Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for raising the provision of an ambulance base in Carlow town. It is a town with which I am very familiar. The National Ambulance Service is the statutory pre-hospital emergency and intermediate care provider and it seeks to serve the needs of patients and the public as part of an integrated health system through the provision of high-quality, safe and patient-centred services. Carlow ambulance base is an integral part of the ambulance service and has four emergency ambulances on duty. The base is supported by National Ambulance Service resources from surrounding ambulance stations, including Baltinglass, Athy, Kilkenny, Portlaoise and Enniscorthy. Dynamic deployment of available resources operates on an area and national basis, rather than a county or geographical boundary basis, to ensure optimum resource use as the nearest appropriate resource is mobilised to the location of the incident. The priority of dynamic deployment is patient health and welfare in the context of service delivery, which means that resources cannot be confined by county boundaries, barriers or borders.

The National Ambulance Service operates a comprehensive safety management system across all its premises in the south and continues to work collaboratively with staff and HSE estates or external providers to ensure that any concerns or issues that occur are dealt with as quickly as possible. Remedial works to the value of approximately €50,000 were carried out at Carlow ambulance base, located in Carlow town at the Carlow Health Services complex on Athy Road, in 2020. These works addressed requirements to make the ambulance base fit for purpose and included a list of maintenance-type works to doors, walls, floor coverings and minor leaks, with full certification of electrical and fire safety systems. Earlier this year, the National Ambulance Service completed a detailed prioritisation assessment for all ambulance stations in the southern region. As a result of this, the new base for Carlow has been confirmed as being the second highest priority for the National Ambulance Service in the south east. The National Ambulance Service is currently working with HSE estates in planning a future replacement for the current facility and has confirmed that a greenfield site has been identified and is under consideration. A capital submission for this project is being developed and capital funding for the project will follow, in accordance with overall prioritisation planning.

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