HSE outlines plans for improvement of ambulance service in North East – Doherty

Fine Gael Meath East TD, Regina Doherty, has today (Thursday) welcomed clarification from the HSE on how it plans to improve the ambulance service it provides in the North East region. Deputy Doherty received the update at a meeting with local TDs, the Minister for Health, James Reilly TD, and Martin Dunne, the Director of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) to discuss issues with the service in the region.

“The HSE must strive to constantly improve the services it provides to the public, regardless of financial constraints. The ambulance service has come under a renewed spotlight of late, and I was pleased to receive an update from the HSE for its plans to develop the service.

“The NAS is improving its service to patients in the North East through the provision of additional equipment and training improvements. This includes the provision of two rapid response vehicles staffed by ambulance paramedics, the introduction of four intermediate care vehicles with personnel and the introduction of an aeromedical service.

“Service hours are being increased and staff are being up-skilled in the area of paramedic medicine. The NAS is also striving to diagnose more people at the scene, so they can be immediately transferred to the right care centre.

“In what I believe is a very important development, the NAS has increased the use of intermediate care vehicles to transport patients between hospitals and other facilities, to ensure ambulances are available when they are needed in any emergency situation.

“The HSE has said that the NAS is committed to meeting the targets set out nationally for ambulance response times. The NAS has also given a commitment to continuously evaluate its services in line with available resources and activity levels in the North Leinster area. We must constantly monitor the service if we want to best serve the needs of patients.”

ENDS