Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle as ucht deis a thabhairt dom labhairt ar an ábhar seo. I thank Deputies for their contributions to this evening's debate. It is clear that Deputies across the House enjoy a shared appreciation of the important role Dublin Fire Brigade plays in the provision of emergency ambulance services in Dublin. I applaud and salute the men and women of Dublin Fire Brigade, who are at the forefront of emergency services provision. People on the front line of emergency services are heroes who dedicate their lives for the safety and protection of others. Their work and dedication help the rest of us to sleep a little easier. I can confirm that there are no proposals to replace the fire-based emergency medical service that has served the people of Dublin well for many generations. I can also confirm that there are no proposals to merge Dublin Fire Brigade and the National Ambulance Service. However, there is a need to consider funding mechanisms to ensure Dublin City Council is adequately reimbursed for the ambulance services provided by Dublin Fire Brigade on behalf of the HSE. We also need to look at ambulance capacity in Dublin and we will do this. A capacity review identified a requirement for increased ambulance resources in the eastern region, which covers counties Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow. The capacity review underlines the need for a multi-annual programme involving phased investment in ambulance manpower, vehicles and technology.

I assure the House that the Government is committed to the delivery of a high-quality pre-hospital emergency care service throughout the country. Over recent years, additional investment has been directed towards pre-hospital emergency care each year. An additional €10.7 million, including €2.8 million to fund new developments, has been made available this year. New developments include the development of alternative pathways to care. For example, a "hear and treat" clinical hub has been in operation in the national emergency operations centre since March of this year. This will help to divert some lower acuity patients to alternative care pathways and will, in time, free up some emergency capacity. At present, the clinical hub is only available to callers whose emergency calls are routed through the national emergency operations centre, which is operated by the National Ambulance Service.

As we heard earlier, there are two separate call centres in Dublin, one operated by the National Ambulance Service and the other by Dublin Fire Brigade. The existence of two call centres in the capital presents a real risk to patient safety, which we urgently need to address. It is clear that our current call-taking arrangements give rise to delays in the allocation of ambulance resources to patients, including in potentially life-threatening situations. A single point of contact is needed to address patient safety risks which have been identified by successive reports over the decades. While technical solutions have been proposed and independently examined, it has been determined that none of them will resolve the patient safety concerns. We need Dublin Fire Brigade and the National Ambulance Service to have a more co-ordinated and integrated approach to call-taking and dispatch. To that end, a mediation process is under way between Dublin City Council and staff associations. I hope this process will conclude shortly, will pave the way for a safer and more responsive ambulance service for the people of Dublin and will ensure new innovations such as the clinical hub will be available to callers all over the country. I believe the conclusion of the mediation process will also help to provide certainty to Dublin Fire Brigade personnel regarding the continuation of the fire-based emergency medical service delivery model.

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