McCallister defends Health Minister's record on rural cover.

Speaking at a debate in the Assembly today on out-of - hours services and ambulance cover in rural areas, John McCallister MLA, Ulster Unionist Party Spokesperson for Health, Social Services and Public Safety has accused the DUP of basing their arguments on speculation and unnecessarily raising fears in local communities.

In a statement Mr. McCallister said.

"Whilst I recognise that one of the greatest concerns that people have is how quickly the Health Service can respond in an emergency, which is especially true for people who live in rural areas, the DUP Members who proposed today's debate have based much of their arguments on speculation, which is unnecessarily elevating fears amongst the community.

The issue must be put into some perspective - the Minister for Health has recently announced that up to 60 new accident and emergency ambulances, 60 non-emergency vehicles and 26 rapid-response vehicles will be purchased over the next three years. This amounts to a £17million capital investment. The Minister also plans to invest some £100million over the next ten years in the fleet, the estate and vital equipment, such as defibrillators. This has amounted to the largest single investment in the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service's history.

Additionally in May 2008, the Minister opened the new regional dispatch centre at the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service's headquarters. The new centre uses geographical information systems to dispatch the nearest ambulance available to a particular emergency - this will have significant impact in the speed of response, especially in rural areas.

Going on to address the issue of out of hours services Mr. McCallister said:

"The Minister has embarked upon a process of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of all Out-of-Hours services throughout Northern Ireland. In April of this year the Minister launched a new Emergency Care Record for all patients attending A&E and Out-of Hour services. The Emergency Care Record is a summary of patient information taken from GP practices including patients' date of birth and gender; their address and phone number; current medication and any known allergies".

"This means that patients can be treated more effectively as more detailed medical information will enable staff to make more informed decisions in their treatment. Before this initiative this was not the case in Northern Ireland. Concerns were outlined today but to date the Minister has only delivered improvements".

In conclusion Mr. McCallister said

"The Health Minister has initiated a major process of reform within the Health Service. The main purpose of this reform is to improve front line services and the efficiency and effectiveness of Health Service administration. All Parties are also aware that much of this reform is being driven by the Executive agreed 3% efficiency savings. The DUP, who brought this motion forward today, were the political Party that most enthusiastically voiced their support for such tough targets. However, if they want improvement they have to accept that change is necessary".