Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 22 February 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health

Ambulance Services, Recruitment and Retention of Personnel, and Response Times: Discussion

Mr. Robert Morton:

It varies from month to month but the average trend is sitting at approximately 7%. Internationally, the trend pre Covid was 6%. Most ambulance services experienced approximately 6% pre Covid. That is a higher percentage than in most aspects of healthcare, but most aspects of healthcare take place in a far more controlled environment than the one in which our staff work. Our staff work in a dynamic environment, one that is often aggressive and, as Mr. Keeley mentioned, fuelled by alcohol or drugs. We would expect sick leave to be modestly higher in the context of an ambulance service. It is currently running at approximately 7.5%.

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