Ms Laverne McGuinness:

They are very effective. Some 76% of all inter-hospital transfers are now carried out using intermediate care vehicles. HIQA and the capacity review both acknowledged their success. What we need to discover is the actual number of these vehicles we actually require. Those currently in use are at maximum capacity. They are not available 24 hours a day and, potentially, this is a matter which should be considered. The capacity review may identify the fact that we need to provide the service on a 24-hour basis in order to free up more ambulances.