“No reduction” of National Ambulance Services in HSE South West Region – says HSE

20 September 2024
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie

File photo of an Ambulance in West Cork

The HSE wishes to clarify that there is no reduction of NAS services currently or planned in the HSE South West region. Rather, the HSE NAS has deployed additional staff over the last 12 months.

In summary:

• There is no reduction in the emergency ambulance service provided in the South West region. The HSE is aware of concerns raised locally, and confirms that existing NAS services continue, and will continue, to be provided from all existing Ambulance Stations*
• Since September 2023, the HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) has deployed an additional 32 Paramedics in the South West region. This includes seven additional Paramedic Interns who were deployed to the region in August this year.
• Additional Paramedic Interns are expected to join the HSE NAS in the South West region in December once they successfully complete their final exams.
• Local Line Managers continue to manage the day to day challenges associated with gaps in rosters resulting from high levels of staff absence due to illness or injury.
• This means that any additional staff appointed must fill existing rosters and cover leave arrangements so that we can ensure we minimise the need for our staff to work overtime which can have a detrimental impact on their health and wellbeing. This also makes sense in terms of maximising the use of our available resources.
• In both the short and medium term, we are engaging and consulting with our trade unions on how staff can best be deployed to deliver both current and future services in the region.
• In this regard, an invitation was issued to trade unions in early August to engage on these matters. Meetings were subsequently held on 2 and 12 September last, with a further information and consultation meeting proposed for next week.

More information

*Emergency Ambulance Services in the South West are currently provided from a network of Ambulance Stations and a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) base in the following locations:

All rosters in each location are designed to deliver maximum levels of service 24/7 while ensuring staff are rostered for 39 hours per week only.

Service provision is also support by locations adjacent to Cork and Kerry from locations in Newcastlewest, Tipperary Town and Dungarvan.

Additional HEMS support is also provided from locations in Waterford, Shannon and Athlone