The Minister announced that emergency services in the area are to be improved to include:
- Additional ambulance cover in the Omagh and Enniskillen areas;
- 24/7 ambulance service cover in the Castlederg area;
- Roll out of paramedic led thrombolysis which can be life saving for people suffering heart attacks;
- The development of a first responder service which will improve emergency response times, particularly in remote rural areas.
The Minister said he was responding to the concerns of local people about the provision of emergency services: “After asking the Western Board to review emergency response times in the area, they have now brought forward their proposals. I have now asked them to work with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) to produce a costed action plan to implement improvements.
“I have also asked the NIAS to consider how the service can be improved for the Irvinestown area.
“The NIAS has recently been equipped with state of the art technology that allows the service to ensure that ambulances are located at optimum places to ensure rapid response times. The Board and the NIAS will reflect the role and impact of this new technology in their future planning.
“Additional investment in ambulance services provided for in the budget will go some way to improving response times but, given the particular geography of the west and the changing configuration of acute hospital services, further targeted investment will be needed to support emergency services in the area during the period of transition to the new hospital. I will announce the specific amount of additional investment when I receive the Board’s Action plan.
“I am committed to providing a world class health service for all people no matter where they live and ensuring the highest standards of patient care and safety. This significant investment highlights my determination to continue to put patients first.”
Notes to Editors:
- First responders are members of the public, trained to provide basic life saving intervention until an ambulance arrives. Schemes were piloted in the Western Board area in 05/06.
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