tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post6060565209879430392..comments2023-10-22T10:16:40.522+01:00Comments on The Broken Paramedic: Visiting London Ambulance Service HQ (Part Two): The Chief Executive and Operations Director on Dealing with Staff PressureMat Westhorpehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08553980835026556794noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-74077699947342620222015-11-09T10:27:12.067+00:002015-11-09T10:27:12.067+00:00Forced to travel One and half hrs to do a twelve h...Forced to travel One and half hrs to do a twelve hrs shift, into a congestion charged area when you are not paid the London weighting wages, you won't get the congestion charge of £22 refunded, imagine as normal routine you are bound to finish shift at least 30 minutes to an hour late!!! add on the one and half hours drive back home to sleep on time for your next shift that same day!!! Fifteen to Sixteen Hours For a Day shift !!! Work on until your retirement age of 68!! Very LAS patriotic!! You think I will miss the opportunity to jump this ship whilst I am still ALIVE!! They are breaking us apart!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-40721532370179041002015-06-26T11:17:02.828+01:002015-06-26T11:17:02.828+01:00Management appear to say all the right things in a...Management appear to say all the right things in all the right places, make the appropriate noises and gestures, while nodding their heads in conversation - so why does it always feel this serves only to sell the illusion that they care or are listening?<br /><br />I don't think they ever have, save a very (and I stress that adjective) few people who show some degree of sympathy with the staff. <br /><br />The attitude has always been, "...if you don't like it...," and this has come to bite them on the proverbial because staff have been doing - and continue to do - exactly that. It surprises me that even with this current situation, they still offer no sanction or diminishment of their ever robust management style. <br /><br />I don't imagine this current crisis will improve any time soon; it will likely deepen further.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-15953619863476307952015-06-24T13:05:05.130+01:002015-06-24T13:05:05.130+01:00They were a split crew that had no break from a 18...They were a split crew that had no break from a 18.30 start so would be Red 1 only at 05.45.<br />Being a split crew means one person was due to finish at a different station from Mr Daly (a situation only bought about by so many fed up staff already having left) so he would need to drop them off and still need to get back to his own station to finish at 06.00 having had no break all night. They should never have been sent the job, let alone when it was 10 miles out of their own area. If they had done the job they would have worked more than 13.5 consecutive night shift hours. But Killens thinks that's fine and don't dare to stand up for yourself, your colleague or the public safety when you are fatigued and tell control they will make you into a patient by expecting you to continue working.<br />It wasn't even a R2 at the time - it was an amber call.<br />Does a caring and reasonable employer place such demands on its staff? I doubt you will find any other one even trying it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-86055272721099175342015-06-01T23:29:20.517+01:002015-06-01T23:29:20.517+01:00Not sure whether anyone can clear this up, but HCP...Not sure whether anyone can clear this up, but HCPC findings state they were given the call at 05:20 before a 6 am finish. If they were on a 12 hour rostered shift and hadn't had a break shouldn't they have been R1 only at that point? Surely a 25yo nausea and vomiting with dizziness is at best R2? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-19723142948277882352015-05-23T17:37:27.544+01:002015-05-23T17:37:27.544+01:00I think this blog is great, and I hope with all my...I think this blog is great, and I hope with all my heart that it's a thorn in the throat of anyone who's not sincerely working to improve the lives of all frontline ambulance staff.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-79397432832190739022015-05-22T23:11:28.159+01:002015-05-22T23:11:28.159+01:00We have huge numbers of new staff in EEAST but the...We have huge numbers of new staff in EEAST but they are not qualified (they are mainly student paramedics) and it's putting even more strain on the qualified staff who don't even have the luxury of a crew mate they can rely on. They are leaving in their droves because they feel isolated and can't cope with the pressure. There are EMT'S who are expected to mentor these brand new students with zero experience (I've seen them not knowing how to work the BM machine and other basics) and there are often situations where one qualified staff member has two students because there are not enough qualified staff to put them with. Extra staff is not necessarily the answer to the problem...