Vol. 506 No. 2
247 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Health and Children if nurses are being withdrawn from ambulance duty in all health board areas; the extent and rationale in this regard; if he has satisfied himself that there will be no drop in the level of medical expertise and experience available to patients as a result; the nature and extent of training received by ambulance crews and by nurses on ambulance duty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15019/99]
Government policy in relation to the development of the ambulance service is as set out in the report of the review group on the ambulance service. With regard to the role of nurses in the ambulance service the report states that, in situations where the current staffing arrangements for ambulances involves nurses being withdrawn from wards, this arrangement should be phased out as soon as possible. The report also states that each emergency ambulance should be staffed by two trained ambulance personnel with at least one having successfully completed the advanced training programme.
The provision of ambulance services, the system of work for ambulance nurses in that service, including the on-call arrangements and the training of ambulance personnel are the statutory responsibility of the health boards in the first instance. The recommendations of the review group on the ambulance service are being implemented by all health boards but it is a matter for each individual board to identify the priority areas it wished to develop in relation to the implementation of the report's recommendations.
This year I provided over £7 million in additional funding to the health boards for the development of ambulance services. Since the publication of the report of the review group in 1993 this brings to approximately £23 million the total funding made available to the health boards for this purpose.
