Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)

I thank Senator McCormack for raising this issue today, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I wish to update the House on the delivery of pre-hospital emergency care in County Laois and the vital pre-hospital emergency response role delivered by our National Ambulance Service, NAS.

The National Ambulance Service serves the Laois-Offaly region from four bases located in Portlaoise, Edenderry, Birr and Tullamore. All four bases are staffed by a highly skilled workforce of pre-hospital emergency care practitioners. In the past 18 months, front-line ambulance staffing in the NAS Dublin-Midlands health region has increased by almost 10%. The Laois-Offaly region is also served through the national emergency operations centre clinical hub, which advises callers on locally available alternative care pathways, as well as five active community first responder schemes. Further support is provided by the emergency aeromedical support service based in Athlone, as well as the Irish Coast Guard search and rescue service.

I am aware of the recent press coverage concerning ambulance coverage in County Laois, in particular anxiety expressed by local public representatives, including Senator McCormack, that ambulances normally based in Laois are being sent out of the county on other calls. It may be helpful, therefore, if I detail the system of national ambulance deployment operated by the National Ambulance Service. Ambulance resources across the country, including in County Laois, are deployed by the NAS dynamically in line with international best practice. This means the NAS prioritises resource allocation to the highest acuity calls that require an immediate emergency response. The national emergency operations centre has oversight and visibility of all pre-hospital emergency resources nationally. This allows the National Ambulance Service to dispatch resources in the most efficient and effective way, ensuring that the nearest available emergency resource to the scene of an emergency is always dispatched. The operation of dynamic deployment has served to address some of the historical safety issues that occurred under the old ambulance station-based static system, where the nearest ambulance did not always respond to an emergency call. It is the case, however, that, with significant increases in urgent and emergency call activity nationally, which between 2019 and 2024 has seen the total number of calls rise by nearly a quarter, some lower acuity patient calls have, at particularly busy periods, experienced a longer wait for an ambulance.

The Government continues to prioritise increased investment in our National Ambulance Service. This year’s allocation of €285 million for the NAS includes €8 million for new service developments to deliver up to 180 additional posts. This will help to support capacity building in our front-line emergency services, further expand the NAS suite of alternative care pathways and help to further develop NAS specialist services.

As I alluded to, patient demand for NAS services continues to rise, with nearly 430,000 urgent and emergency calls received last year, representing an increase of 8% from 2023. The further development and expansion of alternative pathways of care are, therefore, vital in transforming the delivery of urgent and emergency care, improving patient access to care and enhancing patient healthcare experiences and outcomes. With around 7% of all urgent and emergency calls now being triaged to the national emergency operations centre clinical hub for successful treatment through an alternative care pathway, the National Ambulance Service is committed to the continuous development of these pathways, which preserve front-line emergency ambulances for higher acuity responses.

I extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to the staff of the NAS and all our ambulance services for their commitment and dedication to patient care, both in County Laois and across the country. I will bring the point Senator McCormack raised to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, Department officials and the National Ambulance Service.