A new study has found that more than half of paramedics are suffering from burnout caused by ‘overwhelming’ workloads, record numbers of 999 calls and the public misusing the ambulance service.

Published in the Journal of Paramedic Practice, the findings also show that frontline crew members also blame lack of meal breaks, delays in reaching seriously ill patients and their shift often not ending when it should for their high levels of stress and anxiety.

Nine out of 10 ambulance staff display symptoms of ‘depersonalisation’, characterised by ‘cynicism, detachment and reduced levels of empathy’ when dealing with patients who need urgent medical treatment.

The research, based on responses from 382 crew members who work for an unnamed NHS regional ambulance service in the north of England, has prompted concern that the demands on crews, alongside the injury, violence and death they encounter, are storing up serious mental health problems for them, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

Sara Gorton, head of health at the union Unison, said: “Excessive hours without proper breaks, shifts overrunning, and queueing for hours outside hospitals has become commonplace for many ambulance staff. Some are regularly reduced to tears by the overwhelming pressures. The government’s failure to fund services properly has left them with too few staff and emergency vehicles.

“Demand is so extreme that paramedics have no time to offload about their many challenging experiences. Long-term exposure to this level of stress could lead to serious mental illness. Staff shouldn’t be left to suffer emotional damage just for doing their jobs.”