Ministers to seek government approval for permanent air ambulance

Minister for Health Leo Varadkar and Minister for Defence Simon Coveney are to seek Government approval to make the Athlone-based air ambulance service permanent.
Three years ago the air ambulance began on a pilot basis and has been extended on numerous occasions since while a working group examined options for a permanent service.
Today, at an event to mark the 1,000th air ambulance mission in Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, both ministers have agreed to seek the endorsement of Government for a permanent service and commit to an ongoing review of the operation, so as to sustain a quality service into the future.
Minister Varadkar said: “I congratulate the staff of the Irish Air Corps, the National Ambulance Service, and the Irish Coast Guard for completing 1,000 missions on May 26 last. This is a great example of what can be achieved by Government departments working in partnership. This service has been a great step forward in providing access to specialised emergency treatment for patients living in remoter areas. It is also of significance that one third of the missions have been in response to STEMI heart attacks, and have allowed these patients to be treated in a specialist setting within 90 minutes of diagnosis.”
Welcoming the fact that a Department of Health led Working Group provided a positive assessment of the quality of the service that has been provided by the Air Corps, Minister Coveney commented: “Whilst the Air Corps has certainly set the benchmark during the pilot phase, and will continue to provide the service at its current level, as would be expected in implementing the report we must and indeed are obliged to keep an open mind as to the many different ways of providing the service and to keep all options under consideration in the context of ensuring a sustainable long term arrangement.”   
The role of the Emergency Aeromedical Support Service is to deliver advanced life support patients at the scene by the Advanced Paramedic and attending NAS ground crew.
It also provides rapid transport for patients to the most appropriate hospital that meets the clinical need of the patient.
The service is currently operated jointly by the Irish Air Corps and the National Ambulance Service, with back-up provided by the Irish Coast Guard. It was set up on a pilot basis, to see if there was a need for a dedicated emergency aeromedical service on a permanent basis. It operates alongside the Air Corps’ inter-hospital transfer service which was introduced in 1964 and carries out approximately 100 missions each year.