Emergency health services

Emergency health services in Ireland provide medical attention if you are ill or injured and you need immediate treatment. Injuries that may require emergency health services include those resulting from accidents, heart attacks or other sudden illnesses.

Emergency health services are usually delivered by:

• A general practitioner (GP)
• Ambulance personnel, or
• Attendance at the emergency department of an acute hospital.

The Department of Health is responsible for policy on emergency health services in Ireland. The Health Service Executive (HSE) is responsible for the delivery of public health emergency health services.

In the public health service, the National Ambulance Service provides ambulance services to transport seriously ill people to hospitals or between hospitals. The Dublin Fire Brigade provides an emergency ambulance service for the greater Dublin area.

These ambulance services are free, and you will not be charged by the National Ambulance Service or the Dublin Fire Brigade.

You can contact emergency ambulance services by telephoning 999 or 112. (The 112 number applies throughout the EU). All calls are free.

If you are brought to or from non-urgent healthcare, other vehicles may be used if appropriate such as taxis or minibuses. The Intermediate Care Service provides vehicles to transport patients between hospitals and other medical facilities so that emergency ambulances are available to respond to emergencies.

Private ambulance services

If you are using a private ambulance service including air ambulance services, you will have to pay for their services. This may happen if you are transferred to a private hospital. If you have private health insurance this may help pay for some of the cost of the private ambulance.

Volunteer ambulance services

There are a number of volunteer ambulance organisations. They are generally used to provide immediate assistance at public events.

The Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council is responsible for the professional regulation of ambulance personnel and their education and training (through recognised institutions)

If you want to attend your family doctor (GP) as a result of an emergency, you can:

• Go to your GP’s surgery during specific hours. You can find out what these hours are by contacting your GP.
• Phone your GP and ask for them to visit you during the time set aside for house calls.
• Phone your GP outside normal hours – the answering machine will usually indicate the number to ring in emergencies. This number may be a locum service or out-of-hours service. A locum service is one in which another doctor (not your GP) calls to a patient’s home outside normal hours.
• Visit a GP out-of-hours service.

GP out-of-hours service is available at night and on weekends for urgent medical care that cannot wait until a medical appointment.

You must make an appointment to use the out-of-hours service. There is no drop-in facility.

If you phone your GP outside normal working hours, you will usually get a recorded message with the contact details for your local GP out-of-hours service. The Health Service Executive (HSE) website also provides a list of phone numbers for the out-of-hours service.

When you ring the GP out-of-hours service, you will first speak to a nurse about your (or your child’s) symptoms. The nurse will clinically assess whether you need:

• Nursing advice over the phone
• An appointment with a GP
• A house call
• A referral to the emergency department (A & E)
• Or an ambulance

If the nurse decides that you need to see the out-of-hours doctor (GP), they will give you an appointment.

If you do not need urgent medical care, contact your GP during opening hours.

Medical card and GP visit card holders don't have to pay for the services provided by the GP out-of-hours co-operatives. Other patients have to pay a fee.

Find a list of GP out-of-hours services here.

Most public hospitals provide emergency services. These are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Anybody in Ireland with a medical emergency is entitled to attend their emergency departments. You may have to pay charges for public hospital services.

If you are attending the emergency department (ED) of a public hospital you will be prioritised based on your medical need. You may have to wait for treatment if your injury or illness is not urgent.

Some public hospitals have injury units for minor injuries that are unlikely to need admission to hospital.

Some private hospitals and clinics offer emergency services. You will be charged the full cost of care in private facilities.

You can find an emergency department near you.

If you are a national of a member state of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland or the UK and you are travelling or staying temporarily in Ireland, you are entitled to receive medical care if you become ill or have an accident.

See Health services for visitors to Ireland for further information.

There is a reciprocal agreement on medical treatment for temporary visitors between Ireland and Australia. Under the agreement, Australian visitors who access emergency public treatment pay the hospital charges that apply to people who are ordinarily resident in Ireland.

If you are on a temporary visit to Ireland and are not covered under EU regulations, you will have to pay the cost of attendance at an emergency department.

Charges for treatment

If you are not a national of an EU/EEA member state, or from Switzerland or Australia, you may also be charged the full economic cost of any further treatment, including medical care in an acute hospital. It is recommended that you take out private medical travel insurance before travelling to Ireland.