Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate on a motion on the ambulance service and, in particular, its call on the Government and NAS to urgently review the adequacy of the spatial distribution and coverage of the ambulance fleet to ensure an equitable distribution of services across regions, to reduce reliance on overtime and long shifts and to reach response time targets.

Before I make any further points, I commend our paramedics who do an excellent job. They are, however, caught in a broken system, one that is unfair and not fit for purpose. I know that many paramedics are demoralised. Among the few that are still there - many of them have left - morale is at an all-time low. We need to ensure there is fairness and that lives are protected through there being a fair and sensible system in which every region and town has its own dedicated ambulance service. That is a very reasonable ask.

I raised this very issue during Leaders' Questions in November when I highlighted that the ambulance station in Tullamore, County Offaly, had been closed a number of times for an entire day shift or night shift. This would have been unheard of previously. On top of this, despite the lack of cover in the midlands, the ambulances that are available are regularly drawn into other areas. The Edenderry crews are regularly in Dublin, Kildare or the north east. The Birr ambulance crew spends most of its time in Tipperary or Limerick. The Portlaoise ambulances are frequently in Wicklow, Kildare or the south east. In addition, the Tullamore ambulances are normally picking up the pieces in Laois, Westmeath, Birr, Edenderry and everywhere else around. This has to change to protect lives and to be fair to our paramedics.

I have also repeatedly called on the HSE and the NAS to place a renewed focus on supporting schemes that ensure greater numbers of people can act as community first responders. That could well be part of the solution here. This is particularly vital in counties such as Laois and Offaly for echo calls, which are life threatening cardiac or respiratory arrest, and delta calls, which are life-threatening illness or injury other than cardiac or respiratory arrest emergency calls.

From my experience of engaging with ambulance staff, I note that something more fundamental has gone wrong within the work culture of the NAS. We need to change this fast.

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