Pat Casey
Question:31. Deputy Pat Casey asked the Minister for Health the proposals in place to expand the ambulance service in south and west Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48197/17]
View answerWednesday, 15 November 2017
Questions (31)
Oral answers (6 contributions)
Is there a proposal in place to expand the ambulance services in south and east Wicklow because, as the Minister is aware, both areas suffered a reduction in service in 2012?
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue concerning a county I know well. The National Ambulance Service has embarked on a strategic reform programme to reconfigure the management and delivery of pre-hospital emergency care services. The programme aims to deliver a service that is safe, responsive and fit for purpose through the development of a modern, clinically driven and nationally co-ordinated system supported by technology and data.
The National Ambulance Service capacity review was published in 2016 and examined overall ambulance resource levels and distribution against demand and activity. It made several recommendations to improve performance and indicated the only practical way to improve first response times in rural areas is through voluntary community first responders schemes. It is interesting that the first external review of our ambulance service specifically discussed voluntary community first responders schemes. There are 22 such groups linked to the National Ambulance Service operating across Wicklow and I thank them for all their work.
The programme for Government commits to additional annual investment in ambulances, personnel and vehicles. A total of €7.2 million in additional funding was provided in 2016 and an additional sum of €3.6 million was made available in 2017. I am happy to confirm that increased funding will be made available for more ambulances and paramedics in 2018. The national service plan is due to be published in the coming weeks and the detail of the increased funding will be set out therein. I appreciate the need for additional ambulance resources in the parts of Wicklow the Deputy referenced. That will be considered by the National Ambulance Service in the context of putting together its plan for 2018. The Government is providing additional funding.
In Wicklow town there are two emergency ambulances during the day from Monday to Sunday, two during the night on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays and one during the night on Wednesday and Thursdays. In Arklow there is one emergency ambulance during the day on Mondays and from Wednesday to Sunday and one during the night from Monday to Sunday. In Baltinglass there is one emergency ambulance during the day from Tuesday to Sunday and one during the night from Monday to Sunday. I am very eager for that to be increased and approved, as the Deputy can imagine. I expect the National Ambulance Service will outline the details of its plans for 2018 when it publishes its report.
I thank the Minister for his response. I wish to put on record my understanding of and appreciation for the work done by the 22 first responder groups in Wicklow. They do an incredible amount of work and are a huge benefit to the health service.
Arklow and Blessington-Baltinglass both lost a half-day service in 2012. Under new rostering arrangements they have lost 136 day hours service. It is disappointing that there is a two-tier ambulance service in County Wicklow. The Minister knows the geography of west Wicklow as well as I do. The cover for that area is provided by ambulances in Tallaght and Naas. However, the service in Tallaght is closed on the same day as that in west Wicklow and the area is, therefore, relying on Naas at those times. If one lives in the centre of the county one might have to wait up to an hour or an hour and a half. In my area of Glendalough an ambulance will sometimes come from Naas even though it is not meant to cover that location. Although efficiency needs to be considered, there needs to be a level playing pitch across the county.
I agree with the Deputy. There is an issue of geographic inequity depending on where one lives in Wicklow, with west Wicklow often experiencing more geographical challenges than other parts of the county. It is not just the Deputy and I, as persons from County Wicklow, who understand that. The National Ambulance Service capacity review found there was a need in the eastern region, which covers Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow, for additional emergency resources, primarily rapid response vehicles. Therefore, I expect that following the implementation of the national capacity review, the ambulance service will act upon that in the context of the forthcoming service plan because it is important we have an evidence base for all we do and the National Ambulance Service capacity review is very clear on the need to plug deficits in the eastern region, which includes County Wicklow and west Wicklow.
The Deputy is right to praise the community first responders groups. Wicklow has led the way in that regard, with 22 such groups in operation there. Three community engagement officers have been appointed to the National Ambulance Service operational areas in north Leinster and the west and south of the country to support the existing community first responders network. The number of such community first responders groups has increased from 133 in January 2016 to 158 at the end of September 2017. We thank those groups for all they do. It is a very important component of the health service.
I thank the Minister for his contribution. There was an accident during a football game in Arklow involving a boy who broke his leg. The air ambulance had to be called for him because there were no ambulances available from Arklow, Wicklow town or west Wicklow. There was a very sad incident involving a fatality in a car park that is only 50 m from the ambulance base in Arklow. However, because it was a Tuesday, there was no service at that base and an ambulance had to come from Wicklow town. This is why we question the system that is in place. There needs to be fairness. I appreciate the Minister's commitment to trying to achieve that. It is in all our interests for the Minister to sort out this issue before the next general election because if he does not, he might not be allowed to canvass in west or south Wicklow.
I will bite my lip in respect of all the partisan comments I could make. I have too much time for Deputy Casey.
He is correct that there are deficits in the eastern region, which comprises Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow. That was identified by the national capacity review, which was the first report to land on my desk when I became Minister for Health. It was carried out by Lightfoot Solutions and was the first external review of the ambulance service. It discussed putting more resources into the ambulance service. However, it also noted that even were that done, a community first responder network also would be needed because of the layout of the country and that is why we are trying to support that network. Since I received the report, I have increased the ambulance service budget at every opportunity available to me. I will again do so in 2018. I expect that the National Ambulance Service will address some of the deficits in the eastern region, including Wicklow, based on the evidence base in the capacity review.
In terms of technology, a "nearest available to the incident" system is being used, which means that the nearest ambulance to an incident, regardless of where it occurs, is sent to the location. That is a clever way of ensuring an ambulance gets to a patient as quickly as possible, no matter where in the country he or she is.