Ambulance turnaround times at Letterkenny University Hospital are showing no signs of improvement, latest HSE figures have shown.
In the month of September, a total of 766 ambulances were delayed for more than the 30-minute target set by the HSE.
And amongst the worst is Letterkenny.
The figures show that 38 ambulances were unable to get back into service for between two and four hours because a patient could not be admitted due to overcrowding.
The startling figures come after another week of frustration for the hospital.
An inquest into the death of local woman Margaret Callaghan showed she had to wait 71 minutes for an ambulance to travel just 2kms to her house at Mountain Top in January, 2018.
Two ambulances had been backed up at the hospital for over six hours and four hours respectively.
The late Margaret Callaghan
When an ambulance did arrive at her home she had just passed away.
The Medical Director of the National Ambulance Service, Professor Cathal O Domhnaill said the situation was simply getting worse.
He blamed capacity issues at the hospital saying that it was like pouring a pint of liquid into a half-pint glass.
General manager of the hospital, Mr Sean Murphy, also painted a bleak picture of the hospital.
He revealed that this year the full capacity protocol has been in operation at the hospital for 94% of the time.
The revelations at the inquest led coroner Dr Denis McCauley to appeal to the HSE to review its protocols for turnaround times around the country.
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