THE Welsh Government has confirmed it will convene a stakeholder summit later this June to address the growing staffing crisis in the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST).

The Welsh Conservatives obtained the confirmation after figures revealed there are 82 Newly Qualified Paramedic (NQP) graduates but no available NQP posts.

Responding to a written question from Darren Millar MS, the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, acknowledged that there are no available jobs this year for paramedic graduates, citing financial pressures and service redesign as reasons.

Despite the absence of NQP vacancies, the Government confirmed that 62 of the 82 graduates have instead secured technical roles within WAST.

The Cabinet Minister has confirmed that a summit will be held later this month to bring together key stakeholders ‘to consider immediate actions to support graduates’ and explore longer-term solutions.

Natasha Asghar MS, Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care, said:

“I welcome the news that a summit is going to be convened later this month, but this is of little comfort to those graduates who understandably had an expectation of a paramedic job waiting for them in our ambulance service.

“Vague references to financial pressures and service redesign have ben cited as reasons for the situation, but this isn’t good enough.

“We need a proper explanation of how we got to this extraordinary situation where we have newly qualified paramedics, who are much-needed in the service, but there aren’t suitable jobs for them.

“This is unforgivable at a time when all efforts need to be focussed on driving down waiting times, ending corridor care at A&E units and improving patient care.

“We look forward to the summit coming to clear conclusions about what actions the new government can take to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”