Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 6 Mar 2003

Vol. 562 No. 6

Written Answers - Emergency Response Plans.

Paudge Connolly

Question:

30 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children if hospital action plans exist to cope with major disaster situations, for example, air crashes, train crashes, and terrorist attacks, in which multiple casualties would result in view of the overstretched and overcrowded state of accident and emergency departments in hospitals throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6711/03]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

In 1984 the Government approved a framework for a co-ordinated response to major emergencies. The purpose was to establish common procedures in each of the front line emergency services for activating emergency plans and co-ordination, control and co-operation during peacetime emergencies.

The ERHA and each of the health boards have an emergency plan which is based on this framework and which is kept under constant review. The main aim of the plans is to ensure that the health service is in a position to mobilise all necessary and available resources and to utilise these to best advantage so that the resulting response will be appropriate, structured, co-ordinated and effectively managed. The emergency plan can be activated by the ambulance service, fire service or the Garda.

Each acute general hospital, including those providing accident and emergency services, has an emergency plan which is an essential subset of ERHA and health boards' major emergency plans. Hospital emergency plans are designed to deal with the receipt and treatment of patients in the event of the occurrence of a major incident. The aim is to ensure that hospitals are in a position to provide appropriate treatment to incoming casualties.

In September 2001 the chief executive officers of the ERHA and the health boards established a national group to review all aspects of major emergency planning in the health context. This review recommended that responsibility for overseeing and co-ordinating the health boards' major emergency planning function should be assumed by the recently established health board executive. An emergency planning unit is being established within HeBE to prepare, issue and maintain guidelines on emergency planning across all health boards and to support the emergency planning activities of my Department. An emergency planning project officer will be appointed to this unit shortly.