Billy Kelleher
Question:12. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the measures he will take to improve the ambulance service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27050/14]
View answerWednesday, 25 June 2014
Questions (12)
Written answers
This Government is committed to improving our ambulance service and ambulance response times. The National Ambulance Service (NAS) is continuing the modernisation of its services, to ensure emergency pre-hospital care is delivered in an appropriate and timely manner. In that regard, additional funding of €3.6 million and 43 staff have been provided in the National Service Plan 2014. Including Dublin Fire Brigade emergency ambulances, our total fleet is now 534 vehicles, 77 more than four years ago, and I understand that a number of emergency ambulances will be upgraded this year.
A significant reform programme is underway, to provide a clinically driven, nationally co-ordinated system, supported by improved technology. Ongoing performance improvement projects include:
- the single national control system, to be completed in 2015
- the Intermediate Care Service, which transports patients between facilities, and allows emergency vehicles to focus on emergency responses
- on-duty rostering and the development of a national rostering system
- the Emergency Aeromedical Support Service - 652 missions were completed to the end of May 2014, about one third involving time-critical transfers of STEMI heart attack patients to primary PCI units.
- the NAS has developed turnaround guidelines, which provide a standardised national approach to clinical handovers of patients from ambulances to Emergency Departments. Data on handovers is now being collected, which allows for more effective management of patient handovers and ambulance turnaround times.
I would also like to draw the Deputy’s attention to three separate reviews of ambulance services. HIQA is examining the governance arrangements for pre-hospital emergency services; the HSE and Dublin City Council have commissioned a joint review of Dublin services to determine the optimal and most cost-effective model of ambulance services delivery for the city; and the NAS is undergoing a comprehensive capacity review, to determine what level of staff, vehicles, skills and distribution, is required to deliver a safe and effective service now and into the future. These reviews will inform the development of a modern, clinically driven system, properly resourced, for appropriate and timely services to the benefit of patients.