Ambulance workers see patients die due to 'hospital delays'

Scottish ambulance workers have had to watch patients die due to delays admitting them to hospital, a survey has revealed.

The survey by Unite found 53% said that, due to longer service running times, a call they were involved in ended with an “adverse clinical event” due to delays and hospital pressures.

More than half said they suffered verbal abuse, 21% said they were physically abused, while sex or gender-based attacks – physical or verbal – were recorded by 9% of staff.

The union found among more than 300 members that 65% had also considered leaving the organisation.

Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: “The situation facing Scottish Ambulance Service workers continues to be extremely alarming and depressing.

“The fact that hundreds of workers have suffered abuse while providing an emergency service is shocking.

“Our members are entitled to a safe and secure working environment and measures need to be taken to address chronic levels of abuse, morale and stress.”

More than 80% also reported working longer than 12 hours, with more than half claiming their longest shift was between 15 and 20 hours.

Unite said those figures are comparable with its survey of SAS members conducted in June 2022.

Derek Thomson, Unite Scottish secretary, added: “Unite’s members at the Scottish Ambulance Service face unacceptable and unprecedented challenges.

“Not only is this situation having a major impact on their working lives but it is also taking a toll in their personal lives.

“Our members are taking the job home often because they have been left physically and mentally scarred by abuse while trying to save lives.

“Unite is calling on the health authorities and the Scottish Government to work with us to address these serious concerns.

“We need to bring forward measures which can help retain and recruit staff to the service or we fear dedicated professionals will simply leave.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “These survey findings represent 300 out of over 6,500 staff. We are aware of the current demands our hardworking staff are experiencing due to the significant pressures across the NHS Scotland health and care system.

“We recognise the importance of the welfare and wellbeing of our staff to ensure our patients receive high quality care. To support this, we have recruited additional staff across Scotland and adopted guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in relation to fatigue.

“We closely monitor rest breaks and shift overruns compliance; our analysis does not match with the information presented by Unite.

“Additionally, it should be noted that Unite are members of the Scottish Ambulance Service partnership forum and have been supportive in our efforts to reach the levels of compliance that we have, and we thank them for their ongoing support.

“We continue to work with NHS Scotland Health Board partners to address lengthy hospital turnaround times because we know the impact these have on our staff and patients in terms of delays, breaks and shift end times.

“We strongly condemn violence against our staff. They have the right to carry out their work helping patients and saving lives without fear of assault or abuse.

“Any form of abuse will not be tolerated, and we will continue to work with Police Scotland to take action against those responsible.”