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-59608516014223704632015-05-22T22:57:25.521+01:002015-05-22T22:57:25.521+01:00The people they talk about who leave to work elsew...The people they talk about who leave to work elsewhere in the NHS have generally worked elsewhere in the NHS before joining the ambulance service and therefore have options for a way out. Unfortunately for the rest of us we are stuck. I joined 9 years ago with the intention of it being a career for the whole of my working life. This is what I wanted to do since I left school and I have very limited options to get out based on my Paramedic qualification alone and don't know what else I would want to do which leaves me feeling lost. I'm only 30 so my retirement is so far in the future I daren't even think about it and there is nowhere for me to go within the service as I also have no desire to become management. I have been clinically depressed due to the job, and I can tick off the vast majority of symptoms of depression in my husband and other colleagues who have all been in for at least as long as me or longer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-25746604263339236142015-05-20T12:17:07.376+01:002015-05-20T12:17:07.376+01:00Yes, all staff are dispensable, ready to be cast a...Yes, all staff are dispensable, ready to be cast aside at the slightest transgression. Roll on the next young, eager and enthusiastic replacement to be used and abused in the same manner. And the management's 'bubble a mucker' scheme is going great guns too. You couldn't make it up. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-18373049318494792532015-05-19T21:37:08.672+01:002015-05-19T21:37:08.672+01:00It was Fionna Moore of course , who when quizzed a...It was Fionna Moore of course , who when quizzed at the seven seven inquest.Criticised a first on scene medic at a major incident for not treating a patients as he assessed the scene as gold medic. The fact that he was doing what he should be doing ASSESSING ! The scene and reporting to EOC seemed to have escaped her.LAS management's logic regarding cases like Eddie Daly is simple.If you are not fit to be at work go sick .If you go sick you will be sent to occupational health.If occupational say you are unfit to perform your duties you will be sent for a capability hearing .If you are deemed to be incapable of performing your duties you will be sacked .Here endeth the lesson.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-70522886985865768562015-05-19T14:34:22.081+01:002015-05-19T14:34:22.081+01:00Sack them all and start again Fionna. You don'...Sack them all and start again Fionna. You don't stand a chance of turning it around with that shower directing operations. Be strong start from scratch promote caring people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-23780908838862487882015-05-18T19:06:38.356+01:002015-05-18T19:06:38.356+01:00I'm sure the rest of you will get it faster th...I'm sure the rest of you will get it faster than me, but to understand the youtube downfall parody you should know in German the number one is 'ein' and for overseas readers the 111 service ('ein, ein, ein service') as opposed to the 999 emergency service is a health advice and out of hours physician service. Often when you call this service the default option is to send an emergency ambulance (especially if the service is run by a private for profit company) because it doesn't cost them anything to send an ambulance whereas it does cost the company to give health advice or to send a visiting physician.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-39170009627024718672015-05-18T18:07:50.918+01:002015-05-18T18:07:50.918+01:00written article but you were fed the same old reas... written article but you were fed the same old reasons by Killens who should have been a politician as he is able to put a positive spin on anything and appears to be Teflon coated when it comes to taking any responsibility for all that's wrong with our service . He has overseen the services failure to reach its targets for the first year in memory and the most damming staff survey ever and frankly some of his reasons for such a embarrassing staff retention rate just shows how out of touch with reality he is , a large majority of staff that have left in the past four years failed to receive a exit interview that's how interested they were in finding out why they were leaving . his view that the disgruntled staff are in the minority is again far from the truth and yes there is the LIA Facebook page but its full of his sycophants who hang on his every word as anyone who puts any negative comments on there is ridiculed and driven off ( I know many staff who have left the site for this reason). Staff are currently working rotas that are having a detrimental effect on there health /work life balance that were enforced upon us as he sold us out to receive his extra funding . I believe there is a petition going around several complexes for a vote of no confidence in the current EMT/SMT