Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)

An additional 29 emergency medicine consultant posts were approved in 2001. There are 51 emergency medicine consultant posts in acute hospitals, which is a 260% increase in numbers since 1997. The availability of senior medical staff in emergency medicine departments should facilitate rapid clinical decision making and enhanced management, diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Pressures on the hospital system, particularly in the eastern region, arise from demands on emergency departments and difficulties associated with patients who no longer require acute treatment but are still dependent. Full year funding of €8.8 million was provided to the ERHA in 2003-04 to facilitate the discharge of 280 patients, mainly elderly, to more appropriate settings. An additional €5 million was provided in June 2004 to facilitate the transfer of a further 200 patients, including young chronic disabled people. The Department provided €3 million to the ERHA to transfer a further 120 patients in August 2004.

My Department and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Belfast commissioned a feasibility study and report on the costs and benefits associated with the introduction of a dedicated helicopter emergency medical service for the island of Ireland. The decision to commission the study was made on foot of a recommendation by a cross-Border working group on pre-hospital emergency care. The group is one of a number established under the North-South Ministerial Council to examine cross-Border co-operation in the health area. The report of the consultants appointed to undertake the study was published on 30 April 2004 and is available on my Department's website.

Possible roles for a helicopter emergency medical service identified in the report include primary and inter-hospital response. Primary response involves travelling directly to the scene of an incident to take a patient directly to hospital whereas inter-hospital response is the planned, rapid transfer between hospitals of patients who require specialist care under the escort of skilled professionals. The report concluded that an inter-hospital transfer service would be more appropriate in an all-island context. According to the consultants, the provision of such a service with a single helicopter would involve significant capital investment costs of €12 million and annual operating costs of €4 million. Additional helicopters could be added with an additional annual cost per aircraft of over €3 million.

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