Ambulance boss ‘made on-duty 999 call handler’ give him a lift

A SENIOR ambulance boss demanded a 999 call handler leave their post to pick him and his family up from an airport after a family holiday, an employment tribunal has been told.

Christopher Gallacher was sacked from the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) after he called in a “favour” from a colleague and requested a pool car to collect him from Glasgow Airport.

Mr Gallacher, a duty manager at West Centre in Glasgow, then “specifically requested” to be driven by a new junior member of the team on a busy evening when some patients had been waiting “lengthy periods”. The call handler was away from their post for more than 45 minutes, the tribunal heard.

An SAS investigation found Mr Gallacher, who had worked for the service for 20 years, had “knowingly depleted” cover, resulting in him being sacked for gross misconduct in May 2023.

Now, an employment judge has rejected Mr Gallacher’s attempt to sue SAS for unfair dismissal, ruling that Mr Gallacher was responsible for the “best use of resources” in a position with a “high level of autonomy and leadership” and his bosses had acted fairly.

He was suspended on July 19 2022 after the ambulance service was made aware that he “used a pool car for private use on July 17”, the panel heard.

A lengthy SAS investigation was carried out in February 2023 and his disciplinary hearing took place in May, after it was agreed an allegation of bringing the service into “disrepute” would be added to considerations.

In a letter to Mr Gallacher, the ambulance service disciplinary officer upheld all of the allegations, finding he had asked “a favour” from a colleague for use of a pool car.

Mr Gallacher had said he “assumed” the journey would be made during the colleague’s unpaid 45-minute break but the hearing was told this was not so.

“While [Mr Gallacher] had not intended his request to impact upon patient safety it clearly had the potential to do so,” the hearing was told.

The disciplinary officer concluded it was not fraudulent but that he had “abused his position” and made an “irresponsible” decision and he was sacked for gross misconduct.

Employment judge David Hoey said it was clear Mr Gallacher’s actions took a pool vehicle and a staff member out of service and that “was not insignificant given the nature of the business ... that in itself was a very serious failure and demonstrated a severe lack of good judgment.” He added: “Ultimately dismissal was a decision that was fair and reasonable in all the circumstances.”

‘Ultimately, his dismissal was a decision that was fair and reasonable in all the circumstances’