Dáil debates

Thursday, 13 November 2014

Other Questions

Air Ambulance Service Provision

9:55 am

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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6. To ask the Minister for Defence the discussions his Department has had with the Department of Health to make the emergency aeromedical service in Athlone, County Westmeath permanent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41250/14]

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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For more than a decade, I have been campaigning, alongside others in this House, to establish a helicopter emergency service, HEMS, in this country. Following the closure of the accident and emergency department in Roscommon County Hospital, the local community took the initiative of seeking to establish an air ambulance service.

In 2012, the Government established a 12-month pilot air ambulance service using the Air Corps helicopter. Although the service has been a phenomenal success, we have no clear commitment regarding the retention of the service. It is being extended on a three-month basis.

10:05 am

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, as he has been involved in this issue, in June 2012, a memorandum of understanding was agreed between my Department and the Department of Health, in regard to Air Corps support of a pilot emergency aeromedical support, EAS, service operating out of Custume Barracks, Athlone. The purpose of the pilot service was to assess the level and type, if any, of dedicated aeromedical support needed to assist the national ambulance service, primarily in the west for certain types of patients. The pilot focused on the requirements of the HSE clinical care programmes, such as acute coronary care and stroke.

An evaluation of the pilot service was undertaken last year by an inter-agency audit and evaluation group and a report submitted to the then Minister for Health, who accepted the report's recommendations that an EAS service should be established in the region and that consideration should be given on how best to provide such a service. A working group, chaired by the Department of Health and comprising representatives from my Department, the HSE and the Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services, was then established to examine options for the provision of a permanent EAS service into the future. The group is nearing completion of its work and its report will be finalised shortly. Meanwhile, my Department has agreed to extend Air Corps participation in the pilot service, in order to allow time for the working group to complete its work. As the Deputy knows, it has been agreed in principle to maintain the service. What is being decided is how to do it and under what cost structure. The details will be available very shortly.

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for his response and I am glad he has, again, committed to the retention of the service in principle. However, would he not agree that continually rolling over the three-month period is undermining the service? Would he not agree that the Air Corps, in conjunction with the national ambulance service, has developed a very fine service? There is great mutual respect between the organisations, and the Air Corps is very anxious to be part of the permanent structure. Can the Minister assure the House that the Air Corps will form an integral part of any new structure announced?

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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This has been a very good success and a great partnership. The Defence Forces, as always, have shown they can be flexible and accommodate broad requests and concerns with which they are asked to assist. The Air Corps has done a great job. We await the result of an implementation group on how we can provide the service into the future on a permanent basis. If the recommendation is that the Defence Forces continue to provide a service, we will look at it, I suspect, very favourably. However, it may not be the recommendation. Let us wait until we get that recommendation. We will keep the service in place until the working group's recommendations are clear and we have a plan to implement them. I am happy to do so. There will be no end to the service. It is about maintaining a pilot project, to which my Department and the Defence Forces, through the Air Corps, have been integral. We will maintain that service until there is an implementation plan and a clear understanding as to how the permanent service will be put in place. If it involves a request to the Defence Forces, we will consider it, I suspect favourably, but I will wait and see what the recommendations are first.

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for his response. The nub of the issue is that the most cost-effective way to deliver the service is through the Air Corps. There is no net cost to the Department of Defence for providing the service. Due to air traffic control rules, the Air Corps has more flexibility than a commercial operation would have. Why does there seem to be reluctance on the part of the Department of Defence to grasp this wholeheartedly and ensure the Air Corps is central to the development of any new service?

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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There is no reluctance at all. We have been a fully-fledged partner in providing the service, which everybody accepts has been a great success. However, it is a pilot project which we will keep in place until a permanent structure and implementation plan has been agreed. If such a plan involves a request for Defence Forces participation, we will consider it, and I suspect we will do so favourably. The Defence Forces are not a health service. We are part of a pilot project that has worked very well and will look at partnering any future proposals and roll-out plan if we are asked to do so. We should wait and see what the implementation group proposes, how it proposes to fund it and how the structure will work, so we can have an air ambulance service for the west of Ireland that functions well on the back of the very successful pilot project. The Defence Forces are, and will continue to be, very supportive of the project.