22-05-2025
Air ambulance operator flags safety issues following changes to staffing levels
Serious flight safety risks emerged on one of the State's air ambulances after the National Ambulance Service made changes to the medical crewing model on the aircraft.
The changes, which included cutting the number of paramedics on board the Cork-based Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) from two to just one on certain shifts, led to a 'marked deterioration' in how the medical staff performed certain aviation tasks they were trained to do while as part of a crew of two rostered on the aircraft, the company which operates the life-saving service said.
A senior official with Gulf Med Aviation Services, which operates the service under contract to the ambulance service, was so concerned about the issues that he wrote to the ambulance service in February to say he had seen "workflow and cognitive errors" in the aviation-focused tasks paramedics need to perform safely while working as part of the helicopter crew, based at Rathcoole, near Millstreet.
The correspondence, which has been seen by the Irish Examiner, included a warning that the 'low levels of motivation, concentration, and attention to the task' that appear to have resulted from the recent medical crew changes was 'evident and impactful'.
The Gulf Med executive said paramedics had been trained to work in the challenging HEMS environment as part of a team of two medics on the aircraft, but that they were often being rostered to work a HEMS shift on their own.
'The risks involved in such a change are self-evident,' the National Ambulance Service was told.
The Gulf Med executive also warned that a paramedic returning from a significant period away from the HEMS unit is often required to mount a HEMS mission within minutes of arriving at the base.
This is not a safe practice.
The ambulance service was asked for an immediate intervention to address the issues, with a request for a reduction in the disruption and changes that were clearly affecting 'the motivation, concentration, and attention to detail that is necessary to remain safe'.
It was told that like most safety-critical activities, all that has to happen for a serious incident or an accident to occur, is for the people involved to do nothing.
Gulf Med Aviation Services did not respond to requests to comment.
In response to queries from the Irish Examiner, the HSE and National Ambulance Service insisted that the Cork-based air ambulance service is safe, and there are no outstanding issues.
'Currently the HSE and Gulf Med Aviation Services are satisfied that services are safe and working effectively. The crewing model for the HSE's HEMS is safe for patients and staff,' a spokesperson said.
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