Michael Healy-Rae
Question:1416. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the ambulance service in Kenmare, County Kerry (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37755/13]
View answerWednesday, 18 September 2013
Questions (1416)
Written answers
The HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) has recently proposed a plan for a new model of pre-hospital care service for the people of South Kerry. This new model emerged from an analysis of the needs of the South Kerry area and the best use of available resources, including paramedics and advanced paramedics.
The plan to modernise the South Kerry service follows a consultation process with a wide range of interested groups, such as GPs, local public representatives and community groups. The plan has also been informed by the modernisation developments that have already taken place in East Cork, North Cork and West Cork. The plan is extremely detailed, providing numerous benefits agreed between HSE management, union representatives and staff. The agreed plan includes:
- the replacement of current on-call work practices with on-duty rostering, to bring NAS operations in South Kerry into line with County Cork and the majority of the rest of the region, meaning that paramedic staff are at their bases or in their vehicles, ready to be dispatched immediately to 112/999 calls;
- deployment of a fleet of emergency vehicles and emergency personnel that will best serve the people of South Kerry;
- intermediate care vehicles for routine transfers of patients between South Kerry and acute and community hospitals, freeing emergency vehicles for emergency work;
- retention of the current ambulance stations Killarney, Caherciveen and Kenmare as the locations for deployment in the South Kerry geographical area;
A modern emergency service requires highly trained health professionals who can perform life-saving interventions at the scene of an emergency. The NAS has invested significantly in recent years in training ambulance staff to very high standards at both paramedic and advanced paramedic level.
Paramedics and advanced paramedics provide a very high level of medical assessment and treatment, in many cases potentially life-saving treatment. The introduction of on-duty services in the South Kerry region now sees the availability of emergency resources and staff available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, ensuring people having equal and timely access to highly skilled paramedic and advanced paramedic staff day or night.