Paramedics With Criminal Records Still On Duty | Belfast News

0:00The group that oversees paramedics in Ireland, the pre-hospital emergency care council, has been telling government ministers for years that there are Serious public safety risks because they don't have enough power They're supposed to protect us by making sure emergency care is top notch But they can't kick people off their register even if those folks have criminal records This issue has been flagged since 2021 with the council warning of a continuing risk to the public by 2024 they were calling themselves beyond frustrated because nothing had changed They've even pointed out that they're aware of registered paramedics with criminal convictions Including some for sexual assault and there's no System to make sure they get notified about these cases the council's powers are really limited They can't inspect places like other regulators They can't force people to cooperate with investigations and the worst they can do is give advice or A warning this means even if they find serious misconduct the person can still keep working without any restrictions

1:01Leaving the public potentially Un protected Experts say it's unusual for a regulator not to have the power to remove someone from a professional register Especially when compared to fields like nursing They also point out that the health minister could fix this without needing new legislation Just by issuing a statutory instrument to grant the Council the necessary authority Despite these warnings and the clear need for action the council feels it's inexplicable that the law hasn't been updated Especially since this problem has been known for over a decade They're still pushing for a meeting with the current health minister to finally address these critical patient safety concerns From your city powered by AI. This is bill fast news today