Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Health the level of ambulance cover to be provided in West Cork, limited to the four main towns; the hours per day to be covered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3493/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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In line with moves towards increased efficiencies in state services, as required by the Croke Park agreement, the HSE National Ambulance Service(NAS) has been moving, for some time, from on-call to on-duty rostering for the delivery of ambulance services.

In June 2011, following a Labour Court judgement (LCR 20002), the NAS put forward its plan for the phased elimination of on-call in the Southern Region. This plan began with elimination of on-call in East Cork and is currently moving across other regions in Cork. On-call rostering means the crew is not on active duty, but is summoned in the event of a call-out. Average time for vehicle activation from call-out is over 20 minutes. On-call is not an efficient or effective use of emergency resources and it significantly affects operational capacity, adherence to the Organisation of Working Time Act and health and safety for staff. A risk assessment for on-call has been carried out and is to be included on the NAS Risk Register. Discussions are also pending with the Health and Safety Authority on its concerns over the use of on-call.

The change to on-duty means highly trained paramedic crews will be on site in their stations or their vehicles to respond to dispatches immediately. The changes mean that resources can be deployed dynamically, based on need and demand patterns, rather than simply by station location. This allows for more flexibility and responsiveness and will produce better response times for the people in Cork and Kerry and a better service. In the new model of service, on duty ambulances and response vehicles will move to the optimal location at any time, based on predicted needs assessments.

The HSE has stated that it recognises the remote, rural location of West Cork and the proposed changes will be designed to suit the needs of this population. All of these measures will allow the National Ambulance Service (NAS) to provide a better, safer, more comprehensive and more efficient emergency ambulance service to the people of West Cork and to the Cork and Kerry region as a whole.

The details the Deputy has sought in relation to to the operational arrangements for each station are a matter for the HSE. Accordingly, this question has been forwarded to the HSE, who will reply directly to the Deputy.