Vol. 516 No. 1
78 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Health and Children if it is general policy by his Department to have ambulance nurses replaced by emergency medical technicians; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7077/00]
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. While nurses have traditionally been involved in the ambulance service in certain parts of the country, the introduction of two-person crewing by emergency medical technicians has been under way since the publication of the report of the review group in 1993.
As set out in the report of the review group, the policy of successive Governments has been to move towards two person crewing by EMTs whose training was considerably upgraded in response to the recommendations of the report of the review group. Staffing ambulances with personnel specifically trained to provide essential life-support in an out-of hospital setting is in line with widespread international practice in the provision of pre-hospital care. With regard to the role of serving nurses in the ambulance service, the report states that serving ambulance nurses should be fully integrated into the organisational structure of the ambulance service and be required to undergo the same development and training programmes as other ambulance personnel.
I am committed to ensuring that the training of EMTs is relevant and suitable to the varied requirements of pre-hospital emergency care. The current level of training for emergency medical technicians was established by the National Ambulance Advisory Council which included medical, nursing and ambulance expertise. As recommended in the cardiovascular health strategy, Building Healthier Hearts, I will shortly establish the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council with responsibility for developing professional and performance standards for ambulance services and personnel. This body will carry forward the work of the NAAC in ensuring that the skills and training of emergency medical technicians continue to meet all necessary requirements.
This year I provided more than £10 million 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 £33 million the total funding made available to the health boards for this purpose, with well over half this funding being provided by this Government. This government has pursued a policy of investment aimed at improving key aspects of the service, including training, equipment, vehicles and communications.
