THE STATE IS to regularise the deployment of specialist paramedics to the country’s two air ambulance bases. 

A recruitment campaign is underway within the Health Service Executive (HSE) to appoint medics to be permanently deployed to the bases. 

Ireland has two helicopter bourne emergency air ambulances – one an Air Corps operated aircraft based at Custume Barracks in Athlone and the other is located at Rathcool in North Cork.  

The service is known as the Emergency Aeromedical Service (EAS) in Ireland. 

Both helicopters have National Ambulance Service (NAS) paramedics onboard. Athlone is a solely State-run operation whereas Cork is managed by Malta-based Gulf Med Aviation Services. 

This service replaced the Irish Community Air Ambulance (ICAA) which was a charity that had struggled to fund the enterprise. 

During the tendering process there was an an unsuccessful joint bid by the charity, in partnership with Sloane Helicopters, to continue managing operations.

ICAA has changed its name to Critical, and is focused on providing a network of volunteer Emergency Medical Responders across the country in partnership with NAS.

The ICAA responded to more than 1,800 incidents in the three years it was in existence. 

Sources have said that, at present, medics work on the helicopter service on a temporary basis and return to their stations. The plan now is to make them permanent Air Ambulance operators who will, occasionally, work on NAS operations near the bases. 

A HSE spokesperson would only confirm the recruitment campaign.

“The National Ambulance Service is currently running an internal recruitment campaign for paramedics who will be assigned to the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service to support, develop and improve service delivery,” a statement said. 

Meanwhile, within NAS, there are major examinations ongoing into the redesign of the broader service. 

This proposed transformation is designed to fix ongoing deployment issues in which, in some cases, ambulance crews have been forced to travel across the country to emergency calls. 

There is also a dispute brewing between NAS and unions Siptu and Unite in regard to shift allowances.