By Vicki Mathias
The Evening Post
BRISTOL, England — Ambulance staff in Bristol could take industrial action over changes to their shifts.
Paramedics at Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS), are being balloted for action over concerns about health and safety linked to the staggering of working hours.
But Bristol representatives from union Unison said they hoped the issue would be resolved without resorting to industrial action.
They have raised concerns about staggering working hours so that 12-hour shifts start between 5am and 9am or 5pm and 9pm, because they feel that rush-hour traffic could mean paramedics adding an extra hour or two to their day in getting back to the ambulance station and travelling to and from work.
Staff are also worried about childcare issues. Bristol paramedic clinical team leader and Unison steward, Chris Hewett, said that the new system could leave ambulances out of action for as much as 50 minutes while paramedics are getting back to their station, or that a serious accident could occur while exhausted staff are travelling home. Previously shifts started at 7am or 7pm and Unison has called for starts to be staggered between 6.30 and 7.30 am or pm so they do not interfere with rush hour.
He said: “It is predominantly a safety issue. Working shifts need to be safe. What we cannot have is ambulance crews who are fatigued or have been working a shift at least 12 hours long, which might extend to 14 or 15 hours. “
The worst case scenario is that a 12-hour shift is extended to 15 hours, which is not uncommon, then someone is driving home from work and because they are fatigued, crashes their car into a line of school children at a bus stop. “It is the worst thing that could happen, but is something we feel is a very real risk. “
An example is crews at Avonmouth Station, who finish a shift at the BRI at 5.30pm and could maybe leave at 5.45pm could have a 50-minute drive minimum to get back along the motorway. That is 50 minutes the ambulance is not available.”
Members of the GWAS branch of the union in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and the former Avon area also said they did not have confidence in the changes and the service’s management in a survey. As reported in the Evening Post last month, the chief executive of GWAS, David Whiting, will leave the service early next year to return to Yorkshire. And there are fears among staff that his departure could be damaging to GWAS.
Mr Hewett said: “It leaves staff without confidence because we don’t know what the future holds for GWAS.” Mr Whiting said he was disappointed with Unison’s announcement of a ballot.”
The changes we are making are simply about ensuring we have the right number of staff and vehicles available when patients ring 999", he said. “Not only have we adapted our overall plans following staff feedback, we have also been able to accommodate some compromises to suit the personal circumstances of our staff. However, it is crucial that we are available when patients call us.”
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