UNISON has written to ambulance service chiefs calling for urgent support for staff as services face unprecedented 999 call volumes and unsustainable demand from the public.
Written to Daren Mochrie, chair of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, the letter says employers must act now tolimit the impact on the wellbeing and morale of staff, especially those working in control rooms. In the letter, UNISON says ‘missed meal breaks, late finishes, queuing outside hospitals and increasing levels of sickness absence have become widespread’.
Major issues that are being reported to UNISON by staff across the country include: an ambulance service employee having to attend jobs for an extra five hours and travel over 100 miles after their shift officially ended; timewasting 999 calls from the public; staff at ambulance stations crying at the end of their shifts because of stress, low morale and lack of breaks; significant delays in responding to patients because of the overwhelming number of emergency calls; emergency call handlers starting shifts with ambulances needed at over 100 incidents; and ambulance services regularly reaching the highest possible alert level (REAP 4) because they’re under such extreme pressure.
UNISON is urging employers to ensure employees get their legal entitlement of rest periods, minimise missed meal breaks and shift overruns, and check staff are not working excessive hours because of overtime or extra shifts.
Helga Pile, UNISON deputy head of health, said: “Ambulance workers have faced exceptional pressures over the past 17 months. It’s not surprising many have reached burn out. They cannot be left to just carry on doing excessive hours without proper breaks and rest between shifts. Employers must act swiftly by doing all they can to limit the unprecedented pressures on staff. Additional welfare support is needed, and the government should make this a top priority.”
