LUH ambulance delays go unmeasured as over 6,000 patients arrive in six months

Ambulance delays at Letterkenny University Hospital are going unmeasured - despite systems being in place to track them.

In the six months to February 2026, there were 6,455 National Ambulance Service arrivals to LUH. In January 2026, there were 1,154 NAS arrivals at LUH while there were 1,102 in November, 2025.

A Regional Health Forum West and North West meeting has heard that the National Ambulance Service was unable to provide data on the average handover time at hospitals and does not maintain records on the number of ambulances simultaneoulsy delayed.

Castlefin-based Sinn Fein Councillor Gary Doherty sought answers on the amount of occasions in the last six months where three or more ambulances were simultaneously delayed and asked what the estimated hours of lost ambulance availability arising from these delays.

“We can’t fix things that we are not measuring and a critical part of the system is unmeasured,” Councillor Doherty said.

Asked when the real, reliable data for LUH could be received, Brendan McGovern, the General Manager of the National Ambulance Service West and North West, said the systems are in place but not in use.

“There is a long-running work-to-rule by some union colleagues in respect of the technology we employ at EDs,” Mr McGovern said.

“This is on the use of arrival screens in EDs, which would track the arrival time of ambulances to the handover of patients and the handover to clear. We have the ability to use it, but I can’t give a timeline on it.”

The discussion came just a month after it emerged that there were 14 ambulances backed up outside the ED at Letterkenny hospital, prompting Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn to say that: “This misery for patients, paramedics, doctors, nurses and hospital staff goes on and on.”

Mr McGovern said there are measures employed when ambulances are delayed and capacity is building.

Councillor Doherty said that the data is important for the whole health service.

“The data will be valuable,” he said. “I don’t know how we can rectify and get a full picture unless we have the raw data.”

Ann Cosgrove, an Integrated Health Area Manager, said she wished to assure Councillor Doherty that the handover process is “watched really closely at hospital levels” and that there is a nominated shift lead who works with the ambulance service on patient flow. 

She added that there are occasions when it is “extremely intense and busy and it is difficult to move through the system”. In such instances, she said there are active monitoring and management methods in place.

In a written reply, Mr McGovern added: “From a NAS perspective, where multiple resources are delayed at emergency departments, our management teams will escalate the problem to successive levels of senior management at the hospital site and beyond and work with them to develop a situation specific plan to relieve pressure and release resources. 

“This may include joint assessment and screening of lower acuity patients who may be ‘fit to sit’ at ED awaiting treatment by hospital staff, and the ‘cohorting’ of more than one ambulance patient under the clinical care of an existing crew awaiting handover at the emergency department. 

“Both of these measures are intended to release ambulances to respond to the next patient in need in the community.”

The National Ambulance Service confirmed to Councillor Gerry McMonagle that it is funded for 475 clinical positions in the West and North West areas, including 405 paramedic aligned posts and 70 emergency medical technician posts.

These include paramedics in Letterkenny (31), Dungloe (16), Donegal Town (11), Killybegs (10), Carndonagh (10), Stranorlar (10), Buncrana (10 and Ballyshannon (10)

Councillor McMonagle asked why there were 31 in Letterkenny as opposed to 39 in Sligo.

“Letterkenny has a higher football in ED and higher call-outs than Sligo,” he said. 

Mr McGovern said that there were a variety of factors at play in such cases, including the ability to station ambulances and provide reasonable facilities for staff.

“In some cases, that dictates where staff are going,” he said. “We are making the best use of resources that we can.”

Read next: ‘Systems failure’ sees 38 patients stuck in beds at Letterkenny hospital

Councillor McMonagle said there should be more funding to upgrade ambulance stations in order to allow more personnel.

Mr McGovern said: “We are doing our best with what we have. We acknowledge that, not just in Letterkenny, we would like to have bigger facilities. We have a plan and we are working closely with HSE Estates on that.”