A union representative said the change would mean patients ‘getting crews that are more tired’.
A union representative said the change would mean patients ‘getting crews that are more tired’. By Harriet Robinson & Clara Bullock Reporter An ambulance service is at loggerheads with union bosses over a plan to reduce break times for crews on long shifts.
South Western Ambulance Service has acted after saying patients wait too long for an ambulance and response times must improve.
But Connor Calby, a paramedic and Unison rep, said just one 45-minute break during 10 to 12 hour shifts would be detrimental for patients. “It will mean they are actually getting crews that are more tired,” he said.
In the south-west of England, response times to patients calling 999 are among the worst in the country. To tackle this, the ambulance service wants its crews – who are currently on a one-hour break on day shifts and two 30-minute breaks on night shifts – to move to the single 45-minute break. headtopics.com
Fear of collisions South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said the changes would help them respond to more patients, more quickly. However Mr Calby, who is based in Bridgwater, said union members were “overwhelmingly against the proposals”.
article source : https://headtopics.com/us/south-western-ambulance-service-plans-to-cut-staff-breaks-40232446 / Also found On BBC News
Image Source : BBC News.
