News & Reviews

London Bombings: A Paramedic's Tribute

Thousands of people attended a vigil in Trafalgar Square, London, on 14 July to remember the bombing victims and thank emergency crews for their efforts.

Andrea Shields, a paramedic and UNISON member, addressed the crowd and explained that she was one of the paramedics from the London Ambulance Service who treated the injured and cared for the dying at King’s Cross, Tavistock Square, Russell Square, Liverpool Street and Edgware Road.

“I’m Andrea Shields, a paramedic, UNISON member and I work in London.“I’m one of the paramedics from London Ambulance Service who treated the injured and cared for the dying at Kings Cross, Tavistock Square, Russell Square, Liverpool Street and Edgware Road.

“I worked first at the site of the bus bombing and then at Russell Square. And the scenes that I saw that day will always be with me. But I’m proud to be representing all ambulance workers today.“Proud of all the health and emergency workers who responded without question, who came in to help on their day off, who worked round the clock to rescue, treat or care for the victims, regardless of their own safety and comfort.

“London had an emergency plan and it worked well - admin, control and front-line staff pulling together to save lives. It was the day we all planned and trained for. But it was the day we all hoped would never happen.“The different services worked brilliantly together. Tube and bus drivers showed great courage in leading their passengers to safety.

“And ordinary people just wanting to help, to do what they could. I was proud of them too. Proud that people could be so compassionate.“But in the end, we all just did our job – just as we do every day responding to London’s emergencies.

“We have all witnessed some horrific scenes that will stay with us all for a very long time. Many of us have been traumatised by what we’ve had to deal with.“We’re not robots – we are human beings affected by horror and tragedy. Some of us had friends and family caught up in the bombings. But we are determined to carry on. We won’t be terrorised.

“As long as the people of London need us, we’ll be there. Just as London’s transport workers got on with the job of keeping our city moving.“We’ll be there for them whatever their race, creed or colour. We stand side by side with all the communities and all the faiths.

“Those who died were from all walks of life, different religions, different cultures, trade unionists. Just like us – human beings first. And we grieve for them.“The NHS is made up of workers from all over the world. London is made up of people from all over the world.

“We live together. We work together. And we won’t let this attack divide us.”

Questions & Answers for Roll Out Sites

Jointly agreed advice and guidance from the Staff Council on roll out of Agenda for Change is addressed mainly by questions and answers. The advice is for all four countries unless it specifically refers to one country only. The 'Questions and Answers' can be found on the NHS Employers website by clicking this link.Click here

Insurers urged to protect emergency services

Insurance companies have been urged to offer comprehensive protection to emergency personnel who put their lives on the line to protect the public and care for the injured.

UNISON said that it was “shocking” that some personal insurance policies, for example personal accident or mortgage indemnity policies, would not pay out to families of emergency workers killed or injured dealing with a terrorist incident.
The issue came to light after Somerset firefighters agreed to strike over the lack of such protection.The FBU finally decided to suspend the walk-out, due to start today, allowing time for a joint working party with management to investigate details of members’ personal insurance provision.

But the dispute has raised similar concerns for a range of emergency workers.

UNISON’s national officer for ambulance staff, Sam Oestreicher, said: “All ambulance trusts must train at least 10% of their crews to deal with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies.“At this time of heightened security, we should all be grateful that staff volunteer to undertake this training.“That is why it is so shocking to learn that some insurance companies would leave emergency workers and their families high and dry, if they were injured or killed dealing with this type of emergency.”

The union is calling on those companies to drop exclusion clauses and offer comprehensive protection to emergency services staff.

“UNISON Insurance does provide cover in these cases,” said Oestreicher,” but all insurance companies must do the right thing - drop these exclusions and offer comprehensive cover.”

National Ambulance Practitioner profiles released at last

(21/4/05) UNISON action to get the National Ambulance Practitioner profiles released has succeeded. Sam Oestreicher, secretary to UNISON's National Ambulance Sector Committee stated:

"Getting the profiles released is a major step forward. However this is only the first step in achieving true equality for ambulance staff in line with the rest of the NHS. The underlying reason behind the employer’s attempts to block the profiles, namely the supposed lack of funds, has not gone away.

“Ensuring that national profiles for all ambulance staff groups are properly applied throughout the service, using the agreed matching process, is the next step. We are aware that some employers will no doubt continue attempts to match staff on a cost rather than equality basis. UNISON will do everything possible to combat this approach and to maintain the integrity of the Job Evaluation scheme and all other Agenda for Change provisions.”

A statement from the National Ambulance Sector Committee and UNISON guidance on use of the practitioner profiles can be found below.

A1874: Practitioner guidelines:
A1874 AmbulancePractitioner.pdf
A1874b: Sector statement:
A1874b Sector Statement.pdf

Paramedics need help to revive marriages: University of Toronto study

Support services provided to paramedics should also be made available to their family members if these families are to remain healthy and intact, says a University of Toronto researcher."Family members continue to be the primary source of nurturance and safety for those who do this high-stress job," says Cheryl Regehr, U of T professor of social work and director of the university's Centre for Applied Social Research. "If they don't receive support themselves, it can lead to increased family stress, then family breakdown and divorce."

In a study published in the March-April 2005 Journal of Loss & Trauma, Regehr conducted in-depth interviews with 14 spouses/partners of paramedics working in a large, urban area to assess the extent to which trauma experienced by emergency service personnel affect their family members. She then used a computer program to analyze the results for themes.

Regehr notes that paramedics operate in a stressful work environment, coping daily with health dangers and changing shift schedules. Add a traumatic event, such as a death, to the mix and paramedics' emotional resources may be taxed. Generally, they bring the workplace stress and trauma home with them.

"The aftermath of the traumatic events these workers experience ripples out to encompass family members," says Regehr. "If you don't keep the family healthy, you don't keep the responders healthy and well.

" She says partners of paramedics cope with their distressed spouses in various ways. Some encouraged their spouses to debrief them about the death or injury, no matter how gruesome. Others tried to maintain an atmosphere of calm in the home and to avoid emotional interactions.

"This study is a first step in identifying the needs of a population that is often ignored," says Regehr.

[Source: Medical News Today]

More cleaners = cleaner hospitals

UNISON's action plan for cleaner hospitals:

UNISON believes that more and better-trained cleaning staff are key to improving standards of hospital cleanliness.Hospitals need to have sufficient, properly trained and equipped cleaning staff, who are valued and rewarded as an important part of the healthcare team.