‘System needs changing’
The Belturbet footballer left waiting for almost two hours on a pitch with a double leg break for an ambulance that didn’t arrive insists the real issue isn’t his own ordeal, but the need for change within the wider health system. He believes the system is currently stretched to breaking point.
Enda Henry suffered a double break to his tibia and fibula in the dying minutes of a match against Killeshandra Leaguers at around 8.50pm last Thursday evening, August 7.
Emergency services were contacted straight away, but despite follow up attempts, a tender never arrived.
But for nearly two hours Enda waited in agony, with no medical support other than the comfort of players and staff on both sides.
With daylight fading and Enda in growing distress, his friends took matters into their own hands, with six of them carefully placing the stricken footballer onto a stretcher wearing a make-shift splint before transporting him the short distance from Pairc Emmet in Butlersbridge to Cavan General Hospital.
Even after arriving at A&E there at 10.30pm, it wasn’t until well into the following morning (Friday) that Enda was eventually transported to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, where he had to wait again until Sunday afternoon before undergoing surgery.
The delay has once again raised urgent concerns about ambulance response times and emergency service coverage in the region. Enda is aware of the debate swirling, but is anxious to stress his belief that it is the system itself that is struggling and under-resourced - with the staff tasked with propping it up found overworked and dealing with otherwise impossible demands.
“I don't think anyone giving out about me being on the pitch for two hours was giving out about the people working, because I seen it myself when I got in there, they're run off their feet. It's the system that's broken.”
Now recovering at home with a metal rod in his leg, Enda faces more treatment, including a full-leg cast in two weeks time. He grew up steeped in GAA, his dad Brian a kit man for the county, and neighbour to Ulster medal winning Jason O'Reilly and former county goalkeeper Aaron Donohoe.
Reflecting on the experience, he stresses: “This isn't about me. There is no doubt about the care once you get it, but it's the availability that's the problem.”
Overstretched
The six and a half kilometre journey to Cavan General in the back of the his friend's jeep was “rough” remembers Enda.
“I'm not the first person to break my leg on the pitch and I won't be the last. But the whole system is overstretched. By doing this [interview] is anything even going to be done about it? Probably not, and that's unfortunate because there'll be another person after me.”
Enda's wife Cassie was pitch-side with the couple's two girls when Enda went down injured.
“He endures a lot of heavy hitting but I knew this was bad when he didn't get back up. My concern was for him and then for the girls, that they wouldn't have to see him like that.
“It's not a nice situation, and it's not easy to watch somebody in pain, helpless because no one knew, no one wanted to make a call in case he had to go into theatre that night. The not knowing is the worst.”
She too emphasises that the family's frustration is not directed at hospital staff, yet hopes no one will have to suffer what Enda has had to go through.
Prioritised
In a statement, the HSE said it “cannot comment on individual cases,” but noted that all 999/112 emergency calls are prioritised using an internationally recognised triage system. This system classifies calls based on clinical urgency, ranging from life-threatening events to minor injuries. The National Ambulance Service (NAS) uses this approach to ensure that the nearest available ambulance is dispatched to the highest priority incidents.
Emergency calls have risen over 25% since 2019, with NAS responding to around 430,000 calls in 2024, up from 390,000 in 2023. In Q1 2025 alone, 108,915 calls were answered.
Additionally, 15,412 patients were treated through alternative care pathways, with 38.3% (5,897) avoiding Emergency