Responding to NHS England’s announcement today (Thursday) about changes to ambulance call handler targets, national ambulance officer Alan Lofthouse said: “Every second counts for emergency call handers. So giving them longer to do their job will help save scarce resources at a time when staff are under huge pressure. “But common sense changes alone won’t rescue underfunded […]
ambulance
Branches like these show how right we are to be proud of our union, and what UNISON activists are capable of, even in these difficult times.
Responding to the National Audit Office report published today (Thursday) on NHS ambulance services, UNISON head of health Christina McAnea said: “Across the entire NHS, the picture is the same. There’s simply not enough money to cope with growing demand. “The lack of investment in social care means ambulance and other NHS emergency services are […]
The role of a paramedic will be re-banded nationally, giving paramedics the opportunity to earn more as they progress. The Department of Health, NHS Employers and ambulance unions have agreed paramedics will be re-banded nationally from band 5 to band 6. This new deal will see paramedics in England move up the pay scale from […]
UNISON has today (Monday) informed the East of England Ambulance Service that it is to ballot frontline ambulance staff over possible strike action concerning managers’ failure to tackle the problem of excessive working hours and lack of sufficient breaks. In December 2015, 2,995 shifts finished over an hour later than planned, and in January 2016 this rose […]
Fatal accident involving ambulance staff in North Wales has ‘devastated’ colleagues
Perhaps the health secretary doesn’t realise how important trust is for working people negotiating with their employers. But as Britain’s largest health union, we’re looking on with real concern at his behaviour, imposing contracts that junior doctors don’t want and failing to deliver on his commitments to ambulance workers.
Ambulance workers in England are to be asked if they would be prepared to take action over pay. Their three unions – GMB, Unite and UNISON – today (Monday) announced they will be consulting ambulance staff over pay and grading – issues they say should have been dealt with a year ago. Ambulance staff are […]
Ambulance staff, including paramedics, are to be balloted over whether they would be prepared to take industrial action over pay, UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis announced today (Monday). Speaking on the eve of the all-out junior doctors’ strike, he warned they will be next on the picket line unless Jeremy Hunt honours promises made a […]
Proposals include changes to meal breaks and ‘late finishes’ leading to compulsory overtime
UNISON has won an historic holiday pay victory for ambulance workers in Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS), which covers the four counties, has agreed to a union claim that holiday pay should include a payment for regular ‘overruns’. These are incidents of involuntary overtime worked by ambulance crews who attend […]
Agreement reached on regrading to reflect paramedics’ skills as UNISON prepared for industrial action ballot
‘We need a package that works for everyone,’ general secretary tells staff
East of England ambulance branch video sees staff talk about how stress affects their work and online petition backs solutions trust could adopt
Reports from around the picket lines, the internet and a new opinion poll show public backing for action by health workers in England