in taking this service forward and is being signed by a large majority of staff . His restructure of the management team has appeared to target the wrong people and certain local managers that staff respected have lost there roles ( our new ADO for the east was a former scenes of crime officer /salesmen ) I think he's miss under stood when reading staffs comments regarding not being listened too or supported they were referring to him and his senior managers at waterloo not local level. Until we have a total change at the top I am afraid we will never get back to the great service we once were . were often described as a world class ambulance service on Saturday I responded to a call where a 97 year old male who had fallen in his back garden and waited 7 hours for a vehicle !!! WORLD CLASS A Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-77395670960244021112015-05-17T19:33:19.005+01:002015-05-17T19:33:19.005+01:00This is all so evident on jobs. Fire Brigade are s...This is all so evident on jobs. Fire Brigade are supported by senior ranks in many incidents. Police officers are congratulated and supported during or immediately after incidents by sgt's or inspectors. Ambulance staff staff are abandoned with no officer or team leader support and chased by technology, 14 minutes and EOC for the next job. I see Police getting food day and night in many different boroughs. Ambulance staff are completely unable to get food or even grab a tea/coffee, fearing they will get the sack walking to the costa coffee at the other side of the Hospital. Myself I've left, and others have left, one barely newly qualified paramedic gone to a police service. The blissful inability to grasp frontline issues and the chatter pumped out by top levels is like a politician ignoring the question and chattering ignorantly away about this and that. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-4614012004136686892015-05-17T19:33:02.844+01:002015-05-17T19:33:02.844+01:00Yes, suspect it is because I am signed in to wordp...Yes, suspect it is because I am signed in to wordpress under another name, please delete this if you wish as have answered on the other thread.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-45685604620447257632015-05-17T18:00:26.151+01:002015-05-17T18:00:26.151+01:00Sorry John, I keep finding your comments in the sp...Sorry John, I keep finding your comments in the spam box. I'm not sure why, perhaps the spam bot doesn't like your use if quotation marks or something. I responded in more detail in the <a href="http://brokenparamedic.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/seeking-crowd-funding-patrons-to.html" rel="nofollow">Seeking Crowd-Funding Patrons to Support Broken Paramedic</a> discussion thread.<br /><br />Thanks again for your support. Mat Westhorpehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08553980835026556794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-24835209394444110712015-05-17T17:46:47.811+01:002015-05-17T17:46:47.811+01:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator."John Smith"noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-75349559598556906762015-05-17T16:36:17.262+01:002015-05-17T16:36:17.262+01:00Can't think of many employers who would be hap...Can't think of many employers who would be happy or resigned to the fact that all their professional, experienced employees are going to leave before retirement.<br /><br />If that is the attitude and culture of a senior manager no wonder we are in the shite. Can we please replace such managers with supportive managers who will try everything in their power to make it a pleasant place to work by encouraging and supporting their professional employees to stay and do the job we love to do. <br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-36975417830065098452015-05-17T15:40:35.806+01:002015-05-17T15:40:35.806+01:00If you haven't seen a "Downfall" par...If you haven't seen a "Downfall" parody, here's a related one for a little light relief. Copy and paste this address into your web browser and imagine it as your local ambulance HQ Director of Ops :<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DGpF1yDvIQAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-18940756784308034772015-05-17T15:13:39.507+01:002015-05-17T15:13:39.507+01:00I have followed this with interest, OUR service is...I have followed this with interest, OUR service is broken and unfortunately the "SMT" run a programme of "just do it" we all accept change but when at the restructure meeting we asked why we were told by mr K because it is time to change. We are not solving the problem just changing who listens to it. Sadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08704656631572988921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-67180215679332409942015-05-17T13:40:59.405+01:002015-05-17T13:40:59.405+01:00I swither whether to comment, as I fall into the c...I swither whether to comment, as I fall into the category of downtrodden and broken, and an now an ex-NHS ambulance worker. However, I still feel very strongly about the service I was forced to leave behind.