Thousands of staff members will be hard at work providing vital care to the region’s most vulnerable over the festive period
With Christmas just around the corner, many of us will be starting to wind down, preparing for some time off with family and friends.
But for staff at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, they’re preparing for a very different festive period to most of us.
It’s not winter pressure – it’s continual pressure
“It’s pretty relentless”, says Eamon Murphy, a patient transport care assistant in West Yorkshire with the trust – a role responsible for getting patients with pre-planned journeys to and from clinics and appointments which can only take place at hospital.
“I think the term winter pressures really has to stop being used because it’s just continual pressure. Yes, various issues change according to the seasons. Clearly, it’s winter, coughs and sneezes are more prevalent at this time of year for lots of our patients obviously, and of course our staff as well.”
That continual pressure is something David Hinchcliffe can relate to, in his role as an Associate Ambulance Practitioner in the east of the county – working on frontline ambulances, responding to 999 emergency calls.
“People turn to the ambulance because they can’t get a GP appointment over the winter period”, he says. “They think they’ll be seen quicker at hospital, which leads to departments filling up, when actually a lot of them could’ve been seen by a doctor or urgent treatment centre.
“When hospitals get too full, we end up being diverted with patients – so instead of going to Hull, we could end up going to Scarborough, or York, or Grimsby.
“You’re taking a 93 year old from a nursing home all the way to Scarborough. Then you’re out of the area, jobs are building up and you’re just chasing your tail trying to catch up.
“It’s a lot of driving in the dark, in bad weather, potentially on roads you’re not as familiar with – it takes it out of staff. It can be dangerous for patients and staff.”
Eamon can relate to that feeling of struggling to catch up with demand. “It is relentless.
“We absolutely want patients to get to what they need. But there are times when you put your head in your hands and think, what am I supposed to do?”
And that pressure can take its toll on staff.
We want to do our best for all our patients all the time
“If you work for the ambulance service, you’re in the NHS, any role within the NHS and you don’t have some compassion and feeling towards your patients, you’re in the wrong job”, says Eamon. “Yeah, we all get a little knocked every now and then.
“It is relentless pressure. Trying to juggle resources, but also other factors – traffic, weather. My role is the non-emergency transport side of the service, we’re not blue lights and sirens, we have to join the queues when traffic is busy.
“I often work out of Halifax and Huddersfield in particular, I’m in and out of Leeds. If the M62 is shut, we aren’t going anywhere quickly and of course then that relates to patients having to wait longer.”
“The morale is very low at the moment”, says David. “A lot of staff are feeling burnt out.
“There have been times where I’ve had to leave a patient in the corridor at the hospital, then gone back in the next day and they’re still there. It’s not fair.”
“We want to do our best for all our patients all the time – we occasionally just do not have the resources”, adds Eamon. “Everyone is trying to tackle the backlog, including the government – but it’s time and it’s staff, and there isn’t the numbers there. Sometimes it’s as simple as that.”
We need better education on emergency services
When asked what message he would give to people who may need to use the ambulance service over the festive period, David says education is key.
“I would try and educate about what is needed to call 999, and what you can use your urgent treatment centres for over Christmas.
“Of course we’re here for serious emergencies, but I think maybe people aren’t aware of some of the other options available to them.”
“We really are trying out best,” Eamon says. “We want your support. We understand. You get annoyed because you’re late for your appointment or you’ve been sat for a long time waiting to get home.
“We are truly doing our very best to make sure you get there on time and get home as quickly as you can.
“We are human, we do make mistakes. We can’t control the traffic, we can’t control the weather. Sometimes we’ll have an ambulance that won’t start, an ambulance with a flat tyre. Thankfully it doesn’t happen very often – but when it does, it really does impact.
“Just bear with us. We’re trying our hardest and that’s all we can do. We want to do our best for all our patients all the time.”
Notes:
Eamon Murphy and David Hinchcliffe are both convenors in the UNISON Yorkshire Ambulance Service branch.
Ambulance workers can access a range of mental health services, including:
– Employee Assistance Programme 24/7 helpline on 0800 0239324
– The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC) – Caring for those who care for us
– Staff can also access support on the Yorkshire Ambulance Service pulse home page or via their team leader
