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Ambulance workers take 19 days off sick
Thursday 30th September 2010, 11:30AM BST.
Ambulance workers in the West Midlands took almost four working weeks off sick last year, new figures revealed today.
At the same time complaints against West Midlands Ambulance Service soared by almost 60 per cent during 2009/10.
The year has been described as one of the most challenging in the organisation’s history. During that period the average staff member took 19 days off sick. This works out as a total of 66,464 days for the trust’s 4,084 workers, when the number of part-time employees is taken into account.
In total, it means workers lose 6.2 per cent of their annual hours to sickness.
Chief executive Anthony Marsh told a trust board meeting yesterday: “We are absolutely determined to reduce our sickness absence and are on target to reduce the rates to four per cent at the end of this current year.
“It is no higher than other ambulance trusts.
“Our staff undertake very demanding roles, working long hours and shifts in difficult circumstances often outside their control, such as a lorry upside down in a ditch.”
A total of 308 formal complaints were made against the ambulance service in 2009/10, compared to 195 for the same period a year earlier.
This represents an increase of 57.9 per cent but bosses say the rise can partly be blamed on the service taking on more work and increased activity.
The vast majority of complaints, more than 200, related to patients feeling dissatisfied with the clinical care provided by paramedics.
Mr Marsh said the service had taken on new contract work for transferring non-emergency patients and that activity for the trust had gone up.
The trust’s annual report for the same period also shows 160 ambulance staff were subjected to physical violence while on duty, while 296 more were verbally abused.
The last 12 months were described by ambulance service chairman Sir Graham Meldrum as one of the most “challenging ever.”
He said the combination of swine flu, the worst winter for 30 years and a rise in demand had put pressure on ambulance services in the region.
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The Chief Executive doesn’t mention whether the question of staff morale comes into it.
Probably because morale in the Trust isn’t very good?
Can’t imagine why the Cheif Exec didn’t mention that, or even hazard a guess why there might be low morale….. ;-)
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You look at any job where the company (or in this case the taxpayer)pay sick pay,and compare it to a company where they don’t pay sick pay,and shock horror,the place where they pay sick pay will have a lot more days off,we all have stressfull jobs,if they can’t handle the stress get another job.a lot of people who work somewhere where sick pay is payed tend to treat it as part of their holiday entitlement.
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totally agree with you. I worked in local government and let me tell you the ambulance drivers have nothing on some council workers….having sick time off for long weekends having summer holidays off sick…etc. Unfortunately i was a minority who hardly had any time off. I now work in the private sector and they dont have any respect for “sicknotes”
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Phil you obviously live in an ideal world where you don’t get sick! I work for the ambulance service and if you hadn’t realised we go to people who are ILL and usually with a infectious complaint! The chances of us getting sick is obviously increased, as for your comment about stress if the most stress you have ever felt is will I get this email off in time for a meeting then try and triage multiple serious injuries at an RTC where the wrong decision can be life changing, then do it again at your next job, and again the next day and so on.
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Oh dear here we go again. The good old media highlighting sickness again in the public sector.Please start to take note of other news thats more worthy!!
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st joe here you go again as post 2 states take away the sick pay and do as in the private sector no pay for sick days and then see things change
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It wont do much good because it still happens in the private sector you just loose money unless you have a sick pay scheme. Anyway if you all dont like it try getting a job in the public sector instead constantly bitching on about how hard done to you all are!!!!!!
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it may happen in the private sector but tne tax payers dont pay for private sector sick pay
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Thats where you are wrong and a lot of people forget. We are all tax payers and we all pay the private sectors wages and we all pay towards their sick pay schemes when we buy the goods they make and sell. Who payed the bankers bonuses in the private sector? Who payed for their sick pay scheme. Who pays for the private sick pay schemes run by the oil companies Private or Public we all pay for it one way or the other. Sainsbury’s has a sick pay scheme and so does alot of other large named supermarkets. Who pays for it Joe? You and me who shop their. Its built into the price of our goods.
Tax payers pay for everything and we are all tax payers joe no matter which sector we work in. Like the comment below says why should people have to work when they are sick? And why shouldn’t companies and the public sector have these schemes in place to give some extra protection and comfort in peoples lives. Like I said before if you want these benefits get a job with them and stop bitching about it and suffering from “I havn’t got a job with these benefits envy!!”
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But the point you miss St Joe is if a private company doesn’t sort out it’s expenses such as sickness it results in their goods being more expensive than their rivals and they go bankrupt. Whereas in the public sector it doesn’t really matter because the tax payer carries on providing the reddies regardless of the costs!
If less money was spent on sickness we could afford more ambulances and care for the patients!!!
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All it takes is a few ambulance drivers to be off long term (perhaps through stress after collecting up body parts, having to deal with the aftermath of horrific accidents, or watching people die on a regular basis) and these figures are screwed.
Do people really want to live a life where they are forced to go to work when they are ill? Do you really want an ambulance driver on a life saving high speed journey not 100% alert because he is ill?
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Do people really want to live a life where they are forced to go to work when they are ill? Do you really want an ambulance driver on a life saving high speed journey not 100% alert because he is ill?
