Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, I thank Deputy Whitmore for the opportunity to update the House on the ambulance service in Arklow and elsewhere in County Wicklow.

The National Ambulance Service, NAS operates a 24-7 response from Arklow ambulance base excluding, as Deputy Whitmore stated, Tuesdays, when there is no cover from the base between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The Deputy made reference to Baltinglass as well. It is not covered, but maybe it is something which she could follow up with the Minister and look for precise details on the response times, which she has mentioned as well.

However, the National Ambulance Service operates a dynamic model of ambulance deployment. This is in line with international best practice, and allows the National Ambulance Service to prioritise resource allocation to the highest acuity calls which require an immediate emergency response. This means that on a Tuesday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. in Arklow, an ambulance from one of the many neighbouring stations will be deployed to respond as the need arises.

The ambulance based in Aughrim is crewed by eight Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council, PHECC, registered paramedics and advanced paramedics. There are no current vacancies on this base. Additionally, two community paramedics currently operate a 12-hour shift pattern seven days a week from Arklow ambulance base. Community paramedicine provides community-centred healthcare services which bridge primary and emergency care, including expanded roles such as health promotion and disease and injury prevention, as well as acute assessment and treatment of chronic illness exacerbation and minor illness or injury.

Deputy Whitmore made reference to the historical perspective regarding the service in Arklow between 7 a.m. and 7.p.m on Tuesdays. I followed up by getting a bit more information. The Arklow rosters have been set in this pattern since approximately 2010 due to changing work patterns at the time, such as staff moving from a 40-hour week to a 39-hour week, and changing to 12-hour shifts. Cost savings required at the time were also a consideration. The National Ambulance Service is constantly monitoring its resources with patient safety its key consideration. Areas identifying a need will be supported as new service resources are developed and become available. Arklow will be considered through this process.

Regarding ambulance services more generally, the Government has invested very significantly in the NAS in recent years. In fact, record investment of more than €211 million has been allocated to the NAS under the HSE’s 2023 national service plan. This represents an overall increase of approximately €43 million from that allocated in 2019. This unprecedented level of investment has allowed for our National Ambulance Service to undergo an enormous programme of change in recent years. It continues to transform from a service that traditionally transported all patients to hospital for treatment to a service that is clinically led and is now treating more patients over the telephone, at the scene, or in their own homes. We have grown the NAS workforce substantially, with the Government’s investment allowing for an increase of 28% in staff numbers since December 2015.

As well as the significant increases in staff numbers, the NAS has made major advancements in the way it delivers patient care. For instance, building clinical capacity in the National Emergency Operations Centre, NEOC, in Tallaght has facilitated the introduction of alternative care pathways like see and treat and hear and treat, which allow the NAS to assess and treat many patients at the lowest appropriate level of acuity, resulting in a better experience for the patient and more efficient use of resources.

Recent investment has resulted in enhanced clinical and patient care capacity in the clinical hub with a view to ensuring a growing percentage of callers to the NEOC in Tallaght who are triaged through the hub do not need conveyance by ambulance to a hospital emergency department where there is no clinical need.

I extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to the staff of the NAS and to all of our ambulance services for their commitment and dedication to patient care in Wicklow and across the country.

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