Ambulance union: Don’t send us to 999 calls in the last hour of our shifts
Health chiefs fear ‘catastrophe’ over plan to ease paramedics’ workload
AMBULANCE bosses are considering plans to stop paramedics attending urgent 999 calls in the final hour of their shifts – despite knowing that patients would be ‘likely’ to die.
The proposal is being contemplated by the board of the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS), which is responsible for more than six million people, even though its own assessment is that the outcome of the change is likely to be ‘catastrophic’.
The EEAS board last week caved in to pressure from the powerful public-sector union Unison and agreed to implement changes to help paramedics, who, according to the union, are suffering from stress.
One proposal put forward by Unison would mean crews would stop answering emergency ‘Red 1’ and ‘Red 2’ calls in the last hour of their shifts.
‘Red 1’ calls are of the highest priority and involve ‘immediately lifethreatening’ incidents such as cardiac arrest and major bleeding. ‘Red 2’ calls are ‘life-threatening’ and include emergencies such as strokes, seizures and road accidents.
A secret risk assessment seen by the EEAS board, and leaked to The Mail on Sunday by a whistleblower, reveals that any change would probably have a ‘catastrophic consequence’.
The document is entitled Proposed Changes to End of Shift Procedure – Risk Assessment. It shows the proposal received a risk rating score of 20, the highest possible.
It also warns the change is likely to result in an ‘incident leading to death’ or ‘multiple permanent injuries or irreversible health effects’. It would also lead to a ‘gross failure to meet national standards’.
In addition, the document warns it could take as long as 45 minutes after a 999 call for a crew to reach a patient in a ‘Red 2’ case near the time of a shift change.
And ominously, it also warns that a serious incident ‘will probably occur’ and says: ‘It is likely that an event will occur that will be significantly detrimental to a patient outcome.’
Last week, EEAS, which covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, agreed to implement a pilot scheme to reduce stress, but said that its ‘scope’ had yet to be finalised. The decision by the authority followed a campaign by Unison to reduce the number of late finishes for paramedics, which it says ‘are the number one stressor’ for its members.
Unison said 91 per cent of its ambulance workers nationally were suffering with stress. A survey of 2,977 staff revealed long hours, manpower shortages and the demands of the job were ‘placing an enormous burden’ on them.
The plans being considered might also affect crews attending so-called ‘hot’ calls, where the first paramedic at the scene has decided that a patient must be taken to hospital by the nearest fully-equipped ambulance, which must not be diverted. EEAS employs around 4,000 staff and 1,500 volunteers to deal with more than 900,000 calls every year.
A spokeswoman said the risk assessment had ‘been noted by board and not yet acted upon whatsoever’.
She said: ‘The issue of late finishes was recently identified as a major cause of stress for staff, and was discussed at length during a board meeting with Unison where it was agreed urgent action was needed.
‘The scope of the pilot has yet to be decided upon, so nothing has been finalised. Patient safety, clinical excellence and staff support is of the utmost importance and will be high on the list of considerations before any decisions on the next steps are determined.’
Unison ambulance lead Alan Lofthouse said: ‘The pressures on ambulance crews are unprecedented.
‘Workers often work beyond their 12-hour shifts. The mental and physical pressures of the job mean workers are exhausted by the end of a shift. Many are leaving the profession and the current recruitment crisis means the pressure on those remaining is huge.’