Union survey reveals 'horrifying' situation of Forth Valley ambulance staff

A survey conducted over the last month of 300 SAS staff by trade union Unite claims a large numbet of workers feel fatigued and that many have considered leaving the ambulance service, while some have reported they have been abused at work in the last year.

Unite stated it has repeatedly warned Scottish health secretary Humza Yousaf the extra investment and resources for the SAS were not adequate enough.

The survey findings state 98.2 percent of those 300 members who took part believe the Scottish Government’s extra investment of £20 million into the SAS and support from the armed services will not be enough to help them during the winter months.

The survey also states 88.2 per cent of staff do not feel valued by the Scottish Government, while 84.6 per cent do not feel valued by the SAS. It claimed 86.4 per cent of staff feel fatigued at work, while 78.9 per cent believe the SAS is under-staffed.

Pat Rafferty, Unite Scottish secretary, said: “I don’t think I have ever seen such an utterly depressing and horrifying situation with massive implications for the nation. The workers at the Scottish Ambulance Service are sending out their own 999 call to the Scottish Government saying that they are undervalued, stressed, and exhausted. It is now beyond breaking point.

“The levels of abuse the workers are suffering is inexcusable. The vast majority of those responding to our survey are going as far as to say they are now considering leaving the ambulance service.“The survey reveals a culture of extremely long hours – partially due to chronic under funding over many years – and the overwhelming stresses being placed on the system.

"This situation is directly leading to paramedics and ambulance staff being increasingly involved in adverse clinical events, and dangerously long response times. Urgent action is necessary because lives are at risk.”

86.7% of SAS workers felt that staff morale was either poor (30.8%) or very poor (55.9%).

Unite’s survey comes at a time of public concern over six hours ambulance response times.

According to Unite, an ambulance response to a 999 call, on average, can take between 55 minutes, and 1 hour and 10 minutes, from call to completion. However, ambulances are now missing three 999 calls while located at a hospital waiting for patient handovers.

An SAS spokesperson said: “We are extremely aware of the current demands our hardworking staff are experiencing due the significant pressures on NHS Scotland health and care services as a whole.

"As well as the safety of our patients, the welfare and well being of our staff is a top priority. We have accelerated our recruitment of new staff to boost capacity and we are continuing to work in partnership with Health Board partners to address lengthy hospital turnaround times at hospitals, recognising the impact these have on our staff meal breaks, shift end times and patients.

"We have also increased the provision of snacks, hot drinks and refreshments to our staff when they are waiting at hospitals and will continue to do everything we can to support their well being.”

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