'Shocking statistics' on Mayo ambulance staffing crisis revealed

Mayo TD Paul Lawless has revealed shocking statistics on the worsening staffing crisis in the National Ambulance Service (NAS), as newly released figures reveal just 12 emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and 45 paramedics have been hired nationwide since 2024 despite an identified shortfall of 1,080 staff.

“This is utterly unsustainable,” said Deputy Lawless.

“We have a dangerously under-resourced ambulance service, and at the current pace of recruitment, we are lightyears away from closing the gap.

"The reality is that slow response times are already costing lives and worsening medical outcomes.

"Figures released to Aontú in 2024 showed that the number of people who had died by the time an ambulance got to their home had increased by 70% in the last eight years”

According to figures provided by the HSE, from 2019 to 2024, NAS recruitment averaged just 197 hires per year, a drop in the ocean compared to growing national demand.

Deputy Lawless noted that this year to date, only one EMT and zero paramedics have been added to the service.

“The level of recruitment won’t even cover retirements and resignations,” he said.

“Meanwhile, patients across the country are left waiting dangerously long for ambulances, especially in rural areas like Mayo.

"I know someone who has passed interviews and completed all the necessary steps and yet are left sitting on panels waiting to be called on.

“This situation is nothing short of absurd,” said Deputy Lawless.

“We have trained and experienced paramedics ready to return to work but left in a state of limbo. The National Recruitment Service should be streamlining the hiring process so we can get these people out working as soon as possible.”

Deputy Lawless also condemned the government’s recent decision to ban paramedics from taking response vehicles home due to new tax rules related to benefit-in-kind (BIK) classification.

“It’s a ludicrous policy,” he said. “This alone could add an hour and a half to response times in some cases. We're putting tax policy ahead of patient safety.”

He continued: “Instead of empowering skilled advanced paramedics to respond quickly from their homes, the government has forced them to waste precious time commuting to collect their vehicle before responding to life-threatening emergencies.”

Deputy Lawless cited recent media reports detailing harrowing stories of delayed responses, including the tragic death of a child who waited over 30 minutes for an ambulance while off-duty paramedics, previously equipped to respond, were prevented from doing so under new regulations.

“These aren’t statistics, they are real people, real families, real tragedies,” he said.

“Removing rapid-response vehicles from managers and advanced paramedics because of tax implications is beyond negligent. Lives are being lost because of bureaucratic decisions made in offices far removed from the realities on the ground.”

Aontú is calling for an immediate reversal of the BIK rule on paramedic response vehicles, a comprehensive plan to recruit and retain ambulance staff, and urgent investment in frontline emergency services.

“We must stop measuring ambulance performance solely by spreadsheets and start measuring it by patient outcomes,” said Deputy Lawless.

“If this government is serious about healthcare, then it must prioritise the lives and wellbeing of its people, not tax codes, red tape, and management optics.”