The National Ambulance Service (NAS) is the statutory pre-hospital emergency and intermediate care provider for the State.
In Dublin, emergency services are delivered directly by the NAS and Dublin City Council (DCCvia Dublin Fire Brigade. The NAS mission is to serve the needs of patients and the public as part of an integrated health system, through the provision of high quality, safe and patient-centred services.
This care begins immediately at the time that the emergency call is received. Resources are dynamically deployed to the place where cover is required. We respond to incidents as they arise to ensure the nearest available resource responds to emergencies. All 112/999 calls are clinically triaged based on the patient’s condition. The nearest available and most appropriate response is dispatched, with the most urgent calls prioritised. Where a patient requires emergency care in hospital, we transport them to the Emergency Department and complete a handover of the patient to the clinical team.
Every year NAS receives between 275,000 and 280,000 emergency calls. NAS currently employs approximately 2,000 staff across 100 locations and deploys approximately 250 vehicles daily.
The NAS Critical Care and Retrieval Service provides a comprehensive inter-hospital Retrieval-Transfer system for seriously ill infants, children and adults. This involves the timely retrieval of patients to an appropriate centre to receive definitive care.
NAS in conjunction with the Irish Air Corps and the Department of Defence operates an Emergency Aeromedical Service. The service, based at Custume Barracks, Athlone, is staffed by an Air Corps flight crew and an NAS Advanced Paramedic. This service has greatly reduced scene to hospital times in more rural parts of the country.
Aeromedical Services are also provided by the Cork based Irish Community Air Ambulance which has expanded to also provide a dedicated Helicopter Emergency Service. ICAA provides this service in partnership with the NAS in the South West.
The NAS College provides a paramedic programme which is degree level and takes three years. There are currently over 200 Student Paramedics are different stages of the programme. NAS also provides training for Emergency Medical Technicians and Emergency Call Takers.
In line with international trends NAS is moving from an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) to a Mobile Medical Service (MMS) which aims to deliver the right patient care in the right setting. A new Strategy is being developed for NAS and through its implementation the service will move towards a more multi-dimensional urgent and emergency care provision model which is safe and of the highest quality.
The ultimate aim is to improve patient outcomes whilst ensuring appropriate and targeted care delivery.
Manning the NAS stand will be frontline grades from the service along with representation from NAS HR Department, NAS Education and Competency Assurance Team and the National Emergency Operations Centre. The NAS will be able to provide you with an insight from the recruitment process right through to what it is like to work at the frontline of a National Emergency Service.
