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Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced an additional €8 million funding boost for the National Ambulance Service (NAS) in 2025. This funding, which is set to increase to €16 million by 2026, is expected to enhance emergency response capabilities, expand specialist services, and deliver strategic reforms, particularly for pre-hospital emergency care.

New Initiatives and Expansions

This funding will add 180 new staff, including paramedics and specialist service providers, with a focus on:

• Frontline Services: The new recruits will help improve response times and increase access to essential emergency services.
• Alternative Care Pathways: NAS plans to treat more patients at the appropriate level of clinical care, focusing on patient experience and reducing hospital visits. Currently, NAS alternative pathways serve approximately 1,000 patients per week, with 40% of cases resolved without hospital admissions.
• Specialist Service Growth: Funds will enhance the NAS Critical Care Retrieval Service, which ensures that critically ill patients, including infants, can be safely transferred between hospitals.

This investment is also targeted at the National Emergency Operations Centre, where enhanced infrastructure will boost patient safety and allow NAS to respond to the rising demand for emergency services. So far in 2024, emergency call volumes have increased by 11% compared to the previous year.

Minister Donnelly on Government Commitment

Minister Donnelly

commented on the funding’s impact:

“This investment reaffirms the Government’s strong commitment to the development of our National Ambulance Service, with a total of almost €28 million in new development funding provided since 2021.

For many people in need of emergency care, the NAS is their first contact with our health services, so it is vital that we invest in its development and transformation.”

A New Model for Urgent Care

The funding also supports broader reforms aligned with the National Trauma Strategy and Sláintecare. By expanding alternative care pathways, the NAS will aim to reduce unnecessary hospital visits and provide safer, localised care for many elderly patients.

Professor Cathal O’Donnell, NAS Clinical Director, highlighted these improvements:

“Increased investment will also support the broadening of patient pathways, resulting in improved outcomes for patients.”

NAS CEO Bernard Gloster also welcomed the funding, stressing its role in the ongoing NAS Organisational Re-Design Programme, which aims to elevate the quality and efficiency of pre-hospital care in Ireland.

The €8 million investment for 2025 represents a significant step toward enhancing patient safety, improving access to emergency care, and ensuring that Ireland’s National Ambulance Service meets the growing needs of communities across the country.