Menu
01/07/2002
Ambulance fleet to receive £10m for improvements
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service looks set to receive nearly £10 million as part a Department of Health plan to improve its service and upgrade its aging fleet.
The announcement last week came at the publication of a document summarising the outcome of public consultation on an Implementation Plan for improving ambulance services.
The Department of Health’s Implementation Plan said the Ambulance Service needed £6 million of executive funds to purchase over 100 new vehicles and replace essential equipment and train staff.
The plan also calls for a further £3 million to be made available from executive programme funds to allow the introduction of Digital Trunk Radio, which will improve response times by establishing rapid response schemes in rural areas.
An additional £300,000 in the current year, the plan advises, will also enable the Ambulance Service to pilot a Medical Priority Dispatch System for the prioritisation of emergency calls.
“People expect and deserve a well equipped ambulance fleet, with highly trained and motivated staff, supported by a stable infrastructure," the Health Minister, Bairbre de Brún said last Friday.
"And there is general agreement that the Department’s Implementation Plan will achieve this,” she added.
“While the detailed proposals have been endorsed, the interest shown in the Ambulance Services Implementation Plan demonstrates the level of commitment which people have for their health and social services in general and the Ambulance Service in particular.”
However emphasising that significantly more investment was needed to fully modernise ambulance services Ms de Brún said: “I will continue to make every effort to find resources from within the health and social services budget and will also continue to argue strongly in the Executive the case for additional investment in ambulance services.
“Full implementation of this Plan will ultimately depend on our ability to secure resources for this vital service,” she added.
(AMcE)
The announcement last week came at the publication of a document summarising the outcome of public consultation on an Implementation Plan for improving ambulance services.
The Department of Health’s Implementation Plan said the Ambulance Service needed £6 million of executive funds to purchase over 100 new vehicles and replace essential equipment and train staff.
The plan also calls for a further £3 million to be made available from executive programme funds to allow the introduction of Digital Trunk Radio, which will improve response times by establishing rapid response schemes in rural areas.
An additional £300,000 in the current year, the plan advises, will also enable the Ambulance Service to pilot a Medical Priority Dispatch System for the prioritisation of emergency calls.
“People expect and deserve a well equipped ambulance fleet, with highly trained and motivated staff, supported by a stable infrastructure," the Health Minister, Bairbre de Brún said last Friday.
"And there is general agreement that the Department’s Implementation Plan will achieve this,” she added.
“While the detailed proposals have been endorsed, the interest shown in the Ambulance Services Implementation Plan demonstrates the level of commitment which people have for their health and social services in general and the Ambulance Service in particular.”
However emphasising that significantly more investment was needed to fully modernise ambulance services Ms de Brún said: “I will continue to make every effort to find resources from within the health and social services budget and will also continue to argue strongly in the Executive the case for additional investment in ambulance services.
“Full implementation of this Plan will ultimately depend on our ability to secure resources for this vital service,” she added.
(AMcE)
Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.
06 February 2017
Ambulance Crews Come Under Attack In Lurgan
Ambulance crews have come under attack in Lurgan . A man smashed the windscreen of an ambulance with an oxygen cylinder that he stole from the vehicle while the staff were treating a man who had been stabbed at around midnight on Friday, 03 February. The ambulance is now unavailable to use until it is repaired next week.
Ambulance Crews Come Under Attack In Lurgan
Ambulance crews have come under attack in Lurgan . A man smashed the windscreen of an ambulance with an oxygen cylinder that he stole from the vehicle while the staff were treating a man who had been stabbed at around midnight on Friday, 03 February. The ambulance is now unavailable to use until it is repaired next week.
19 July 2019
NI Ambulance Service Recruiting Helicopter Paramedics
Northern Ireland Ambulance Service is recruiting for new helicopter paramedics to be based at the Air Ambulance base at Maze Long Kesh in Lisburn and Emergency Ambulance Control at NIAS HQ in Belfast. Successful candidates will join the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) team which is made up of 15 doctors and seven paramedics.
NI Ambulance Service Recruiting Helicopter Paramedics
Northern Ireland Ambulance Service is recruiting for new helicopter paramedics to be based at the Air Ambulance base at Maze Long Kesh in Lisburn and Emergency Ambulance Control at NIAS HQ in Belfast. Successful candidates will join the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) team which is made up of 15 doctors and seven paramedics.
01 April 2008
Ambulance Crew Involved In M1 Crash
An ambulance crew has been involved in a crash in Belfast as they were attempting to resuscitate a young baby on the M1 motorway. The crew had been flagged down on Kennedy Way to help an infant who had stopped breathing, when a lorry collided with the ambulance at 11am today. The lorry was approaching the Broadway roundabout.
Ambulance Crew Involved In M1 Crash
An ambulance crew has been involved in a crash in Belfast as they were attempting to resuscitate a young baby on the M1 motorway. The crew had been flagged down on Kennedy Way to help an infant who had stopped breathing, when a lorry collided with the ambulance at 11am today. The lorry was approaching the Broadway roundabout.
09 August 2021
Man Arrested In Connection With Death Of A 2-Year-Old Child
A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a two-year-old girl. Northern Ireland Ambulance Service attended an address in Park Avenue in Dungannon on Friday 06 August, where they took the child to hospital. The child died in hospital a short time later.
Man Arrested In Connection With Death Of A 2-Year-Old Child
A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a two-year-old girl. Northern Ireland Ambulance Service attended an address in Park Avenue in Dungannon on Friday 06 August, where they took the child to hospital. The child died in hospital a short time later.
11 December 2024
Health Minister Launches New Three-Year Strategic Plan
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has announced the launch of a new three-year strategic plan for health and social care across Northern Ireland.
Health Minister Launches New Three-Year Strategic Plan
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has announced the launch of a new three-year strategic plan for health and social care across Northern Ireland.
-
Northern Ireland WeatherThis Evening and Tonight:A largely dry evening and night. It will be mostly cloudy, but a few clear spells are possible in the east during the evening. Some patchy rain across the west shortly before dawn. Minimum temperature 5 °C.
