Donegal people in need of emergency care are among those who have the furthest to travel to reach an Emergency Department, new research has found.
Residents of Donegal have an average of more than half an hour’s drive (36km distance) from their nearest hospital – at off-peak times.
Analysis of Eircode data by location intelligence services provider Gamma found that five Irish counties had the poorest road access to A&E departments.
Counties Carlow, Leitrim and Donegal were the worst-served, with Carlow residents being on average 40km away from their nearest facility. Dublin was the best-served county for emergency access.
Gamma also found that 88% of Ireland’s population live within 10km of a hospital with an emergency department. Only 4% of residents live more than 20km away.
Feargal O’Neill, CEO, Gamma, said: “The amount of time it takes for people to get to their nearest hospital is obviously very important, especially in cases of emergency.
“On average, people in Carlow and Leitrim would be on the road for almost 40 minutes to reach their nearest emergency department.”
Mr O’Neill added that the new research could be used to ensure the Irish population is better-provided for in terms of amenities.
