12. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health the reason the rapid response vehicle at Roscommon ambulance base is no longer available on a 24-7 basis as promised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4433/26]

Sentiment score: 0.03

104. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health when the rapid response vehicle at Roscommon ambulance base in County Roscommon will be restored on a 24/7 basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4432/26]

Sentiment score: 0.12

A commitment was made in 2011 when the accident and emergency department in Roscommon town was closed that because of the much greater distance to the nearest such department, we would have 24-7 advanced paramedic cover from the rapid response vehicle. In the last number of months, the overtime that was being used, initially on a Thursday night and now on a Monday night, has been pulled so the rapid response vehicle is parked up for 12 hours. Why is that happening?

Sentiment score: 0.06

I thank the Minister. The advanced paramedic roster, which includes four advanced paramedics, has been in difficultly for some time. I have been raising this issue for about a year and a half and I met the director of the National Ambulance Service last year on the matter. For the last year and a half or so, paramedics have been put on the advanced paramedic roster. The overtime was in place for that Monday night and it is no longer there, yet there are four people on the advanced paramedic roster. One of them is a paramedic, while the third is an advanced paramedic, which I welcome, but the issue is not that we cannot fill the AP roster such that we cannot have the RRV on the road 24-7. That has been an issue for about a year and a half and the RRV has been on the road. The service has no problem using a paramedic on the AP roster, which is entirely wrong but that is what it has been doing. I am certain it is about overtime being pulled. It is not for want of filling the post, given there are four people on the roster. It is the overtime being pulled that I am trying to get to the bottom of.

Sentiment score: 0.06

That is a line the director has given to me as well. However, Roscommon, Nenagh and Ennis all lost their accident and emergency departments and were all given a commitment to a 24-7 rapid response. Nenagh and Ennis had an action card that was put out there by the National Ambulance Service to protect the rapid response vehicle. Nenagh and Ennis got it but Roscommon did not. I am confident that if that same protection for the rapid response vehicle was put in place in Roscommon, that role would be filled. What is happening at the minute and what I am hearing back is that advanced paramedics were sent, in one recent case, to check an alarm that was going off. The RRV is protected in Nenagh and Ennis and they do not have these issues and the AP is never replaced on their roster with a paramedic. I am just asking for the same action card and the same protection for what is an entire county, unlike Nenagh and Ennis. We have a very rural constituency. I am not shouting and roaring about this issue but I am genuinely concerned that we are without this. It has been in place since 2011 and has no doubt saved lives. I really believe we deserve that cover.

Sentiment score: 0.05