BY MARK MCKELVEY
Moving to address the shortfall of ambulance provisions in the Omagh area, the Health Minister endorsed a £3 million three year package on Tuesday, which he says will be used to improve emergency response times in West Tyrone and Fermanagh. This will include a new A&E ambulance for Omagh.
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 thrombosis which the Minister states can be life saving for people suffering heart attacks.
The Minister said he was making available significant additional funds over the next three years to support the proposals brought forward by the Western Health and Social Services Board recently.
This move comes after a source within the ambulance service locally contacted the UlsterHerald at the beginning of June outlining the extent of the problems at present. They stated that the ambulance provision in Omagh and Castlederg was a "disgrace" and that "It is only a matter of time before someone dies as a result of this, and the poor unfortunate people of Tyrone and Fermanagh are unaware of this – until it is too late."
The source also revealed that Omagh had been left without paramedic cover on at least four weekends since the beginning of the year and that many crews were staffed with inexperienced trainees.
Making this investment announcement during a visit to the Erne Hospital in Enniskillen on Tuesday, Michael McGimpsey said, "I am aware that the greatest concern that people have is how quickly the health services can respond in an emergency. This is particularly important for those living in more rural areas. I have recognised, in particular, the concerns of the people of Fermanagh and West Tyrone, and in April I announced the improvements the Western Board proposed and asked the Board to develop a costed implementation plan. That has now been done.
"I have now approved a further investment of up to £750,000 this year and up to £1.25 million in each of the next two years to implement the improvements. That money will provide an additional A&E ambulance in Omagh and the same in Enniskillen. It will also increase current coverage in the Castlederg area to 24/7 and will provide an additional deployment point close to Irvinestown.
"Of course this is not the only investment in the ambulance service in the south west. In each of the past two years I have made available an additional £0.5 million to fund an additional A&E crew, an intermediate care vehicle and two rapid response vehicles and to provide a deployment point at Fintona. I will make this money available for a further year.
"In total I am making an additional investment of over £3 million over the next three years, clear evidence of my commitment to providing a world class health service for 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."
