Frontline ambulance staff have issued a desperate plea for help as they fight harder than ever to save people’s lives.
Politicians, senior managers, union leaders and medical experts are regularly heard giving their views on the state of the ambulance service.
But now, for the first time, the voices of the hard-working men and women at the front-line of the Scottish Ambulance Service have been heard.
And their message is loud and clear they’re doing their best but can’t cope with much more.
The Sunday Post asked SAS staff, including paramedics, ambulance technicians and call handlers, whether there had been occasions over the last year when increased pressure, workload or budget constraints had affected their jobs.
Given an outlet to vent their frustrations at the challenges they face, the response was huge.
The scores of hand-written testimonies paint a picture of a dedicated workforce being pushed to the limit by soaring demand and limited resources.
Time and again the same issues came up: working extra hours often without enough breaks; crews being sent miles out of their patch to stretch threadbare resources; long delays handing over patients at hospitals; morale at rock bottom.
Many spoke out to claim hitting targets was more important than the quality of care patients receive. More still claimed there were no longer sufficient resources to do the job safely.
But, most worrying, was damning evidence that lives were being lost while ambulance crews were battling to be in several places at once.
PARAMEDIC TEAM LEADER
“Constantly missing meal break windows and being kept late at the end of every shift.
“Unable to provide patient-centred care due to Government/ambulance service targets.
“Unable to fulfil my role as a team leader due to continuing increased operational workload.
“A culture of ‘them’ and ‘us’ with senior management and control staff.
“No consideration given to staff welfare and wellbeing.
“Operational staff being worked into the ground.
“Tired staff making mistakes and placing patient care in jeopardy. They’re also a risk to the public while driving excessive distances fatigued.
“As one colleague stated: ‘The donkeys on Blackpool beach are better treated and are given more breaks than operational staff of the Scottish Ambulance Service’.”
PARAMEDIC
“A crew got sent to an elderly female patient suffering from shortness of breath.
“They did not reach the patient due to getting diverted to another call to deal with a drunk patient.
“They sent an out-of-hours doctor to the patient as well as an ambulance crew from Dumfries.
“As the doctor arrived, the patient went into cardiac arrest.
“We arrived 10 minutes later, but were unable to revive her and she subsequently died at home.”
PARAMEDIC
“I was sent to a young female in her 20s with muscular back pains.
“A non-emergency call but one that the patient called 999.
“I didn’t transport the patient and instead advised her of other options.
“Once I cleared, I was sent to a life-threatening call for an elderly lady, which I noticed had been in for about 15 minutes.
“On arrival the patient was in cardiac arrest.
“No other crews were available.
“If I hadn’t been at the non-emergency call I would have been available to attend a life-threatening 999 call.”
AMBULANCE TECHNICIAN
“Recently, I was sent to a confirmed hanging as a single technician crew.
“The patient was in cardiac arrest and I had to give guidance to police on CPR.
“However, when I asked control about back-up, I was told no-one else was available. I had to remain on the scene with the patient alone until further resources became available.”
PARAMEDIC
“There was a double stabbing and the resource nearest to Greenock was in Paisley.
“I’m regularly sent outwith area, leaving my own patch under-resourced.”
PARAMEDIC
“Radio call was made to crew three times while dealing with a serious psychiatric patient and we were told to leave the patient with an ‘appropriate’ adult, so crew could clear for several ‘outstanding emergencies’ due to a lack of resources.”
PARAMEDIC
“Recently, I was called to a 999 emergency where the patient’s family had been waiting nearly an hour for an ambulance.
“This put the crew under increased pressure from the understandably irate family.
“Since the new meal break rules were brought in, we have no additional crewed vehicles but the workload and stress are increasing daily.”
DISPATCHER
“Every day I have emergency calls on my screen with no ambulances to respond to them.
“Saturday night I had six 999 calls waiting for nearly an hour.
“The service is in the worst state I have seen in 25 years. It’s in meltdown.”
