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.
The letter says employers must act now to limit 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’. The letter continues: “This is all having a terrible impact on morale, as well on the health and wellbeing of ambulance staff.
“Ambulance staff have been at the forefront of the Covid response, working under levels of pressure never seen before.”
Ill thought-out trust systems and working patterns – and growing delays as ambulances queue to hand over patients at over-stretched hospitals lacking sufficient staff and front line beds make matters worse.
Full story in The Lowdown, 20 September 2021