North West ambulance staff are to hold a consultative ballot over whether to proceed to an industrial action ballot about a new system that is leaving them exhausted because of excessive mileage….Read more…
‘Managers are bringing tea to us’: inside the 111 service during COVID-19
‘On Saturday, I got through 26 calls in six hours. And I think only three were non-coronavirus. Now it feels like a relief to get a non-COVID call.’
The article ‘Managers are bringing tea to us’:…Read more…
Ambulance delays down to nine-year NHS funding squeeze
Commenting on new research from Labour, which shows that in the past three years almost 1.5 million patients have been delayed in the back of ambulances before being admitted to hospital, UNISON…Read more…
‘Time to care for the carer’
On World Mental Health Day today (October 10), Unite is shining the spotlight on the mental health issues facing ambulance staff. A new Unite survey, which has so far polled more than 550…Read more…
There must be no hiding place for bullies in the ambulance service
Unhappy, bullied and harassed ambulance employees are in no one’s interest
The article There must be no hiding place for bullies in the ambulance service first appeared on the UNISON National site.Read more…
‘Daily trauma’
Ambulance crews are not getting enough mental health support Unite has warned, as new figures reveal that one in ten staff at one of the UK’s largest ambulance services have taken time off in the…Read more…
999 staffing crisis
In the latest example of a mounting staffing crisis in the NHS, it was revealed that the London Ambulance Service (LAS) is struggling to answer all 999 calls because of a shortage of call handlers….Read more…
‘We break…we burnout’
My name is Debbie Wilkinson and I have been an NHS paramedic in Leeds for 27 years. I once worked out that means I have attended 999 calls at over 35,000 addresses! It’s a job I love and am…Read more…
Christmas deaths in Eastern England reveal true extent of winter crisis
Twenty grieving families will now, quite rightly, be demanding answers
The article Christmas deaths in Eastern England reveal true extent of winter crisis first appeared on the UNISON National site.Read more…
‘Try your best to enjoy Christmas Day’
In part 3 of our series on working over Christmas, we speak to Paul McQuade, a dedicated ambulance worker who’s worked for the ambulance service for nearly three decades, and as a paramedic for the…Read more…
UNISON comments on RCN story on NHS pay
NHS employees as a whole are struggling to survive on just their basic pay.
The article UNISON comments on RCN story on NHS pay first appeared on the UNISON National site.Read more…
Emergency service workers need greater protection
No one should face violence, abuse and sexual harassment at work
The article Emergency service workers need greater protection first appeared on the UNISON National site.Read more…
Fair testing plea
Attempts to force paramedics in Yorkshire to undergo random drug and alcohol tests are being questioned by Unite. The Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) is deliberating on whether to change…Read more…
A better use of limited resources, but ambulance services need greater investment, says UNISON
Responding to NHS England’s announcement today (Thursday) about changes to ambulance call handler targets, national ambulance officer Alan Lofthouse said: “Every second counts for emergency call…Read more…
Blog: Ambulance workers are a special breed
Branches like these show how right we are to be proud of our union, and what UNISON activists are capable of, even in these difficult times.
The article Blog: Ambulance workers are a special breed…Read more…
‘Desperate’ NHS funding plea
There’s no doubt that the NHS is under pressure as it faces rising demand and chronic government underfunding. But seemingly every week new figures reveal just how massive the scale of the…Read more…
Stressed and sick
Over-stretched paramedics are taking tens of thousands of days off a year because of stress, as NHS ambulance services struggle to cope with rising numbers of emergency calls. The number of…Read more…
‘Sort this now’
Communities in the Highlands are being left at high risk in emergencies as ambulance services are stretched to breaking point, with staff working long shifts leaving them dangerously exhausted….Read more…
UNISON responds to National Audit Office ambulance service report
Responding to the National Audit Office report published today (Thursday) on NHS ambulance services, UNISON head of health Christina McAnea said: “Across the entire NHS, the picture is the same….Read more…
NHS ‘nearing meltdown’
A Sheffield man died after it took an ambulance more than two and a half hours to reach him, it was revealed on Monday (January 9). The tragedy is just one of a growing litany of examples that…Read more…