private amublance that takes calls from subscriber businesses, and sends trained(*) paramedics faster than the HSE ambulance can get there.

It means that someone who can assess if a patron is either "tired and emotional" or having a real medical emergency is there faster and takes said patron away faster - so the disruption to the serious business of selling alcohol is minimised.

I doubt that it will keep the drunks away from A&E - if anything, it will just get them there faster. Unless the private paramedics have some magical sobriety-inducing powers that the HSE ones don't have.


(*) at least I hope they're trained. I don't know much about the skills and training of such folks in this country. Have heard one or two slightly dis-quieting things, but am not sure what's fact and what's rumour.

inisboffin

JustMary wrote: »

snubbleste wrote: »

Who is funding this service?

As it says in the article "Already, 20 venues in the city signed up for the new service".

AFAIK, effectively it's a private amublance that takes calls from subscriber businesses, and sends trained(*) paramedics faster than the HSE ambulance can get there.

It means that someone who can assess if a patron is either "tired and emotional" or having a real medical emergency is there faster and takes said patron away faster - so the disruption to the serious business of selling alcohol is minimised.

I doubt that it will keep the drunks away from A&E - if anything, it will just get them there faster. Unless the private paramedics have some magical sobriety-inducing powers that the HSE ones don't have.


(*) at least I hope they're trained. I don't know much about the skills and training of such folks in this country. Have heard one or two slightly dis-quieting things, but am not sure what's fact and what's rumour.

Who assesses the condition of the 'patient' before a call?
My only worry is that someone seriously Ill (or even seriously Ill with a few pints in them) would be read as off their heads. Some seizures can look like someone acting the maggot.

That being said, the majority will be drunk calls!
If the medics are equally trained and the response time doesn't become reduced depending on oversubscription, then it should be grand

Asmodean

Good idea! Just send out a camera crew with them every night. Turn it into a TV series and it'll pretty much pay for itself

antoobrien

JustMary wrote: »

(*) at least I hope they're trained. I don't know much about the skills and training of such folks in this country.

A minor google reveals that the Cara Ambulance Service (name is in the article) will be providing this service. There was an article about this in the Galway Independent in July

reland’s first dedicated bar and nightclub emergency medical service ‘Night Medics’, has been launched in Galway to coincide with the Volvo Ocean Race Grand Finale.
The service is being introduced by Galway based Cara Ambulance Service, with its pilot programme running during the week of the Volvo Ocean Race celebrations.

Here's some of the blurb from their front page (emphasis added)

Cara Ambulance Service Ltd. are leading the field in the provision of specialist patient transfer services. As an Irish owned and managed company, we are committed to providing the highest quality ambulance transport services. We offer a wide range of fully equipped, state of the art vehicles, staffed by highly trained EMTs and Paramedics.

Cara Ambulance Service Ltd provides a professional and comprehensive service to both public and private pre-hospital, Inter- hospital and residential healthcare sectors.

Our crews comprise of E.M.T.s and Paramedics trained to the highest national standards, in accordance with the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council standards. All our crews are continually evaluated and up-skilled through our own training facility. In line with the current H.S.E. guidelines all our crew are vetted by An Garda Siochana. We offer a unique high quality patient focused transport solution in the form of a mobility taxi service. This service can provide transport in a bespoke vehicle and further benefit from the crew being trained to at least EMT status. CARA can also provide specialist care where required.

It looks like this service will be bringing people to A&E saving ambulances for more serious medical situations.

BhoscaCapall

I've been out most nights for several years and rarely seen an ambulance, or people requiring one. Sure there might be a few misfortunes puking their ring up but it's nothing that won't sort itself out after a hangover. Dare say I've been in fit state for an ambulance a few times in life but never wasted their time thankfully.

Iwannahurl

If its primary function is as a transport service it may not keep drunk people away from A&E at all.

In fact the opposite may be the case: carrying more drunks more quickly to A&E.

It's a bizarre development, IMO. One way of looking at it is that alcohol retailers (pubs, hotels and clubs) are paying for a service that facilitates hazardous drinking. That said, some might claim it's a pragmatic harm reduction strategy.

Could it be an attempt to stave off stricter controls on closing times?

http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/54289/stricter-closing-hours-could-make-city-a-ghost-town-say-publicans

Foxx92

Asmodean wrote: »

Good idea! Just send out a camera crew with them every night. Turn it into a TV series and it'll pretty much pay for itself

I'm pretty certain it already is a series, based on towns in the UK.

