The Aberdeen Evening Express
ABERDEEN, Scotland — Ambulance workers are dipping into their own pockets to buy vital equipment, the Evening Express can reveal today.
And it has been claimed the North-east service is so cash-strapped it could not even afford to buy a new toaster for staff at its Aberdeen HQ.
Now a Kintore clairvoyant - whose daughter was recently rushed to hospital - has come to its aid pledging to raise cash.
The revelations came in the wake of criticism of NHS Grampian spending £75,000 on new tea trolleys for hospital wards.
The controversial move, at a time when the heath board is cutting hundreds of jobs and shedding £100 million from its budget over the next five years, has sparked furious political reaction.
The Scottish Ambulance Service today staunchly defended its position, insisting all staff received standard issue equipment and there was no need for them to buy their own.
But psychic, Audrey Harper, 51, said: “My daughter Paula had to go to hospital by ambulance when she developed viral meningitis in July.”
She claimed: “I got chatting to the paramedics on the way to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and they said they did not have enough funds for a toaster.
“They also said some of their equipment needed upgrading, but they were short of funds and some staff buy and upgrade some of their own kit.
“One of the examples they gave was thermometers.”
Mastrick woman Paula , 23, a full-time mum to three-year-old Logan, claimed: “They are dedicated to the job and want to do the best job possible so they go and buy their own equipment.
“They buy newer style therm-ometers because they are faster and more reliable and accurate but it just does not seem right.”
Paula was treated in ARI for two days before being released. Her mum, who is married to Eric, 54, said “I delivered a new toaster two weeks later to the ambulance HQ near Foresterhill but I wanted to do more.”
She claimed: “I spoke to the area service manager about organising fundraisers but I said I wanted to make sure the money goes towards new equipment and that the paramedics themselves would pick what they wanted.”
One staff insider who asked not to be named said the Scottish Ambulance Service supplies basic equipment.
But he said: “Some people go out and buy their own kit out of personal preference.
“The thermometers we use were bought in bulk and are not as accurate as some of the more expensive ones.” And he claimed: “Some people go out and buy their own because they have cheap bits of kit - like stethoscopes.
“Some staff are buying big chunky lights to use at road accidents, too.
“The blood sugar kit we use to measure blood takes about 20 seconds to record. New kits take about three seconds. The stuff we have is useable, but not right up to date.”
Another ambulance insider confirmed they were given a new toaster.
And he said: “You can only work within the constraints of the NHS. Like every other service, it has to make efficiency savings and there are things that do not work.
“Our thermometers will not work if they have been stored in the back of an ambulance in cold weather. They are designed for use in a stable environment - like in hospital. So some staff buy their own.”
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon today said: “The NHS receives sufficient funding to cover all core health board expenditure and there should never be any need for staff to buy their own equipment.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “The budget for patient care equipment has more than doubled this year, from £236,000 in 2009/10, to £578,000 for 2010/11.
“Every member of staff and ambulance vehicle is supplied with all the equipment required to deliver high quality care to our patients.
“All such equipment conforms to national NHS clinical standards. There is no need for staff to purchase their own equipment.
“During the extreme cold of winter this year there were issues with some thermometers. These have been reviewed and new single use thermometers have been ordered and are being rolled out across the service.”
Audrey’s first fundraiser, a psychic and mediumship evening, is to be on Tuesday at the Station Hotel, Ellon.
Referring to the tea trolleys Ms Sturgeon said: “The patients’ experience of their stay in hospital, including the food and drink they receive, is an important part of that quality care.
“But we expect health boards to evaluate spending proposals to ensure they represent best value for money.”
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