Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2026
1144. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any patient safety review, adverse incident review, or clinical governance review has examined the impact of prolonged ambulance dispatch or allocation delays on patient outcomes since 2020; and if so, to provide details. [38862/26]
View answer1146. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any review has been conducted regarding whether Ireland's current ambulance dispatch governance framework aligns with international best practice standards in comparable jurisdictions; and if so, to provide details. [38864/26]
View answer1147. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any statutory instrument, policy directive, governance framework, operational standard, or national clinical guideline formally defines acceptable maximum ambulance dispatch times in Ireland. [38865/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1144, 1146 and 1147 together.
As previously outlined to the Deputy, National Ambulance Service (NAS) key performance indicator (KPI) targets relating to emergency resource dispatch, as published in the Health Service Executive's (HSE) National Service Plan (NSP) and based on the HIQA standard, fully align to the Priority Dispatch Standard as published by the regulator for the profession, the Prehospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC).
As also outlined to the Deputy, I am informed that the Priority Despatch Standard was last reviewed in September 2025.
I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly with any further pertinent information it may have.
