Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 February 2026
374. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health when the decision was taken that emergency ambulance response times exceeding 60 minutes would not be routinely recorded, collated, or reported as part of the State’s ambulance performance framework; the person that authorised this decision; and whether she is satisfied that the absence of such data is compatible with effective patient safety oversight. [8860/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra375. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she accepts that the current National Ambulance Service KPI framework does not measure or report life threatening emergency response delays exceeding 60 minutes; and if so, whether she will direct that this data be formally collected, audited, and published on a routine basis. [8861/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra376. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any Department of Health policy, guidance, or risk management framework addresses patient harm arising from prolonged ambulance response times beyond existing KPI thresholds; and if not, whether she intends to commission such a framework. [8862/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra377. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has undertaken, commissioned, or received any clinical risk assessment, patient safety review, or adverse incident analysis relating to emergency ambulance response times exceeding 60 minutes during the period 2023 to date; and if not, the reasons for same. [8863/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra378. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she accepts that failure to measure extreme emergency response delays limits the State’s ability to identify, assess, and mitigate patient safety risks; and whether she will instruct the Health Service Executive to amend its performance governance arrangements accordingly. [8864/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra380. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the oversight mechanisms which exist within her Department to ensure that National Ambulance Service performance metrics adequately capture risks associated with prolonged emergency response times; and whether those mechanisms have been reviewed in light of rising demand and persistent emergency department congestion. [8876/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 374 to 378, inclusive, and 380 together.
As the Deputy may be aware, my Department monitors and assesses HSE performance against the KPIs captured in the annual HSE National Service Plan (NSP), including those focused on performance of the National Ambulance Service (NAS), and emergency response times for purple and red incidents. The current NSP for 2026 is available here: https://about.hse.ie/publications/hse-national-service-plan-2026/
The HSE reports monthly on its performance against the NSP KPIs, and these results form the basis of ongoing engagement between the Department and the HSE. Through the Performance Engagement Model, the Department implements a structured, tiered approach to assessing performance, enabling the timely identification, escalation and resolution of any emerging challenges. This model monitors NSP KPIs across four key domains - Quality, Access, People, and Money.
Internally, the HSE implements the Performance and Accountability Framework which provides for a series of escalation levels, with consequences for underperformance across regions and services, including the NAS. Within the Framework, services performing consistently below their peers are expected to have plans in place to address these issues and to demonstrate consistent improvement. The Framework is available here: [https://about.hse.ie/publications/performance-and-accountability-framework-2026/]
In regard to current NAS performance, despite a further increase in patient demand for emergency ambulance services in 2025 of between 5 and 6% when compared to 2024, NAS national urgent and emergency response performance has remained close to achieving its 2025 HSE NSP KPI targets. In the year to date to November 2025, NAS response time performance for PURPLE (cardiac/respiratory emergencies) calls was 72% against an NSP KPI target of 75%, and 45% for RED (all other emergencies) calls, meeting the 45% KPI target.
On resourcing, the Government remains committed to investing significantly in the NAS. Funding in 2025 provided for 180 additional NAS posts to support emergency front-line services, the expansion of NAS alternative care pathways, and further development of NAS specialist services. Recruitment of these posts is continuing in 2026 with 134 of the 180 now onboarded.
HSE has planned an additional 263 posts for NAS in 2026, to build further front-line emergency response and intermediate care capacity, establish a new Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) serving the West and North-West of the country, and provide for further development of NAS alternative care pathways which are designed to avoid unnecessary Hospital ED conveyance for patients where not clinically required.
Outside of the data published against the HSE NSP KPI's, the HSE also collects data for a broad range of other service performance metrics that inform its own performance oversight and operational planning processes. As such, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy with any further pertinent information it may have in response to the specific NAS performance and other service issues raised in his questions.