DISPATCHER
“On a daily basis, 999 calls sit waiting as there are no resources to attend.
“For example, Greenock station only has two ambulances on shift between 1am and 7am.”
EMERGENCY CALL HANDLER
“Several times I have been the only call handler in Glasgow (covering the entire west of Scotland) from 5am to 7am.”
PARAMEDIC
“Not enough support from control when facing a potentially dangerous situation.
“Sometimes we are told to ‘have a look’ when the patient is violent and get the police if ‘needs be’.
“Most crews stand by and wait for police.”
PARAMEDIC
“Disturbed meal breaks, faulty ramps not working, carrying out man-handling manoeuvres under conditions where patients have life-threatening injuries.
“Attending 999 calls and having to drive approximately 30 minutes to reach the patient.”
PARAMEDIC
“Lack of ambulance cover which has increased distance we now have to travel to some 999 calls.”
PARAMEDIC
“Since South Glasgow University Hospital (Queen Elizabeth University Hospital) opened matters have only been made worse. Regularly waiting over an hour-and-a-half to hand over patients, further compounding workload on the staff not stuck at the hospital.”
AMBULANCE TECHNICIAN
“Constantly being deployed outwith our area. Constantly being kept late for jobs that are not real emergencies.
“Sent to calls that don’t require hospital. Own area being left with no ambulance as crews are being pulled into other areas to work.”
AMBULANCE TECHNICIAN
“Regular abuse from the public, verbal and physical.
“Dispatching crews before vehicle and equipment is adequate, checked or roadworthy.
“Regularly missed rest periods, crews going without food on 12-hour shifts. Management will simply deny this or cover it up.”
PARAMEDIC
“Increasingly, staff have no ‘time off’ after attending critical or traumatic jobs and are immediately dispatched to another incident.
“This is the main reason for staff going off with stress.”
PARAMEDIC
“Every shift I’m called out before ambulance and equipment safety checks have been completed.
“Constantly being questioned by management about needing to clean ambulance and equipment after they have been contaminated after a call.”
PARAMEDIC
“Control staff over-riding pre-graded calls to improve response times resulting in severe emergencies receiving poor response.
“This is all in order to improve how the service is perceived by the Government. Poorly run NHS24 are constantly giving us nonsense calls.”
PARAMEDIC
“On-road staff are being kept hours beyond their finishing times due to hand-over delays at hospital.
“This has trebled since the ‘super’ hospital opened.
“It’s a death in a corridor waiting to happen.”
AMBULANCE TECHNICIAN
“Increased waiting times up to two hours to give patient handover to nursing staff in A&E.”
PARAMEDIC
“Increased workload on all staff. NHS24 system not working.
“Crews regularly being kept late and sent to calls they shouldn’t be attending.”
AMBULANCE TECHNICIAN
“Never in my years of service have I been thanked by a manager for my efforts.
“Never had a debrief after major incidents.
“Never been offered counselling after a stressful job. Everything is driven by times not patient care.”
PARAMEDIC
“Regularly not getting breaks until beyond meal break window and finishing late almost every shift (sometimes doing 13 to 14 hour shifts).
“Paramedic who is demoralised due to increased demand on service with no thanks and for less money as cost of living going up but wages are not.
“Morale at lowest point I can remember in service.”
PARAMEDIC
“Feelings? Undervalued, just a bottom on a seat, stressed, exhausted.
“Love my job but it is not the same job now.
“There are many frontline A&E staff who genuinely care but are slowly being broken and ground down which is a shame because it is us who are the face of the ambulance service.
“If we refuse a call, say something wrong to control we are regularly put on a charge.
“Time for things to change.”
AMBULANCE TECHNICIAN
“Crew are told not to complete Datix reports (internal NHS memos) for delayed meal times.
“One crew member checked her blood sugar level, which was way below normal.
“She notified control who advised her to stop at a shop and buy a chocolate bar.