No they dont want that they just dont want THEM to be paid when they are sick thats all!! Most people would like this benefit and would take it when its on offer but dont like it when other people get it.
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No, I think that the ambulance drivers should be given some respect and should recieve sick pay if they are ill, as should every worker.
That does not mean that I agree with people ‘throwing sickies’. Personally, I’m self employed so have never had that luxury.
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d’oh, just re-read your post stjoe :-)
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Just wanted to point out to you all, I work for a local council and we currently have quite a few people currently on full sick pay.
One has breast cancer, one has RSI related to the job, one has just lost their very young sister and one is looking after their terminally ill husband. So would you take away their sick pay just because you don’t get any?
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Good points and yes most people would take way their sick pay just because they dont get it. It’s called Public sector job envy. They could get jobs in the public sector but would rather moan about other peoples benefits. Sad really!!!
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st joe i think you have a sad life its about time you changed the record
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Perhaps its a sad as yours then. Nothing better to say Arthur or contribute to the debate eh????
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I am writing in reply to your comments regarding sickness absence of West Midlands ambulance crews. Our staff are regularly, and in some cases daily, subjected to both physical and verbal abuse, not only from patients, but from relatives/bystanders and have to maintain their professionalism throughout. A lot of this goes unreported and sadly, is treated as part of the job. We have an increasing obesity issue in the country which is also having an impact on crews regarding moving patients on a regular basis sometimes from difficult locations and when time is critical. Crews are also on a daily basis subjected to patients illnesses (D & V etc), and work in far from clinical conditions where infections can be caught.
This, over time, takes its toll on both the physical and mental health of crews and to make a statement in your editorial column that “or is this Service, like so many parts of the public sector, infested with a culture of absenteeism” is an insult to the ambulance staff of the West Midlands.
Year on year our workload is increasing – good manners/respect for the work we do seems to be disappearing and comments like your don’t help.
I realise at present it is open season to bash the public sector but no one forces anyone to work for either the public or private sector it is personal choice.
Respect your ambulance crews.
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Criticism of your Ambulance Crews
I am writing in reply to your comments regarding sickness absence of West Midlands ambulance crews. Our staff are regularly, and in some cases daily, subjected to both physical and verbal abuse, not only from patients, but from relatives/bystanders and have to maintain their professionalism throughout. A lot of this goes unreported and sadly, is treated as part of the job. We have an increasing obesity issue in the country which is also having an impact on crews regarding moving patients on a regular basis sometimes from difficult locations and when time is critical. Crews are also on a daily basis subjected to patients illnesses (D & V etc), and work in far from clinical conditions where infections can be caught.
This, over time, takes its toll on both the physical and mental health of crews and to make a statement in your editorial column that “or is this Service, like so many parts of the public sector, infested with a culture of absenteeism” is an insult to the ambulance staff of the West Midlands.
Year on year our workload is increasing – good manners/respect for the work we do seems to be disappearing and comments like your don’t help.
I realise at present it is open season to bash the public sector but no one forces anyone to work for either the public or private sector it is personal choice.
Respect your ambulance crews.
Report abuse
Criticism of your Ambulance Crews
I am writing in reply to your comments regarding sickness absence of West Midlands ambulance crews. Our staff are regularly, and in some cases daily, subjected to both physical and verbal abuse, not only from patients, but from relatives/bystanders and have to maintain their professionalism throughout. A lot of this goes unreported and sadly, is treated as part of the job. We have an increasing obesity issue in the country which is also having an impact on crews regarding moving patients on a regular basis sometimes from difficult locations and when time is critical. Crews are also on a daily basis subjected to patients illnesses (D & V etc), and work in far from clinical conditions where infections can be caught.
This, over time, takes its toll on both the physical and mental health of crews and to make a statement in your editorial column that “or is this Service, like so many parts of the public sector, infested with a culture of absenteeism” is an insult to the ambulance staff of the West Midlands.
Year on year our workload is increasing – good manners/respect for the work we do seems to be disappearing and comments like your don’t help.
I realise at present it is open season to bash the public sector but no one forces anyone to work for either the public or private sector it is personal choice.
Respect your ambulance crews.
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Support the Ambulance Workers, don’t bash ‘em. You may need them one day!!
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work with sick people, you will get sick.
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I am sick and tired of people trying to tell me how to do my job,the vast majority of people welcome our help but you will always get the knee jerk reaction to some biased media reporting without the full facts.There have been some valid points raised in the above posts but to the most quite negative about WMAS crews and public sector workers on the whole.
I ask the above posters please come and work a day in my shoes then see if we shouldnt have sick pay,i myself have on numerous occasions turned up for work unfit due to illness and have completed a full days work going out to people with week old sniffles and done nothing/taken nothing/seen no one about it and are surprised when i`m less than “The jolly ambulance man”
In the course of my time i have been spat at,punched,kicked,bitten,chased down the street,almost stabbed,verbally abused and the pinnicle was getting assaulted whilst performing CPR in the street because some drunken male took exception to my blocking his path so in conclusion please keep your comments in your head where they belong until your better informed
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