Bernard Allen
Question:274 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if he will outline his views on whether the ambulance turnout time is acceptable for a 999 call; and if he has any plans to facilitate the reduction of the response time.
Written Answers. - Ambulance Service.
Bernard Allen
Question:275 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that fatalities from accidents could be reduced if ambulance response times were shorter.
Bernard Allen
Question:278 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health the average ambulance response time for 999 and emergency calls in Ireland in urban areas and in rural areas; and if he will outline his proposals to improve these times in view of the fact that the response time can mean the difference between life and death in some cases.
Bernard Allen
Question:279 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the time he considers to be an acceptable response time for ambulances to reply to 999 and other emergency calls from the time of the placing of the call to the time of the arrival at the site of the incident.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 274, 275, 278 and 279 together.
Arrangements for the provision of ambulance services are a matter for each individual health board in the first instance. It is generally accepted that, with regard to emergency calls, the shorter the ambulance response time the greater the possibility of reducing the likelihood of the patient's death or serious injury.
Ambulance response times for emergency calls are kept under review by the health boards and I understand that, in general, the health boards are satisfied that current ambulance response times are at an acceptable level.
I am assured by the various health boards that the quality of the ambulance services is constantly kept under review.
Bernard Allen
Question:276 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if he will outline his views on whether, rather than providing cardiac and paramedic training for ambulance personnel and improving ambulance response time, there is still a situation outside Dublin where untrained part-time relief ambulance personnel are being sent out on ambulances to deal with serious incidents.
Bernard Allen
Question:277 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if he has examined the beneficial effects that can be obtained by providing ambulance personnel with paramedic training as has been done in the United Kingdom where the public have benefited, not only by the availability of paramedics at accidents, but also through the attendance of paramedics and cardiac trained ambulance personnel at general accidents and emergency incidents.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 276 and 277 together.
I understand that the policy is, in general, to have at least one member of each ambulance crew that is a fully trained ambulance officer or equivalent. In some health board areas, there are part-time relief ambulance personnel employed who would receive basic on the job experience within the health board.
A number of part-time relief ambulance personnel are currently attending a training course at the National Ambulance Training School, Phoenix Park, Dublin.
I understand that in the United Kingdom it is the policy of the ambulance authorities that by the year 2000 at least one member of each ambulance crew will be a trained paramedic. This policy has been noted by my Department and it will be examined in detail as part of an ongoing review of the national ambulance service which will be undertaken by my Department in consultation with the health agencies concerned.