NAS welcomes approval of investment in 2025

This week, the National Ambulance Service (NAS) received approval to proceed with recruiting additional staff across several service areas. This approval has been enabled by the Government’s announcement of €8m in 2025 (part year) rising to €16m in 2026 for new service developments in NAS.

Welcoming this approval, Robert Morton, the Director of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) said:

“We thank both the Minister and Government for their commitment to supporting the continuing transformation of our services to patients.

This investment comes at a critical time for our patients and colleagues who continue to work incredibly hard as we work to respond to the rapidly rising increase in demand for all our services.

We look forward to implementing this investment, improving services for our patients and reducing pressure on our staff. We will seek further investment in 2026, however, this investment in 2025 is very welcome”.

The focus of this investment will support:

• 12 additional Paramedics deployed to the South West to ensure each Ambulance Station has sufficient staffing to provide for 24/7 rostering
• An additional 24/7 Emergency Ambulance deployed to the Dublin South East Region
• An additional 24/7 Emergency Ambulance deployed to the Dublin Midlands Region
• An additional 24/7 Emergency Ambulance deployed to the Dublin North East Region
• 22 additional Specialist Paramedics (Community) in various locations across the country
• 6 additional Specialist Paramedics to work in the NAS Clinical Hub to undertake secondary triage of 999 calls and identify calls requiring an alternative pathway of care
• 15 additional Emergency Medical Controllers in the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) to respond to the growing number of 999 calls received
• 24 additional Emergency Medical Technicians to provide 4 additional Intermediate Care Vehicles in the South West and Mid-West
• 10 additional Education staff to facilitate the establishment of a new Tertiary level Educational Campus in Cork, increasing overall capacity to run multiple programmes including an MS. in Specialist Paramedic Practice (Advanced) in January 2026
• 4 additional Emergency Service Driving Instructors/Assessors with join the RSA accredited NAS Driver Training School
• 4 additional Educators to support the ongoing professional development of our clinical workforce
• Additional Consultant and Nursing staff will enable the NAS Paediatric Critical Care and Retrieval Service to increase the capacity to undertake intensive care transfers between hospitals
• Introduction of a dedicated Occupational Health Service for NAS staff, led by an Occupational Health Physician, supported by a team including Occupational Health Nursing, Physiotherapy and Counselling/Psychotherapy
• 4 Specialist Paramedic Practice Development Leads will be appointed to progress important areas of clinical practice including Older People and Dementia, Trauma, Critical Care and Urgent Care.
• A dedicated Islands Coordinator will be recruited to support Island communities to develop emergency response capabilities
• 2025 will also see the expansion of our dedicated Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) with an additional helicopter and the commencement of a dedicated 24/7/365 Fixed Wing Emergency Air Ambulance
• Additional staffing in key areas of Quality and Patient Safety including Medicines Management, Infection Prevention and Control and Safeguarding.
• Additional staffing in key technical areas including fleet management, technology and business intelligence, facilities management, finance and HR/Payroll.

In addition to the welcome increase in staffing, NAS has also received approval for:

• €17.8m in fleet and equipment, including 61 new patient-carrying vehicles to ensure our staff continue to have the best possible fleet and equipment available to them
• €1.5m in minor capital to enable essential works to be carried out on Ambulance Stations across the country
• €12.3m for Major Capital Projects including progression of current projects in Mallow, Co. Cork, Rosbrien, Co. Limerick and Glen Abbey, Tallaght, Co. Dublin, Caherciveen, Co. Kerry and New Ross, Co. Wexford

Robert Morton said:

“NAS is proud of the hard work of all our staff and volunteers who every day, and despite the daily challenges, are at the forefront of providing life-saving care across Ireland. This investment reaffirms the commitment of the minister, the government, and the HSE to supporting our vision of how we care for all those who rely on our services every day.”