Wompa1

Foxx92 wrote: »

I'm pretty certain it already is a series, based on towns in the UK.

Yeah but imagine it in Galway. Some drunk guy thinking it's a regular ambulance shouting "My dole pays your wages!"

thesandeman

Wompa1 wrote: »

Foxx92 wrote: »

I'm pretty certain it already is a series, based on towns in the UK.

Yeah but imagine it in Galway. Some drunk guy thinking it's a regular ambulance shouting "My dole pays your wages!"

Well technically he would be correct as more than likely his dole/student grant/mammys money paid for the drink in the pub who are paying for the ambulance which brings him to Casualty where he is covered by his medical card cos he is on the dole/student etc etc.
Never ending circle this Galway place is. Not that I'm complaining really. Tis the Galway Fashion!!

Wompa1

thesandeman wrote: »

Well technically he would be correct as more than likely his dole/student grant/mammys money paid for the drink in the pub who are paying for the ambulance which brings him to Casualty where he is covered by his medical card cos he is on the dole/student etc etc.
Never ending circle this Galway place is. Not that I'm complaining really. Tis the Galway Fashion!!

I've got to try out this living off the dole in Galway thing. I had a friend who was on the dole in Galway and then took a job down in Cork, after a few months he said he kind of missed being on the dole in Galway.

Also that circle only works when somebody is paying the taxes to pump the money in, in the first place. Ouch my brain.

Galwayguy35

If people were able to handle their liquor there would be no need for it and no need to hike up the alcohol prices in off licenses for the rest of us by a certain busybody minister.

Wompa1

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

If people were able to handle their liquor there would be no need for it and no need to hike up the alcohol prices in off licenses for the rest of us by a certain busybody minister.

I don't know. I never know how to interpret that people handle their liquor. I have a lot of friends that would call me a light weight because I can get drunk on a few drinks and stop drinking or wouldn't keep up drink for drink with them. People that say things like you can't handle your liquor usually don't handle it any better, they just drink more to get as drunk as others.

If people drank less it might be better

Galwayguy35

Wompa1 wrote: »

I don't know. I never know how to interpret that people handle their liquor. I have a lot of friends that would call me a light weight because I can get drunk on a few drinks and stop drinking or wouldn't keep up drink for drink with them. People that say things like you can't handle your liquor usually don't handle it any better, they just drink more to get as drunk as others.

If people drank less it might be better

Well yeah that's what I mean, people puking their rings up is a sign they have overdone it.

I'd love to see they day people could go out and have a beer or two and know when they have enough.

thesandeman

Wompa1 wrote: »

Also that circle only works when somebody is paying the taxes to pump the money in, in the first place. Ouch my brain.

Well that would be me. I presume a lot of the students mammys contribute as well.
But as they say 'what goes around comes around (if you keep the bank out of it)'.

Mrs OBumble

inisboffin wrote: »

Who assesses the condition of the 'patient' before a call?
My only worry is that someone seriously Ill (or even seriously Ill with a few pints in them) would be read as off their heads. Some seizures can look like someone acting the maggot.

That being said, the majority will be drunk calls!
If the medics are equally trained and the response time doesn't become reduced depending on oversubscription, then it should be grand

The same as currently: bar managers, staff and bouncers, friends, random members of the public, and gardai.

The only difference is that the bar manager / staff / bouncer have access to a private ambulance service, which is likely to get there faster than the HSE's service, and thus get the problem off their premisis faster.

In my experience, if you find a semi-conscius person lying on the ground in Galway, you're far more likely to get a response if you call the guards than the ambulance "service".

NB I'm not diss-ing the HSE ambulance staff in any way: the level of funded service just isn't enough for the population / area that they're serving.

Mearings

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

If people were able to handle their liquor there would be no need for it and no need to hike up the alcohol prices in off licenses for the rest of us by a certain busybody minister.

If people knew when to stop handling (their) liquor there would be no need for the drunk tank.

Galwayguy35

Mearings wrote: »

If people knew when to stop handling (their) liquor there would be no need for the drunk tank.

Maybe increase the drinking age to 21 like in the States and have the age limit for entry to clubs at 21 as well. Wasn't it 21 to get into clubs years ago and the age was dropped to 18?

BhoscaCapall

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

Maybe increase the drinking age to 21 like in the States and have the age limit for entry to clubs at 21 as well. Wasn't it 21 to get into clubs years ago and the age was dropped to 18?

