Support for the Ambulance service by Cllr Brid Smith [video]

Cllr Brid Smith puts forward emergency motion to Dublin City Council 3/3/14- The City Council agreed to suspend Standing Orders to take the following two Emergency Motions –

i. In light of the clear evidence that shows Dublin Fire Brigade provides an excellent ambulance service (having a global rating of second best results in cardiac arrests and the lowest rate of patient deaths in any county) and value for money by comparison to that provided elsewhere by the HSE, this City Council calls on management to abandon the review of the ambulance service that has been commissioned by this Council in conjunction with the HSE.

 Submitted in the name of Councillor Brid Smith

ii. Emergency Motion on Ambulance Service review

Noting that:-

(a) Dublin City Council and its Fire Brigade Department have provided Dublin with an excellent Emergency Ambulance Service over the years;

(b) The HSE spends approximately €138M per annum on its national  emergency ambulance service yet only pays Dublin City Council €9M for the provision of an Emergency ambulance service to a population region of 1.2M;

(c) There is no Service Level Agreement to properly regulate the provision by the City Council of this Emergency Ambulance Service to the HSE;

(d) The HSE announced a full Capacity Review on 25 February, 2014 of the national (including Dublin) ambulance service the outcome of which is awaited;

Then this City Council resolves:-

(1) To call on the City Manager to suspend his review of the Dublin Ambulance arrangements announced on 27 February;

(2) To call on the Department of Health and the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government to nominate an independent person to decide on the appropriate re-imbursement to be paid by the HSE to Dublin City Council for the provision of the Emergency Ambulance Service;

(3) That Dublin City Council and the HSE should enter into a Service Level Agreement to govern and properly regulate the provision by the City Council of the Emergency Ambulance service for the Dublin region and to ensure that the City Council is properly reimbursed for this service; and

(4) In the event that the Manager’s proposed review is considered necessary following the HSE Capacity Review, that same be based on terms of reference agreed with all stakeholders and that the review body include a person Fire based EMS experience.