Paramedic recruitment freeze driving students abroad, as UK-wide impact expected

A student training to become a paramedic says she is considering moving abroad for work after being told there would be no jobs offered to newly qualified paramedics in Wales.

Lorna Edwards is among a group of about 70 students in the final year of their degree, who have been told about the freeze on recruitment.

The Welsh Ambulance Services Trust (WAST) confirmed on Wednesday that it would not be offering roles this year due to "financial and operational issues".

The Royal College of Paramedics (RCP) said it expected to see similar recruitment freezes across the UK later this year.

It added that in 2025 there was a "UK wide mismatch" between the number of graduating students and the number of roles available.

Students looking to pursue a career as a paramedic can study the BSc paramedic science course at two Welsh universities - Swansea and Wrexham - or at one of the more than 50 courses available across the UK.

Edwards, 26, from Llandeilo, has been studying at Swansea University for three years and was hoping to take up a job in the Welsh Ambulance Service after graduating.

But the announcement has put her next steps in doubt.

"We've been told we'll be graduating in July but there will be no jobs available for us at the band we've trained for any time soon.

"It is worrying, we would have liked a bit of warning.

"It feels like a slap in the face really," she said.

"We've been kept in the dark and it's a bit insulting. We feel like we don't matter and we've been pushed aside."

The degree-level training of paramedics is heavily subsidised by Healthcare Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), part of NHS Wales, which will have spent millions of pounds on funding this year's cohort with bursaries.

Students will have carried out months of placements, sometimes more than 100 miles from home, in different parts of Wales.

In previous years, the students would have been expected to take roles within NHS Wales as Newly Qualified Paramedics (NQPs) in the ambulance service at NHS band 5.

After a period of mentorship lasting up to two years, the NQPs would progress to career paramedics on a NHS band 6 pay scale.

However, in 2025 only around a third of graduates were initially offered NQP posts, with some offered band 4 roles as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) rather than paramedic posts.

"We could potentially now have considerably lower-banded jobs than what we've been trained for and I do think people will either leave of seek other careers, then what did we train for?"

Edwards said despite the news coming as a "shock" the university had provided support throughout the process.

Other paramedic science students, who have been in touch with BBC Your Voice, have said they have been advised to apply for jobs in Canada, New Zealand and Australia - something Edwards is not ruling out at this stage.

"I'm considering going away, I think I need to keep all of my options open but certain things aren't feasible for me.

"Canada isn't a feasible option, for some people it would be a great opportunity, but a lot of are mature students, some have mortgages, children, other careers they have put on hold, they can't just pick up their lives and move half way across the world," she said.

Head of Education for RCP, Kirsty Lowery-Richardson, said NHS recruitment freezes linked to financial pressures and increased competition for wider clinical roles across professions were among the reasons for the number of graduates outpacing the number of available roles.

"We are aware that the Welsh Ambulance Services Trust has indicated to student paramedics in Wales that there will be no new registrant vacancies for those graduating this summer.

"While regrettable, this is a situation we expect to see reflected in other parts of the UK over the coming months."

The RCP said it was supporting affected graduates, pointing to other options, including overseas employment opportunities and the Paramedic Foundation Preceptorship programme, which can begin while individuals continue to seek substantive paramedic roles.

Carl Kneeshaw, Director of People at WAST, said it was "navigating a difficult financial and operational landscape" meaning decisions about recruitment had to be based on a range of factors, including current staffing levels, service demand, workforce skill mix and affordability.

"Regrettably, as things stand, we are not in a position to employ newly qualified paramedics this year.

"We know this will be deeply disappointing for those hoping to start their careers with us, especially after the time, effort and commitment they have invested in their training, but we are committed to supporting them as they consider their next steps."

He said that WAST was encouraging graduates wanting to build a career within the service to consider emergency medical technician roles, which they expected to recruit to throughout 2026, or roles within other ambulance services and organisations within the health and social care sector.

"We are working closely with our university partners and HEIW to understand the impact of this decision on graduates and future workforce planning," he added.

In minutes from a trust meeting in March, WAST said it needed to save £9m in 2026/27, which would involve efficiencies in direct frontline and clinical services.

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We are committed to ensuring our investment in NHS education and training is supported by meaningful employment opportunities.

"We are working closely with the WAST, HEIW and universities to address these challenges and support graduates."

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said they were "committed to ensuring the NHS in Wales has the staff it needs now and in the future" through a long-term workforce plan.

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said that students and the NHS were being "failed" by the Welsh government, adding it had outlined plans to "create a new comprehensive national workforce strategy that is desperately needed".

Reform UK's James Evans said the decision "makes a mockery" of Welsh taxpayers.

"Not only will the Welsh Ambulance Service continue to be understaffed and likely continue to miss key life-saving response time targets, but taxpayers are footing the bill," he said.

Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said the decision was "a staggering waste of both talent and taxpayers' money", which made no sense "at a time when ambulance response times are still far too long and patients are waiting in pain".

A Welsh Conservative spokesperson said it was "a clear failure of workforce planning by the Welsh Labour government" and it was "completely unacceptable that paramedic students are being left without job opportunities in Wales".

Wales Green Party's Ian Chandler said: "The Welsh Ambulance Service recruitment freeze is a cut in all but name - when staff leave, they won't be replaced. That means slower response times and greater risk to patients.

"It's a clear failure of planning by the Labour government. Wales Green Party will ensure workforce plans reflect the needs of the health service and are properly resourced."