At a time when the demand for emergency services has doubled
Work pressures push paramedics in Britain to quit in droves
The profession of paramedic was among the most stable in England.
archival
Increased demand and lack of resources have exhausted the medical staff.
archival
picture
The number of calls to ambulances in England has doubled since 2010, with warnings of record pressure on the NHS, which says emergency patients are crowding hospital corridors as many paramedics leave their jobs.
The number of calls for ambulances has risen 10 times the number of ambulance workers, according to a new analysis of public health data.
This was blamed on an increase in the number of people seeking emergency treatment, a lack of GPs, and a cut in the budget for preventive care.
The analysis, conducted by the union GMP, found that there were 7.9 million calls in 2010-2011.
By 2021-2022, the number had risen to 14 million, an increase of 77%.
During the same period, the number of ambulance workers increased by only 7%, putting more pressure on staff.
While the numbers represent all calls to an ambulance, some of which go unanswered and do not result in a vehicle being dispatched, they do reveal the growing pressures that have led to claims that patient safety is being jeopardized by waiting times for ambulances to arrive.
There has been a significant increase in the number of more serious safety accidents recorded by paramedics in England over the past year.
Ambulance workers staged a demonstration on Sunday outside the annual GMP conference, which began in Harrogate.
And there were frequent warnings that cutting the welfare budget would also have spillover effects, as emergency services often took on the burden, dealing with suffering patients.
The average response time for serious ambulance calls was 51 minutes in April 2022, compared to 20 minutes a year earlier.
Meanwhile, since 2018, more than 1,000 paramedics have left their jobs in pursuit of a better work-life balance.
resource shortage
Paul, a paramedic who has been practicing for years, said that he had finally seen an ambulance that took many hours to transport a patient and provide care for him in the hospital, explaining, “The ambulance team arrived with the patient at the hospital at eight in the evening and then they left the hospital at around six in the morning.” "The lack of resources has affected the ambulance service," he continued.
“We also see people getting aggressive towards the ambulance crew, because they waited hours and hours in an ambulance,” Paul added.
But now we see people who work for two or three years, and then go on to better jobs, maybe a GP, or become a university lecturer.
In our profession, there are no weekends.”
It comes after a nurse was shown, in a video, warning patients in an overcrowded emergency department that they could wait up to 13 hours to see a doctor.
National GMP official Rachel Harrison said medics have faced "more than a decade of cuts," adding, "No wonder they are leaving in droves, while the service itself is teetering on the brink of collapse."
The reason for the huge increase in demand is due to the massive reduction in basic services since 2010.”
budget cut
“Budget and staff cuts in preventive and community care are increasing demand for emergency services, including mental health services,” said Rachel Harrison, GMP National Officer.
This means that patients are admitted to hospital, later, with more complex symptoms.”
The use of hospital care has declined during the epidemic, with many people not receiving basic treatment, and the demand for ambulance services has increased greatly, after the lifting of the pandemic measures.
A nurse warned patients in an overcrowded emergency department that they could wait up to 13 hours to see a doctor.
14
One million calls received by ambulance services in England, in 2021-2022.
51
Minutes, average response time for serious ambulance calls, in April 2022.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news