Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Deering. I am responding to this matter on behalf of the Minister.

The National Ambulance Service, NAS, has confirmed that following a health and safety audit, an issue was identified in the shower and changing facilities used by staff at the Carlow ambulance station. Works are planned to take place to rectify the issue concerned and this is being treated as a priority by the NAS. Discussions are under way with staff with a view to addressing how services in the Carlow area can best be provided while the planned works are under way. Patient safety will be the overriding priority in these discussions. The director of the NAS has assured me that services in the Carlow area will not be compromised during this period.

The NAS has undergone a significant process of modernisation in recent years. A number of significant service innovations and developments have taken place, including: the establishment of the national emergency operations centre; the delivery of enhanced technology to improve response times; the development of an intermediate care service to provide lower-acuity hospital transfers, thereby freeing up more emergency ambulances for more urgent calls; and the establishment of a permanent emergency aeromedical support service. We are looking at alternatives to the current care model, which requires every patient to be brought to an emergency department. These alternatives include providing clinical advice over the phone to callers and referring them to other care pathways as appropriate.

This reform programme is taking place against the backdrop of the HIQA review of ambulance services, which was published in late 2014, and the NAS capacity review, which was published earlier this year. The capacity review, which was undertaken by a UK-based consultancy firm, Lightfoot Solutions, examined overall ambulance resource levels and distribution against demand and activity. The review found that the NAS faces a major challenge compared to ambulance services elsewhere because population density in Ireland differs significantly from that in many other countries. The population outside the greater Dublin area is widely dispersed, with a relatively large number of people living in rural areas. This means response time targets are much more difficult to achieve because of longer driving distances. The report endorses the existing policy of dynamic deployment, whereby vehicles are strategically located where they are most likely to be required, rather than statically deployed and located at a particular station.

The implementation of the recommendations of the capacity review will require a multi-annual programme of phased investment in ambulance manpower, vehicles and technology. In that regard, the Deputy can be assured that increased funding will be available to the NAS for 2017. The detail of the improvements to be funded will be provided in the HSE's national service plan for 2017. Officials in the Department of Health will work closely with their counterparts in the HSE and the NAS in the coming weeks to agree priorities for the 2017 allocations.

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