The Welsh Ambulance Services Trust (WAST) have carried out almost four million hours of paid overtime since 2017, according to new figures uncovered by the Welsh Conservatives.
Figures obtained by the Welsh Conservatives reveal that WAST staff have worked over 36,000 hours of overtime every single month on average since April 2017, costing the taxpayer almost £110 million.
This comes amid continuing concerns over ambulance service performance, with the latest Welsh Government data showing red call response times worsening to an average of nine minutes 32 seconds – well above the 6–8 minute target – while ambulance handover delays continue to put pressure on the service’s ability to respond to emergencies.
Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care, Natasha Asghar MS said:
“These figures are jaw-dropping. It is no secret that our ambulance service, like the rest of our NHS, is under considerable strain – but this data reveals a fundamentally unsustainable situation in our emergency services.
“Our ambulances are scrambling to meet demand, widely missing response targets and wasting enormous time parked outside hospitals waiting to hand patients over to hospitals already at capacity.
“It is no wonder they are burning themselves out working overtime, costing the NHS eye-watering sums.
“The Plaid Cymru Welsh Government must stop wasting time on independence and focus on fixing our NHS.
“That means declaring a health emergency and addressing issues across our health services head-on, ensure our ambulance staff have the support they need to do their jobs properly and working with health boards to address patient flow concerns so our ambulance crews can get back on the road doing what they do best.
“Our ambulance service staff do incredible work for which we continue to be enormously grateful, but it is time the Welsh Government shows some real appreciation for this vital service and gave paramedics the support they really need.”
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