Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 983: To ask the Minister for Health if he will report on the feasibility study completed on his behalf on the costs and benefits associated with the introduction of a dedicated helicopter emergency medical service; the conclusions of this study; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23943/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The NACG is chaired by Dr Cathal O'Donnell of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) and its membership includes the NAS, An Garda Síochána, the Irish Coast Guard, the Air Corps, the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council, Crumlin, Temple Street and Beaumont Hospitals and the Departments of Defence and Health. One of the Group's tasks will be to review aeromedical assets in Ireland and make such recommendations as deemed necessary to my department.Assessment of any potential requirement for a dedicated aeromedical service will take these recommendations into consideration.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 984: To ask the Minister for Health in view of his commitments to Dáil Éireann on 30 June and 5 July 2011, if he has satisfied himself with the ambulance service provided to the people of County Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23944/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The HSE plan implementing the changes to the Emergency Department at Roscommon County Hospital came into effect on 11 July. This saw the establishment of an Urgent Care Centre in place of the Emergency Department. People with acute or life threatening conditions such as heart attacks are being brought by ambulance to larger hospitals, such as Galway, with higher volumes of patients and better outcomes for such conditions.

The Urgent Care Centre operates from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week and the service is provided by non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs), with clinical governance provided by an emergency medicine consultant at Galway. As part of the transitional arrangements, an NCHD was also available at the Urgent Care Centre from 8pm to 8am for a four week period, supervised by an on call consultant.

An enhanced ambulance service has been put in place. During the day, four ambulances staffed by paramedics are available, while three are available at night. In addition, there is a special Rapid Response Vehicle, staffed by advanced paramedics on a twenty four hour, seven day basis. An out of hours GP service is also in operation. A Medical Assessment Unit is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. This is a medical admission pathway and accepts referrals from a range of sources, including general practitioners I was briefed on the plan by the HSE in advance of its implementation. The plan was necessitated by the serious patient safety concerns of the HSE and of the Health Information and Quality Authority in relation to the emergency service at Roscommon, following the publication of the Authority's Report on Mallow. This was compounded because of NCHD recruitment difficulties.

Roscommon Hospital has a clear future and will continue to provide key services to the people of the area. I believe that smaller hospitals can and should provide as wide as possible a range of services, close to the local community. The key concern is that they are safe.

Too often we have focused on what we are taking away rather than what we can add to services in smaller hospitals. I intend to prepare a framework for the development of smaller hospitals, which will set out how they will develop to reach their full true potential. This will specify what services are transferring to them from the larger hospitals.

All of this will be done with full regard to the safety issues highlighted by HIQA, in its reports on Ennis and Mallow Hospitals. When it is implemented, smaller hospitals will have vibrant roles, doing more work – not less – and meeting as many as possible of the needs of their local communities.