Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is something we are taking seriously. We are looking at it. Essentially, the question is whether it is consultant-led or consultant-delivered. Is there a consultant in the background or is there a consultant on the helicopter? The argument is that if we have an emergency medicine consultant on the helicopter, there will inevitably be cases where the patient will get a higher level of care. In some cases, that might make all the difference. We must ask a balancing question about what the position would be if that consultant was in the local emergency department. In those circumstances, would other patients get the increased level of care on offer from emergency department nurse to non-consultant hospital doctor to consultant? There are about 150 emergency medicine consultants in the country. The question is where they are best deployed in order to do the most amount of good for patients. We are actively looking at this proposal.

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