| |
Mr. Martin Smyth
The Editor
Northern Standard
Diamond,
Monaghan
01 December 2004
Mr. Smyth
I refer to the article by Marie O’Connor in your newspaper Thursday 25/11/04. I write to correct a number of factual errors in the article. I consider it reckless to misinform the public on sensitive matters such as the training and expertise of those who attend to them in times of injury, illness and vulnerability.
To use the term ambulance "drivers" is derogatory and offensive to the many dedicated individuals providing front line ambulance services to people in Ireland. As the Director of the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) I have visited over 100 Ambulance Stations in Ireland and would like to put on record the enthusiasm and expertise of those I met and the overwhelming motivation to care for people in a prompt and expert manner. I refer readers to the Irish Times Health Supplement (Tuesday 30/11/04) article which gives a personal and professional profile of one such person.
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is a well used and well regarded title across the world. There is most definitely an EMT Standard in Ireland that has been in place since 1995 and fully complies with the requirements of University College Dublin and The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland for the awarding of a Diploma. This Standard exceeds the EMT Standards that apply in the UK, North America and Australasia. Indeed Irish EMTs are more highly trained than Basic Life Support colleagues in all these jurisdictions. There is also a Standard for EMT-Advanced. The National Ambulance Training School and University College Dublin are currently training the first 16 EMT-A candidates. The first of their progressive assessments by National Examination by the PHECC is to occur next week. They will graduate in May 2005 and there will be graduates every 3 months thereafter.
PHECC has a data base of all those successfully trained to the EMT Standard. There are currently 1822 EMTs on that data base. The PHECC has implemented a National Examination process since October 2002. So far 208 candidates have been successful in this examination. Professor Paul Finucane, previously the Director of Competence Assurance at the Medical Council of Ireland and currently doing foundation work on a new Medical School for the University of Limerick conducted an external review of the PHECC examination and was of the opinion that the examination is of as high a standard as any that he is aware of in the health sector in Ireland today. PHECC has trained 90 examiners which include many committed medical practitioners and nurses.
PHECC recognises 2 training institutions. The National Ambulance Training School, which conducts its training in affiliation with the Medical School of University College Dublin is one. PHECC also recognises the Dublin Fire Brigade Training School which in turn is affiliated with the Medical School of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. Both Institutions are subject to rigorous accreditation requirements. Both Universities require Leaving Certificate or equivalent to be eligible for the awarding of the respective Diplomas for the EMT Course and the Higher Diploma for the EMT-A Course.
The PHECC Statutory Instrument has recently been amended which will give statutory status to a Register which will ensure pre-hospital emergency care practitioners including EMTs and EMT-As maintain their competencies through Continuing Professional Development. The range of medications that EMTs / EMT-As are able to give will be dramatically increased with changes to the regulations governing the administration of medications which will be in place by May 2005; this will include cardiac, asthma, seizure, low blood sugar and pain relieving medications.
PHECC has a small team of 12 in an office in Naas. Besides implementing Standards for EMT and EMT-A, draft Standards have been prepared for consultation surrounding Community Advisory External Defibrillator use and for Emergency Medical First Responders. On this and other standards matters PHECC is not only engaging the Statutory Ambulance Service Providers but also Private Ambulances and the Voluntary and Auxiliary Organisations including The Order of Malta Ambulance Corps, St. John Ambulance Brigade, Irish Red Cross Society and Irish Mountain Rescue Service, to name but a few.
In addition to Standards, National Examinations and the Register, PHECC publishes Clinical Practice Guidelines, the second edition of which is now available and represents best practice in a pre-hospital setting. PHECC has 3 Medical Practitioners on its Council and has 12 Medical Practitioners on its Medical Advisory Group whose expertise, in my opinion, is as good as any available in any country in the world.
The Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council has shown vision and determination, and progress measured against an ambitious Strategic Plan is evident. Council will continue its efforts as no doubt will the Statutory, Private and Voluntary pre-hospital emergency care health professionals we work with.
I trust this information will be of some reassurance to people in the community who were misled, and of some comfort to those health professionals who were insulted by the article.
Regards,
Dr. Geoff King
Director - Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council
|
|