Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for asking this question. I will answer it on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. The question relates to ambulance services in west Cork.

As the Deputy will be aware, the NAS serves the west Cork region 24-7 through a highly skilled workforce of intermediate care operatives, paramedics and advanced paramedics. There is a fleet of modern emergency ambulances, intermediate care vehicles and rapid response vehicles. There are 12 ambulance bases covering the entire county of Cork, of which four are in west Cork.

The NAS deploys these resources in the region dynamically, in line with international best practice. That allows the NAS to prioritise resource allocation to the highest acuity calls that require an immediate emergency response. The region is also served by a number of NAS alternative care pathways that include the Pathfinder see-and-treat service, the NAS national emergency operations centre, NEOC, the clinical hub hear-and-treat service and community paramedic and intermediate care services. The Pathfinder initiative launched in Cork in April 2023 to improve outcomes for older people by providing safe alternative care at home rather than in hospital emergency departments. On average, two thirds of patients seen by Pathfinder following a 999 call have remained at home rather than having to be brought to an emergency department. Pathfinder was launched in Kerry in 2023 and also serves west Cork.

An intermediate care service currently operates in the Bantry area of west Cork seven days a week. It provides low acuity inter-hospital patient transfer and discharge services to help preserve emergency ambulance resources in the region. A medical assessment unit, MAU, pathway for 112 and 999 patients is also permanently in place following a successful trial which involved Mallow General Hospital in 2020.

There is also further support provided by the Government funded south-west helicopter emergency medical service, HEMS, and the Irish Coast Guard search and rescue service. Since commencing operations on 16 February 2023, the south-west HEMS had carried out 328 emergency tasks by the end of September 2023.

Regarding ambulance services more generally, the Government has invested significantly in the NAS in recent years. Record investment of over €219 million has been allocated to the NAS under the HSE 2023 national service plan. This represents an overall increase of approximately €50 million from that which was allocated in 2019. This unprecedented level of investment has allowed for the NAS to undergo an enormous programme of change and reform recent years, continuing a transformation from a traditional emergency ambulance service to an agile mobile medical service.

As a direct result of this investment, the NAS workforce has also grown substantially, with an increase of 32% in total staff numbers since December 2015. As well as the significant increase in staff numbers, the NAS has also made major advancements in the way it delivers patient care. For example, building clinical capacity in the national emergency operation centre in Tallaght allows the NAS to assess and treat many patients at the lowest appropriate level of acuity, resulting in a better experience for patients and a more efficient use of resources.

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

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