Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 February 2023
170. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health his plans to tackle the delays experienced by those in need of the National Ambulance Service; the average wait time for an ambulance; what additional staffing is required to shorten these delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7501/23]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the National Ambulance Service (NAS) is in the process of transforming from a conventional emergency medical service to an agile and responsive mobile medical service, to enable patients to be treated at the lowest appropriate level of acuity, resulting in a better experience for the patient and a more efficient use of resources.
The NAS continues to experience significant service demands with a record 389,764 emergency calls received from the public in 2022, a 6% increase on the total calls received in 2021.
The Government is committed to the strategic reform of the NAS including increases in both frontline ambulance capacity and the expansion of alternative care pathways to direct patients away from emergency departments where there is no clinical need.
Significant initial progress has been made in this regard under the previous NAS Strategy ‘Vision 2020’ including:
- Expanded clinical and overall capacity in the NEOC Clinical Hub which advises emergency callers of alternative care pathways to that of conveyance by ambulance to a Hospital ED;
- Several alternative care pathways developed including the “Hear and Treat” Clinical Hub at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and the “See and Treat” Pathfinder models.
- The Pathfinder "See and Treat” model of care was expanded at the end of October 2022 to three new sites in Tallaght, Limerick and Waterford.
- A Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, manned by a NAS Advanced Paramedic and EMT, established in Munster to serve patients in the South-West which commenced services in February 2023.
Government investment in 2022 saw a record funding allocation of over €200 million for the NAS which represents an increase of some €30 million from the 2019 allocation and a new record allocation is envisaged in 2023 once the NAS allocation is finalised. 2022 funding included €8.23 million for new service developments to provide for an additional 128 staff including additional frontline paramedics and strengthened clinical capacity in the NEOC Clinical Hub.In regard to the specific service matters outlined by the Deputy, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly with any further information it may have on the matter.