<br /><br />I saw the same sort of behaviour from managers in my service. They certainly can talk the talk. One night I spent 4 hours composing an e-mail to the Chief Exec. 4 hours to make sure it wasn't a babbling rant. I finally pushed send at 5am (and no, no alcohol was involved!) I was so fed up with the constant mismanagement, lack of interest in staff welfare and lack of interest in the service being provided to the public (unless a journalist was listening) and I felt no-one was listening. I had tried the appropriate channels to report the mistakes, and after a number of years of nothing being fixed, I felt backed into a corner while desperately trying to fix it. I would have thought it had all fallen on deaf ears if it wasn't for the fact I had become labelled as a bit of a trouble-maker.<br /><br />The response I received was much like Mr Killens. Telling me that they were listening to staff through the staff survey etc etc, and that there were wonderful initiatives in the pipeline that were going to make everything better. Blah blah blah. Much like the previous initiatives that had not worked properly, the working groups that had been set up to fix problems and were disbanded before achieving anything, like the whistleblowing policy that staff were too scared to use because of the consequences.<br /><br />Why do ambulance staff have such a finite career length? I don't believe that is the case across all medical professions. Experience is important to frontline ambulance staff. We've been trying to become a proper profession for some time now. This should not be a fleeting career. By even mentioning that and trying to justify it, I feel Mr Killens is completely missing the point.<br /><br />I feel sorry for everyone left but also pleased that someone remains to look after the family and friends I left behind when I had to leave the country to continue working in the profession and earn a steady salary. I'm not ready to stop being a paramedic yet. I feel I was both too weak and too strong to continue working in that environment.<br /><br />Like I say though, I'm one of the broken ones.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10312041756129526097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-79973232115364702462015-05-17T12:28:48.290+01:002015-05-17T12:28:48.290+01:00Give it time ......!Give it time ......!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-38279945153536690962015-05-17T12:17:40.124+01:002015-05-17T12:17:40.124+01:00Not so much a culture of fear - although most mana...Not so much a culture of fear - although most managers are too scared of the implications to speak out or challenge - but in my experience it's more a question of there being a culture of 'what's the point.' The senior team have been saying all this positive stuff for years, and some have actually been trying to make it happen. But so long as there are managers like Jason Killens saying all these glossy positive things in public but saying (and doing) very contrary things behind closed doors, things that perpetuate the bullying, 'just do as I say' management style seemingly preferred by him and many (although not all) of his top team, it will never change.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-45798778806638830772015-05-17T11:48:02.502+01:002015-05-17T11:48:02.502+01:00No climate of fear.....hmmm strange how all of the...No climate of fear.....hmmm strange how all of the replies, including mine are anonymous? Why is mine anon, err because I've already been warned about speaking out!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-71520679688775971162015-05-17T10:59:19.790+01:002015-05-17T10:59:19.790+01:00Don't worry Steve, Eddie Daly was discussed at...Don't worry Steve, Eddie Daly was discussed at length, but I'll be covering that in a separate article. The above article is about 2,500 words and contains only a fraction of the discussion. We spoke for over an hour (at least 20 minutes of it about Eddie) and I've transcribed all 13,000 words (36 pages), so you'll understand that fitting it all into a single article would be impossible. I'll get other material out as soon as I can.Mat Westhorpehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08553980835026556794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573632931588970083.post-79235792460676446812015-05-17T10:34:22.763+01:002015-05-17T10:34:22.763+01:00I feel the same as you, I have worked frontline fo...I feel the same as you, I have worked frontline for over 35 years. My paramedic course was six weeks long and thirty years ago and no matter how hard I try, I find it impossible to reach the knowledge of a three year university trained paramedic, but that is who we are compared to and judged against! I have decades of knowledge and experience, but this matters not a jot, as its only paper qualifications that count these days. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com