Long hours, staff shortages and the mental demands of the job are placing an enormous burden on ambulance workers in the North West as more than nine in ten report suffering with stress, according to a new Unison survey.
One response to the survey said: “I am a former army combat medic with tours of Afghanistan.
“I was less stressed and treated with more respect by my previous employer.”
153 ambulance workers were asked about their welfare and three-quarters replied they suffered with sleep problems as a result of stress, more than three in five said they felt irritable and experienced mood swings, and almost three in five suffered with anxiety.
One North West paramedic said: “The management doesn’t really care about staff welfare; all that takes priority is hitting targets, and turnaround times. Crews can work for eight or nine hours without getting a break.”
Another ambulance worker in the region wrote: “Morale is so low, as experienced staff are leaving in large numbers as they are so are sick of the service.
Worryingly, almost three in five admitted they did not tell their employer the reason they were off sick was stress. Only one in ten said they would talk to a manager or a supervisor to cope with stress.
As a result of pressures on the service and workers, more than four in five (81 per cent) admitted they had thought about leaving the job.
Unison North West Head of Health Amy Barringer said: “Working in emergency services is stressful but the pressure on ambulance staff is reaching dangerously high levels.
“It is unacceptable that the current system doesn’t allow for proper breaks between shifts. Workers have told us they often work 14-hour shifts without a decent break.”
