THE HEALTH MINISTER has said that female paramedics have been “let down by an organisation that doesn’t protect them”, adding that there are wider societal issues at play in the culture in the ambulance service.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said that she would “accept responsibility for the culture and environment” women have found themselves trapped in, following an RTÉ Prime Time report into the National Ambulance Service.

More than 30 women have told RTÉ Prime Time they experienced or witnessed sexual harassment, misogyny, bullying and intimidation while working in the National Ambulance Service.

One woman, who has since left her role, alleged that a senior colleague touched her inappropriately, but when she raised the prospect of reporting it, she alleged she was told she was “wasting your time even reporting it, because nobody’s going to do anything”.

On Thursday night’s programme, Carroll MacNeill defended herself against accusations that she was aware of the issues since last December.

She added that she has appointed retired Major General Maureen O’Brien to review issues that have arisen.

This included what the health minister described as an “out of date” regulatory system for paramedics.

“I accept responsibility for the culture and environment that every person in the health system is working in,” Carroll MacNeill said.

While the HSE has “very specific patient safety legislation and regulatory legislation, clearly the legislation in pre-hospital care is out of date and needs reform,” Carroll MacNeill said.

RTÉ reported that the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) – the body responsible for standards of care – had sent a series of letters to health ministers since 2021 warning it does not have the legal power to remove individuals it deems to be of concern from its register.

This includes people with criminal convictions.

MacNeill contended that there are no people with criminal convictions of a sexual or violent nature in the ambulance service, adding that the service was “not aware” of anyone in this position.

“There is only one person who has a criminal investigation but it’s nothing to do with kind of behaviour,” MacNeill said.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on health, David Cullinane, has said the allegations of harassment, misogyny, bullying and intimidation within the National Ambulance Service require an urgent and fully independent investigation.

“There have been warning signs for some time. Concerns about bullying, harassment, staff morale and a lack of trust within the service have been repeatedly raised,” Cullinane said.

Social Democrats health spokesperson Pádraig Rice said that the accounts of current and former female NAS workers are “shocking but unsurprising”, given past reports by workers about a “toxic culture” within the service.

“It is welcome that an independent chair has now been appointed to examine the grave issues surrounding workplace culture in the NAS. But accountability must be more than just a buzzword – it is crucial that this latest review leads to actual change,” Rice said.