Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to associate myself with the motion as a member of the Regional Group, and to shine a light and constructively bring about some innovations and improvements when it comes to pre-hospital emergency care and community healthcare. There is no doubt that our hospitals and healthcare services are under pressure. This is mainly due to mismanagement on a grand scale over a number of years. I have had many battles with officials in the HSE and the Department of Health through my work on the Committee of Public Accounts. To say it is difficult to get answers or a clear picture of what is going on is a major understatement. What is clear is they do not believe they should be questioned at all. Funding our healthcare is not the issue. Our spending on healthcare is enormous, and has increased from €14 billion in 2017 to €23 billion in 2022. The major problem is the manner in which the HSE is being managed. The Covid-19 period shone a clear light on the problems we face. We had a handful of people in ICU, who also had Covid. We had politicians using this as justification to grind the whole country to a halt. If this is not evidence enough that our health system is broken, then I do not know what is.

We need a new model, one where not every knock or fall needs hospital attention, where people can get scans and treatments in a local healthcare centre and where drips and other medications can be administered in these centres, rather than having to funnel everything through the hospital system.

The Minister was in Enniscorthy, County Wexford last week to open a new primary care centre in that town. This is a welcome addition to the local healthcare system and should help to bring about better, more timely and more efficient outcomes for the people of Enniscorthy and its surrounds. At the same time, however, plans for a new 96-bed unit at Wexford hospital are being kicked down the road further and further, with no capital budget guaranteed. The motion refers a great deal to the National Ambulance Service and we endorsed the Sinn Féin motion last night based on the need to do something serious about the NAS and its staffing issues. It is, therefore, an appropriate opportunity to highlight and commend all those involved in community first responders schemes throughout the county and country. I refer, in particular, from my perspective to those who volunteer for these schemes in County Wexford. There are important supports to be had for the NAS.

It is also important to note the work being done in schools to educate young people on the basics of first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, CPR, training. Training like this is often done as part of transition year programmes, but there are also schools that offer training to pupils in every year. The motion also calls for a CPR support app to be made publicly available to help increase the chances of a patient's survival earlier in the chain. It is impossible, especially at current staffing levels, for the NAS to respond instantly to every call, particularly at busy times. I endorse the proposal from my colleague, Deputy Berry, for HEMs. Having a community first responder scheme in a parish can help to increase patients chances of survival. Much work goes into the operation of these schemes, including recruitment, training, fundraising for defibrillators and other equipment and organising rotas. In fairness to the Government, my call to remove VAT on defibrillators was answered. This is a welcome development for community groups that work hard to ensure defibrillators are in as many places as possible.

People are living longer, and with this come all the potential falls, accidents, illnesses, etc., that are, unfortunately, part and parcel of the ageing process. People in general are more conscious of their health and Government campaigns over many years have encouraged people to act fast and to seek help in emergencies. Inevitably, this means calls for ambulance services have increased. In 2022, there were 300,000 ambulance calls, with a 19% increase in December and January compared to the same time the previous year. These trends are suggesting that the pre-hospital care models we are currently relying on may not be the most optimal or even suitable in future. The motion is detailed and calls upon the Government to take several steps to address this. It is important at this point to acknowledge the hard work, long hours, difficult conditions and heartbreaking circumstances our NAS staff have to cope with daily. Overall, I hope the House will join with me in supporting the motion and that, subsequently, the Government will implement the measures outlined in it as soon as possible.

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