Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 256: To ask the Minister for Health if he will assure that in the event of an ambulance being called in an emergency situation for a long term ill patient the ambulance can be directed to bring the patient to the hospital they have been attending and where their files are held, instead of being brought to a hospital which does not have that information [31382/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) provides emergency pre-hospital care and emergency patient transport. When a 999 ambulance call is received, the caller is connected with the ambulance command and control centre for that area. The details of the call are recorded on a Computer Aided Dispatch System (CAD), with Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch (AMPDS).

The AMPDS system is designed to triage a call, so that the most appropriate resource is dispatched to the patient. The system allows an ambulance to be dispatched while the caller is still providing details of the patient's condition. The controller can also provide pre-arrival instructions to the caller, to allow initial medical assistance to be available and administered to the patient without delay.

In all cases, in line with the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council Emergency Priority Dispatch Standard, the nearest available ambulance is tasked to the highest priority incident. The highest priority incidents are ECHO (life-threatening cardiac emergency) and DELTA (life-threatening non-cardiac emergency).

The NAS transports patients who are classed as emergencies to the closest appropriate hospital in the designated catchment area. Appropriate hospital may not mean the nearest facility, but rather the one best suited to meet the patient's immediate needs, as set out in NAS Appropriate Hospital Access Protocols.

In certain circumstances, the NAS will, if possible, transport a patient to the preferred hospital for the existing condition, providing the medical teams in the requested receiving hospital agree that:

1. the hospital will accept the patient out of the area, in writing;

2. the longer transport time will not affect the patient negatively;

3. the emergency is consistent with the ongoing clinical issues;

4. the family and patient are in agreement; and

5. appropriate resources are available.

It should be noted that such arrangements are not the norm and are put in place in exceptional circumstances relating to specific injuries or conditions. Such arrangements should be discussed with the patient's GP and the relevant hospital consultant in the first instance.