UNION chiefs are calling for action over serious concerns about work pressure and safety of ambulance crews in the west Highlands.
Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) chief executive Pauline Howie travelled to Lochinver in Sutherland to meet community leaders to discuss ambulance provision in the west Highlands after local residents and Assynt Community Council raised concerns about patient transport to hospital in Inverness.
They have said reaching the hospital by ambulance or public transport has become more difficult and Labour MSP Rhoda Grant was involved in arranging the meeting in Lochinver.
The union’s ambulance members in the North Division are being balloted on whether to go into formal dispute with SAS.
Unite regional officer Tommy Campbell said: “We hope the community of the West Highlands has better luck speaking with SAS management than our members have had. Unite has been raising their concerns with senior management for nearly a year and they are just not listening.
“Every time there is a serious incident arising from lack of ambulance cover or resources, SAS managers are quick to issue spin and words. But we need more than that – we need action to address the fundamental problems across the north of Scotland.
“Our members are increasingly feeling unable to deliver an adequate service to the public. That’s heartbreaking for them and a source of frustration and anger. They went into the service to help people and communities, and they just want to get the resources to do it.”
Unite raised concerns about crews not being available for a 999 emergency because they are being used to transfer patients to hospital. As well as this, emergency cover in Aberdeen is being propped up by crews being shifted from other areas of the North Division, creating shortage of cover in other rural areas. Unite’s ballot of members closes on Friday March 3.
Howie said: “I was grateful for the opportunity to meet with Rhoda Grant MSP, Councillor Graham Phillips and members of the local community in Lochinver. We had a constructive meeting and agreed to work with the community to develop local solutions to improve Patient Transport Services.
“I look forward to further engagement with the Highland Council, local health board and wider community to ensure we are delivering the highest possible level of patient care.”
An SAS spokesman said it worked closely with partners and communities to ensure it delivered a safe and effective service and added: “We are aware of the need to keep emergency cover in the area. Calls are responded to based on patient need. This means sending patients the most appropriate response, which if they have an immediately life-threatening condition, such as cardiac arrest, will be the closest available resource.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here