There are not enough :rolleyes:s in the world to express my reaction to this post

Wompa1

thesandeman wrote: »

Well that would be me. I presume a lot of the students mammys contribute as well.
But as they say 'what goes around comes around (if you keep the bank out of it)'.

Ideally that would be how it works but I do believe back in 2006 (pre-Celtic Tiger taking a ****e on us all) 10% or so of Galway was receiving the dole and that's just the live register, that's not all people receiving benefits or college grants etc. Then chuck into that the people who don't pay their fees because they know somebody who works in the college (only found that one out a few weeks ago when they were trying to revoke it! Crazy rule!!)

If the actual number of people not contributing..and I know even when they get dole or grants some of that money goes into the local economy but that money is coming from other peoples pockets...I don't know, I don't get how Galway works. I think things are going to get a lot worse there, it must be a tough time to be living in the likes of Clifden, Lettermore etc. The city has places closing down and people emigrating but the place still gets a crowd about a few days a week. Clifden has to be a ghost town these days, it was quiet during the non-peak summer months as it was but now it has to be empty

Wompa1

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

Maybe increase the drinking age to 21 like in the States and have the age limit for entry to clubs at 21 as well. Wasn't it 21 to get into clubs years ago and the age was dropped to 18?

I think they did that shortly for Karma and Halo.

BhoscaCapall wrote: »

There are not enough :rolleyes:s in the world to express my reaction to this post

Why is increasing the age so absurd? Alcohol abuse is rampant. Something drastic should be done. Closing an hour early isn't exactly a game changer.

Galwayguy35

BhoscaCapall wrote: »

There are not enough :rolleyes:s in the world to express my reaction to this post

It's a discussion forum, I put forward an idea, you pour scorn on what I say but offer no alternative...

Iwannahurl

For those with opinions on the subject of alcohol (mis)use in Galway:

Galway Alcohol Strategy

We want to hear from you…

…what do you have to say about alcohol related harm in Galway City?

...how does alcohol related harm affect you?

...what can we do together to reduce alcohol related harm?

Link: http://www.galwayalcoholstrategy.ie

Galwayguy35

Wompa1 wrote: »

I think they did that shortly for Karma and Halo.

It just seems to be the under 21s that are drinking the heaviest, chances are people would have a more mature approach to drink by the time they are 21.

Have the same legal age for off licenses and nip the loophole where kids can order booze online in the bud.

insu1

JustMary wrote: »

It means that someone who can assess if a patron is either "tired and emotional" or having a real medical emergency is there faster and takes said patron away faster - so the disruption to the serious business of selling alcohol is minimised.

I doubt that it will keep the drunks away from A&E - if anything, it will just get them there faster. Unless the private paramedics have some magical sobriety-inducing powers that the HSE ones don't have.


(*) at least I hope they're trained. I don't know much about the skills and training of such folks in this country. Have heard one or two slightly dis-quieting things, but am not sure what's fact and what's rumour.

Bit long winded (but dis-quieting when you think many do die*):

I collapsed one night on the way home after food & 2 drinks.
(seems the garda & ambulance lads knew it was hyperglycemia )
Asked the maggot in A&E if it could be diabetes,pls do a blood test.
Was told it was just a bit high because I just had food, i could head home.
(meter probably said "HI" because it was above 30 ???)


End up in A&E again a few weeks later,bit unwell ( no drink...)
Said "this has to be diabetes"
Even more special doctor said I was too thin to have it & he had done blood test.
Someone else checked it - ninety+

(* quote from consultant along the lines of "so many people leave here by ( the morgue)" )

zarquon

BhoscaCapall wrote: »

There are not enough :rolleyes:s in the world to express my reaction to this post

Whats your alternative suggestion. By all accounts not many 18 or 19 years can handle their drink as well as someone in their twenties or thirties. I would be very interested to know the percentage of A&E drink related admissions that are in the 18 to 21 years old group. Based on what i've seen a few times over the years at UCHG, a lot of the admissions fall into this age group.

Most probably your eye rolling rebuttal means that you fall either in this age group or close to it and thus are in denial that people in your age group have issues with handling their alcohol intake in the same way that young boy racers will deny that they are the most dangerous drivers on the road because in their eyes they are amazing drivers and in the eyes of young drinkers, they believe they could probably drink anyone under the table.