Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I too thank the Regional Group for tabling this motion on the future of regional pre-hospital emergency care. I welcome the opportunity to speak on it. First, I echo the thanks and commendations given by my colleagues to our healthcare workers, especially our front-line healthcare staff who work so diligently to save lives. I represent a rural part of Kildare and Laois where the quick interventions of paramedics in the ambulance service can be the difference between a good outcome and a bad outcome and getting a timely medical intervention or not getting one and, ultimately, it can be the difference between life and death.

Paramedics who staff ambulances are often overworked due to chronic understaffing issues across the entire healthcare system. Last month, Naas General Hospital issued an appeal to patients not to visit the emergency department unless absolutely necessary. The very same appeal was issued again last week. Last night, Sinn Féin brought forward a motion to alleviate the crisis in the National Ambulance Service but the Government rejected our motion and will probably seek to reject this motion. This will lead to further burnout and fatigue of front-line healthcare staff which will ultimately put lives at risk. The Minister must publish a multi-annual capacity and workforce plan immediately to meet the needs of patients and improve the ability of our National Ambulance Service, Dublin Fire Brigade and other vital services as this is particularly important to the people of south Kildare, whom I represent.

I will finish with this point. Deputy Conway-Walsh spoke about an elderly person who spent five days on a trolley. I heard from a 94-year-old woman who recently spent 24 hours on a chair. The Minister might think that is good enough but I certainly do not.

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