“It is only a matter of time before fatigue has a serious outcome for either patient care or driving to an emergency response.”
CALL HANDLER
“Recently, due to staff shortages we have been unable to leave our desks to have a break, having to beg one of our colleagues to look after our area so you can literally ‘run’ to the toilet.
“No food facilities, more pressure and no support.
“It is very much a ‘what you did not do’ being recognised rather than the million things you have coped with that shift.”
PARAMEDIC
“Morale very low. Core shifts not being covered resulting in increased workloads.
“Personally reluctant to do over-time due to increased workload on shift.
“Have witnessed manipulation of figures for response times to meet Government targets.”
CLINICAL ADVISOR
“As the only clinicians within ambulance control centres, workload and responsibility are increasing with a feeling of occasionally being used as scapegoats for poor outcomes.”
DISPATCHER
“Shift coverage at an all-time low and having a serious impact on attendance to emergency calls, particularly in Glasgow and Lanarkshire.
“There is not enough time to allocate and resource calls while taking into consideration the ever-changing rules and policies.”
CALL HANDLER
“Staff shortages every shift increasing the workload on remaining staff.
“Morale at an all-time low due to lack of support from management. Going for toilet breaks has even resulted in staff being reprimanded.
“Patient care no longer a priority. Management only interested in figures.
“Staff at call-handling and dispatch level are treated abysmally, resulting in staff calling in sick.”
A&E CREW
“We are regularly having to respond to 999 calls in other areas due to a lack of ambulances and this can mean travelling under blue lights for over 30 minutes.”
PARAMEDIC
“There are serious issues going on that are grossly detrimental to crews’ and patients’ wellbeing and it is time it all came out.
“It is time the truth be told rather than management waffle being put out there.”
A&E CREW
“Not the correct equipment in the stores. Not getting meal breaks until the 10th or 11th hour of a 12-hour shift. Being kept late at jobs, turning your working days into a 13 or 14-hour day.”
PARAMEDIC
“Attending 999 calls that have waited over 30 minutes and having to face angry families.
“Shambles of waiting to hand over at A&E. Eight-plus hours to get to first break.
“Thoroughly disillusioned with the entire set-up at the moment.”
PARAMEDIC
“With increasingly demanding shifts and higher stress levels it is harder to enjoy the job.
“When you are physically and mentally exhausted there is still more and more expected with no support.”
AMBULANCE TECHNICIAN
“Less resources to cope with increased workload. Urgent calls upgraded needlessly to 999 calls for service protocol rather than clinical need.”
PARAMEDIC
“Working with trainees who are not trained to a satisfactory standard to assist you on emergency situations I have injured myself in such a situation.
“Not receiving adequate information on jobs we are attending and going into dangerous situations.”
PARAMEDIC
“Trainees are now leaving before even completing their paramedic degree due to pressure of work and long-term paramedics are leaving because they will no longer put up with the way managers and especially control staff treat them.”
n*If you have been affected by this situation either as an ambulance worker or a member of the public we want to hear your story.
Contact us by calling 0141 567 2812 or by emailing brobinson@sundaypost.com.
In My View, by Jackson Carlaw, Scottish Conservative health spokesman
It’s sometimes easy to forget the Scottish Ambulance Service is part of the NHS, and therefore subjected to all the same pressures as hospitals and GP surgeries.
If anything, the organisation is the very front line, often first on the scene and many people’s first experience of healthcare in Scotland.
And of course paramedics have to go into some of the most challenging situations imaginable, and risk being subjected to substantial verbal and sometimes even physical abuse.
It’s no wonder they feel up against it.
But the Scottish Government has to realise the problems are getting worse, and it’s time it revealed how it plans to make life better.
At 7%, sickness rates are far too high, and show little sign of coming down.
Patients and ambulance staff alike need to hear what the SNP is going to do to lighten the load, ensure that these worrying trends go into reverse, and guarantee there is a healthy Scottish Ambulance Service we can all rely upon.
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