LATEST: Tipperary councillor waited an hour for an ambulance and ended up on a trolley

A local councillor in Tipperary has paid tribute to frontline healthcare workers and community volunteers after a recent hospital stay brought home the intense pressures facing the health service.

Sinn Fein councillor Annemarie Ryan Shiner said the experience gave her a deep appreciation of the dedication and compassion shown by staff at every stage of their care, from first responders to the hospital wards in Tipperary University Hospital.

Recalling the ordeal, Annemarie told Tipperary Live that she had dialled 999 after becoming unwell in her home just before Christmas. Although she was informed that an ambulance was on the way, it took over an hour to arrive.

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“In the meantime, the link between the ambulance service and the Bansha Community First Responders made all the difference,” the councillor said.

“Within 10 minutes of my call, three first responders arrived at my house. They were absolutely superb.

At the time, Cllr Ryan Shiner was in significant pain and her family were understandably distressed. The presence of the first responders helped to calm the situation.

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“They were so reassuring and comforting, not just for me but for my children and my husband as well,” the councillor said.

“Everyone was freaking out a small bit. They kept me calm and maintained constant communication with the ambulance service, checking where the ambulance was and how long it would take. That long hour would have been far worse without them.”

When the ambulance eventually arrived, the two paramedics were praised for their professionalism and care. After assessing the situation, they transported the councillor to Clonmel.

However, the pressures on the hospital system quickly became apparent. On arrival at Clonmel, the ambulance was forced to wait for another hour before it could be released due to overcrowding in the emergency department.

“That shows you the savage pressure the staff in A&E are under,” she said. “The ambulance is tied up and can’t respond to other calls.”

Once admitted to A&E, conditions were extremely challenging. With no trolleys available and the department full to capacity, the councillor spent several hours seated on a chair, alongside many other patients of all ages.

“It was late into the night before I was finally assessed by a doctor and eventually got a trolley around three or four in the morning,” she said. “I went from a chair to a trolley in a corridor and I was honestly grateful for it.”

Cllr Ryan Shiner then described the indignity and difficulty of receiving care in overcrowded corridors, with staff trying to work quietly in the early hours, trying to treat patients in an environment that was far from ideal.

“No nurse or healthcare worker wants to be caring for patients on trolleys in corridors,” the councillor said. “It’s unsafe, it’s undignified, and it’s incredibly hard on both the patient and the staff. Yet everyone was doing their absolute best.”

Cllr Ryan Shiner was later transferred to a ward, where she remained until the following Saturday. During that time, she was cared for by doctors, consultants, nurses, porters and catering staff, all of whom were singled out for praise.

“You’re very vulnerable when you’re unwell, and even more so because it was Christmas,” she said. “I can’t praise the staff enough. From the porters taking you for scans, to the person bringing you a cup of tea, to the nurses working day and night on long shifts — their kindness meant everything.”

While acknowledging serious systemic issues, including overcrowding, under-resourcing and the strain placed on staff by the funneling of all cases through A&E, Cllr Ryan Shiner stressed that the quality of care remained high despite the chaos.

“I have the utmost admiration for healthcare workers,” she said. “They’re working in unsafe, over-capacity environments, often without enough support from management structures.

"Yet they continue to show compassion, professionalism and teamwork. It’s a vocation, and seeing people from so many different backgrounds working side by side shows you how it can work because it is a vocation I think, that kind of healthcare, it really is..

"If I've learned anything from this experience, it's look after your health, don't sweat the small stuff, love your family & friends and that people are inherently kind.”

She concluded by wishing people well for the year ahead, saying: “Happy New Year everyone, have a safe and healthy 2026.”