Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

143. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide an update regarding the review of emergency ambulance services in Dublin city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42753/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Ambulance services in Dublin are provided by Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) on behalf of the HSE. DFB has 12 emergency ambulances, 11 of which are funded by the HSE at a cost of €9.3 m per annum. They are crewed by paramedic-qualified firefighters. The National Ambulance Service (NAS) provides some emergency capacity in the Dublin area, as well as non-emergency transport.

The Dublin City Manager and the HSE's Chief Operating Officer commissioned an independent review of DFB ambulance services. This review is examining all aspects of DFB ambulance operations earlier this year. The purpose of the review is to determine the best model of ambulance provision for the city, including the coordination of Dublin’s emergency ambulance services with national provision under the NAS’s single national control and dispatch system, due to commence operating in 2015.

The DFB review is being conducted in parallel with the HIQA review of the NAS and the NAS capacity review. In consultation with Dublin City Council, the time scales for completing the review have been revised, to allow the outcome of the NAS capacity review to inform the recommendations of the DFB review. I am advised the DFB review is now expected to be completed in the New Year.

These reviews will allow us to identify the best way to enable our emergency ambulance services to meet the challenges of the future. I look forward to the recommendations of all three reviews, which will help us to ensure that we provide a service capable of delivering the best possible outcomes for the public.