Paramedic UK » SAS

Paramedic sues for £100k over assault

Editor — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:40:03 +0000

A paramedic who was off work for six months after being attacked by a patient is suing ambulance bosses for £100,000 after claiming they did not tell her the call-out was dangerous.

Lynn Sutherland was punched and kicked by 16-year-old Grahame Donnelly after racing to his home amid fears he had taken an overdose of anti-depressants.

The 37-year-old suffered injuries to her arm, ribs, shoulder and neck while trying to restrain the teenager.

Ms Sutherland launched a legal action for damages against the Scottish Ambulance Service at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

Her lawyers argue that the service failed to warn her that the teenager had already attacked his mother, adding that police should have been in attendance to provide support.

via Scotsman.com.

Ambulance breaks ministerial statement

Editor — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:39:59 +0000

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced that ambulance crews would move to a shorter working week in exchange for being available during rest breaks on 18 January 2012.

The death of Mandy Mathieson from Tomintoul, Moray in October last year brought a row over breaks to wider public attention.

An ambulance crew based 21 minutes away in Grantown-on-Spey responded to the call because a local ambulance technician was on a meal break.

Ms Sturgeon told MSPs: “I am grateful for the opportunity to outline to Parliament the detail of an agreement reached between the management and staff of the Scottish Ambulance Service in respect of the rest break issue.

“It is an agreement that I believe will deliver a long term and sustainable solution to the management of rest breaks.”

via BBC.

Postcode problem sends ambulances wrong way

Editor — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:22:09 +0000

A pensioner’s postcode is putting her health at risk as ambulances keep going to the wrong address.

Terry Heath, from Reddingmuirhead, suffers from terminal chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has had to call for help seven times in the past year.

Her condition means she needs hospital treatment when she becomes short of breath or she could die.

But when the 69-year-old gives the emergency service the address and postcode – FK2 0DU – for her cottage, Holloville, in Shieldhill Road, ambulances have ended up a mile away in Shieldhill.

Ms Heath said: “It’s driving me mad. The last time I waited over an hour for the ambulance to get here and police had to re-direct it.

via Falkirk Herald.

Government steps in to ambulance rest breaks dispute

Editor — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:16:59 +0000

The Scottish Government has stepped in to oversee talks aimed at resolving a dispute over rest break arrangements for ambulance staff.

Efforts to reach a deal over compensation for paramedics forced to work through their breaks have so far proved unsuccessful.

The Scottish Ambulance Service wants to end the practice whereby paramedics are not dispatched to emergencies during their break time.

Recent controversies, such as the death of Mandy Mathieson, 33, who had a cardiac arrest in Tomintoul, Moray, in 2010, have caused public anger over the policy.

via STV News.

GMB wants ambulance service upgraded to full emergency status

Editor — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:26:14 +0000

The GMB union is to seek an upgrade in the status of the Scottish Ambulance Service from an essential service to an emergency service like police and fire rescue.

Union negotiators made the request during talks with Scottish Ambulance Service management in Edinburgh on Monday.

The union also called for Scottish ministers to intervene in the dispute.

via The Courier.

Ambulance breaks ballot row result expected

Editor — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:40:47 +0000

The result of a ballot of ambulance staff, on a new deal to increase their payments for having their breaks interrupted by emergency calls, is due.

The death of Mandy Mathieson, of Moray, brought the row to wider public attention.

An ambulance technician stationed close to her home did not respond to a call as he was on a break.

Read full article at – BBC News.

Paramedics’ drugs stolen from ambulance as they attended 999 call

Editor — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:19:44 +0000

Paramedics who attended to a 999 call had their bag containing hospital drugs stolen from their ambulance.

The ambulance workers responded to an emergency call in South Lanarkshire on Boxing Day when the thief struck.They were called to a property in Logan Street, Blantyre, at around 1pm. When they returned to their vehicle, the paramedic response bag was missing.

Strathclyde Police are appealing for information after the bag was handed into Blantyre Police Office by a member of the public who had found it in a garden in the town’s Anford Place nearby the following morning.

via STV News.

Ambulance workers urged to accept cash offer in row over rest breaks

Editor — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:04:25 +0000

Scottish ambulance workers were urged last night to accept the new deal being offered to settle the row over staff being called out on their meal breaks.

All mercy crews are being offered £1,500 upfront and £100 if they respond to an emergency during their rest time. The offer – which unions will take to their members in a ballot next month – has been tabled after the deaths of Moray woman Mandy Mathieson and a young boy from Perthshire.

via Press and Journal

New offer in ambulance breaks call-out row

Editor — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:31:37 +0000

Ambulance staff are to be balloted on a new offer to end a stand-off over paramedics and technicians being called out during rest breaks.

The death of Moray woman Mandy Mathieson last year brought the row to wider public attention.

An ambulance technician stationed close to her home did not respond to a call because he was on a break.

via BBC News.

Shetland needs technicians

Editor — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:42:59 +0000

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) is holding an informal public meeting in Brae Public Hall at 7.30pm on Friday for anyone interested in training to become a retained ambulance technician.

Representatives from the SAS seek to recruit eight people for the service, to be based in Brae. The SAS staff will explain what the job entails and will be available to answer any questions.

The move to follows a campaign by concerned islanders to increase ambulance provision. The ambulance service announced in May that it would provide a second ambulance for Shetland, crewed with retained team trained to ambulance technician standard.

The retained team will be dispatched when the full time staff are unavailable, or their arrival could delay treatment.

via ShetlandTimes.co.uk.