Air ambulance operator flags safety issues following changes to staffing levels

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. Picture: Larry Cummins

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.