Ambulance staff are at 'breaking point'

Ambulance crews say they are being "overwhelmed" and suffering from stress when they finish their shifts because of the pressures they are facing, according to a union survey.

Unison said its research revealed that emotional breakdowns,sleepproblems, mood swings and the use of anti-depressants were among the issues reported by staff who have been dealing with "unprecedented" demand for a number of months.

Three-quarters of over 1,100 staff in various ambulance services roles said stress and pressure “has increasedsincepre-Coviddays” – with over half saying they felt "overwhelmed" by work.

Unison's head of health Sara Gorton said: "Staff are desperately trying to give the bestcarepossibletopatients, but the system is creaking at the seams.

"Theincreasingdemands on already-stretched services is taking a terrible toll on ambulance employees who, likeotherNHSstaff,can'tjust leave their stress at the door when they get home.

"It's time for the Government to dig deep to fund a generous pay rise that ensures experienced staff don't quit and invest in the long-term future of a service on its knees."

A Department ofHealthandSocial Care spokesperson said:"Wehaveprovided anextra£55mtoboostambulancestaffnumbersontopof our Covid recovery plan.

"ThroughtheNHSPeople PlanallNHSstaffhaveaccess to a comprehensive emotional, psychological, and practical support package including 40 mental health and wellbeing hubs which provide proactive outreach, rapid assessment and referral onto specialist support."