Paramedics are almost into third year of industrial action over unacceptable working conditions

Unite has released responses to a freedom of information (FoI) request on staffing shortfalls and the resulting failure to meet targets for ambulance response times.

The figures obtained show that in May there were 135 frontline vacancies in the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). That number does not include the additional staff assessed as being required to deliver the health department’s clinical response model.

Unite has documented evidence confirming the shortfall needed to implement the clinical response model was 333 staff (composed of 124 paramedics, 196 emergency medical technicians and 13 ambulance care assistants).

The FoI also showed that in no month in the 2024-25 fiscal year were all frontline shifts filled. The percentage of shifts filled varied from 74 per cent to 86 per cent for double crewed ambulances (DCAs) and 55 per cent to 73 per cent for rapid response vehicles (RRVs).

Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary said, “These figures are extremely concerning. In no month was the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service able to fill all their shifts – the impact on response times is shocking. The health department must act now to end the working practices which are driving paramedics out of the NIAS and end the ongoing staffing crisis.”

Performance figures for the achievement of target ambulance response times revealed that in only one in eight call outs did the ambulance arrive in the target for the average stated time and in only one in four the target for the nineth percentile.

Regional officer Norman Cunningham said, “The ongoing failure of NIAS bosses is having a huge impact on this vital service. The number of call outs meeting target response time targets is plainly unacceptable. We want to see action to address the concerns of paramedics and an end to the staffing crisis.”

Unite recently revealed that acute staffing shortages at the NIAS emergency operations control centre had left as few as three emergency medical dispatchers on duty overnight to cover calls from across the entire region. 

Paramedic, technicians and ambulance care staff in Unite are separately continuing an industrial action ‘work-to-rule’ which commenced in October 2022 for improvements to working conditions needed for staff retention and end the crisis.