Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to address the very important issue of the ambulance service in the north-west region on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Harris, and I thank Deputy Scanlon for raising it. I am pleased to inform the House that 12 additional staff have been approved for deployment in the north-west region for 2019. These staff will provide additional emergency capacity to the region in the coming year.

The National Ambulance Service has furthered several developments in order to address the issue of response times and ambulance cover in the north west. In Border counties, the National Ambulance Service works closely with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service in order to provide a more responsive service for patients. An EU-funded pilot of a new community paramedic model of care in Border counties has been completed. Community paramedics safely and effectively provide care in Border counties, with a consequent reduction in unnecessary ambulance journeys to emergency departments and hospital re-admissions. On resources in the north west, under the first phase of the programme two community paramedics were assigned to Buncrana, County Donegal.

The capacity review published in 2016 identified particular difficulties serving rural areas such as the north-west region. It indicated that the only practical way to improve first response times in rural areas is through voluntary community first responders, CFR, schemes. The National Ambulance Service continues to work with local CFR groups across the region to enhance services. I am pleased to state that the Government is fulfilling its commitment in A Programme for a Partnership Government to increase the number of CFR groups year on year. In the north west, 19 CFR groups are currently linked to the National Ambulance Service and 14 other groups there are in training to provide first response in emergency medical situations.

The National Ambulance Service has undergone a significant process of modernisation in recent years and there have been several important service innovations and developments. A single cohesive strategic plan for ambulance services, entitled Vision 2020, has been developed by the National Ambulance Service. It sets out the actions necessary to implement the various recommendations and to address the range of other demands facing the ambulance service.

The national emergency operations centre has been established and is the location for the receipt of emergency calls and dispatch of emergency resources. The National Ambulance Service has visibility of all available paramedic resources and vehicles in real time, ensuring that the closest available resource is dispatched to an emergency.

Other recent developments include the development of alternative pathways to care. The "hear and treat" clinical hub went live in the national emergency operations centre in March last year. It diverts some lower acuity patients away from busy emergency departments and frees up emergency capacity. It is anticipated that such initiatives will help to improve the availability of ambulance resources nationwide, including in the north west.

In recent years, additional investment has been directed towards the National Ambulance Service. This year, its budget increased to an unprecedented €168.6 million, which will support it in continuing to deliver a high quality service throughout the country, including in the north west.

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