An internal HSE audit of the National Ambulance fleet has found that the budget allocation for last year was 50% deficient in terms of the funding needs of the service.
It identified that some emergency ambulances are being kept in service outside the recommended usage of five years, with 66 ambulances listed as five or six years old.
The audit of the National Ambulance Service also found that a complete list of ambulance breakdowns for last year was not available.
The audit said that the yearly budget for ambulance replacement has remained at €14.5 million since 2016 and that this is insufficient.
It does not take into account the current estimated cost of an ambulance at €166,050.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
There are no reserve emergency ambulances available and no policy in place, the audit said.
Among the other findings of the audit were that the HSE Pay and Numbers Strategy has resulted in some planned recruitment posts in the NAS being on hold.
The audit projects that demand for ambulance services will increase by 107% by 2027, driven by a growing and ageing population.
The audit was one of a number released by the HSE following a Freedom of Information request by RTÉ News and other media.
It was conducted last August and was aimed at assessing the effectiveness, efficiency, economy and reliability of the fleet.
The NAS responds to over 400,000 calls a year and employs 2,400 staff at 100 locations.
It has a fleet of 675 vehicles.
The audit found that the list of all ambulances was incomplete and not reflected in the HSE Fixed Asset Register.
There was also a lack of consistency in the contracts in place for maintenance services including pricing and turnaround times.
In a statement, the HSE said the NAS received extra capital funding in September 2024, increasing the total capital allocation for fleet to €34.3m.
It said that €33.9m of this funding is currently committed to new fleet and assets, which will address the issues raised in the internal audit.
Through the increased allocation, the HSE said it has commissioned into service, 94 emergency ambulances, ten community paramedicine vehicles, eight critical care and retrieval ambulances and a further eight driver training vehicles.
Lack of staff a major issue - SIPTU
SIPTU's organiser for the NAS has said that while there is a dire need for new ambulances to be added to the fleet, the lack of staff is a major issue that also needs to be dealt with.
"Obviously there is a dire need to have new vehicles out there," John McCamley said on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, but added that "this is coupled with the fact that even if we have those new vehicles, there is a lack of staff as well right across the country.
"This has meant the vehicles obviously travelling longer distances to get to emergency calls. This is an ongoing issue," he said.
Mr McCamley explained that the additional distances ambulances have to travel puts increased "wear and tear" on the fleet.
He said the HSE does not prioritise the ambulance service, which receives just 2% of the HSE budget.
Although he welcomed the commission of 94 new vehicles, he repeated that there still will not be the necessary staff to operate them.
