Improved pay and conditions needed to attract and retain Ambulance Staff - TD

In an unpublished HSE Workforce Report obtained by RTE on Monday (August 15) it states that "at present recruitment efforts are being surpassed by service demands" in the National Ambulance Service.

The Reports says that there is an urgent need to recruit more staff, warning that by 2027, less than 40% of life-threatening calls will be responded to within the required 19 minute time due to a lack of resources.

Deputy Michael Lowry has consistently raised the issues being faced by the National Ambulance in the Dáil. In highlighting the ongoing struggles being faced by Paramedics and the Service overall, Deputy Lowry called for an Independent Review of the Ambulance Services earlier this year.

"One of the primary problem areas is recruitment. I recently outlined details of a National Recruitment Drive for Paramedics. The aim was to recruit 32 new staff. From the large number of applicants, 130 made it through the interview stage and Expressions of Interest were issued to them. Just seven came forward to accept a job.

"One has to question why 94.7% of those offered a job that they had applied and been successfully interviewed for chose not to accept the job when it was offered. The answer in many cases lies in the fact that their starting salary would be considerably less than the average wage in Ireland. They could be based in any part of the country but accommodation and/or travel costs will not be provided or paid for them and they are given no certainty on where they will be based or for how long.

"The other issue facing the Ambulance Service is that long-serving and dedicated Paramedics are beyond disillusioned with the conditions they work under.

"Excessively long hours driving endless miles from their base to provide cover for areas where there short-staffing is persistent has become a daily challenge faced by Ambulance crews.

"Spending interminable time waiting outside A&E Departments to hand over patients without even a short break before heading to the next call is destroying morale.

"They are burnt out, worn out and many simply want to get out of what has become an overly demanding profession. In the event that this happens, it will plunge the Service into an even deeper crisis than it is currently submerged in as there will be no new recruits to replace them.

"Until the role of the Paramedic is valued in terms of pay and conditions the problems with staffing will not be resolved," says Deputy Lowry.