James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising this issue.

A tragic event occurred in County Kerry last week which was widely reported. First, I extend the Government’s deepest sympathy to the family of the child involved. The loss of a loved one is hard for family and friends at any time but the sudden and unexpected death of a young child is particularly difficult.

At 1.16 a.m. on 18 June 2013, an emergency call was received about a baby who was reported as not breathing. The NAS was initially unable to obtain sufficient details of where the family was, which led to a delay in responding to the call. The first emergency resource arrived at the scene 30 minutes after the initial 999 call. The baby was subsequently pronounced dead.

The incident has been the subject of a systems analysis, as is routine in cases in which a death occurs, to ascertain whether call-taking protocols were followed. Following an examination of the facts, the HSE is satisfied that systems and processes operated correctly and there are no plans to carry out any further review. However, interrogation has been strengthened to mitigate the impact of a call in which the incident location cannot be identified. In addition, the HSE communications service has been requested to run a publicity campaign to improve public awareness of the need to communicate precisely the location of incidents.

In the interest of respecting the dignity and grief of the family, I wish to make no further comment on the specific incident. However, Ireland is now a multicultural society. An individual who has language issues and is emotionally traumatised at having found her baby dead can have great difficulty in communicating. I have heard what Deputy Arthur Spring said about GPS for physicians, and I will mention this in the second part of my answer.

A significant reform programme has been under way to totally reconfigure the way the HSE manages and delivers pre-hospital care services to ensure a clinically driven, nationally co-ordinated system, supported by improved technology. The national control centre reconfiguration project which is endorsed by HIQA and represents international best practice will reduce the number of ambulance control centres to a single national control system, with significant investment in new voice, data and mapping technologies. The project is also a key element of Future Health: A Strategic Framework for Health Reform in Ireland 2012-2015.

Both HIQA and the national ambulance service had concerns over control and despatch structures at some control centres leading up to the development of the national control system. Accordingly, the national ambulance service moved the Cork and Tralee centres to its Townsend Street centre on an interim basis in May to mitigate such concerns pending completion of the national centre. Detailed preparations took place to ensure the safety of services during the move of the Cork and Kerry operations. The national ambulance service provided additional staff, training, technology and equipment to assist this process - 112/999 calls from these areas are now answered in Dublin using improved technology. The national ambulance service is satisfied that the Townsend Street centre, while not appropriate to the needs of the overall reconfiguration project, is nevertheless suitable and infrastructurally sound for the interim accommodation of these centres.

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