unite Life


BY DEBBIE WILKINSON


‘We break… we burnout’


I’ve been an NHS paramedic in Leeds for 27 years. I once worked out that means I have attended 999 calls at over 35,000 addresses.


It’s a job I love and am very proud to do. Pride in our profession links us all together but also in today’s NHS, so do feelings of frustration, helplessness and guilt.


We attend a 999 call – on blue lights and sirens – which is stressful enough.


We get to our destination and usually the first thing we are greeted with is – “I’ve been waiting hours for an ambulance.” Yet, the relief on people’s faces when we do turn up is palpable and that’s a big responsibility. We are literally the front line and bear the brunt of their frustration. They put their lives literally in our hands – there just aren’t enough of us.


The elderly patient lies on the floor for hours because they aren’t a high priority call – yet they may have a fractured hip, have had a stroke or are just unable to get up. We will now have to take them to A&E even if they’re uninjured because they’ve had a ‘long lie’.


When we get there, our hearts sink as we see the amount of patients waiting on the corridors with helpless staff wondering where on earth they are going to put everyone? Guilty – again.


A large volume of our work are mental health patients – who 34 uniteWORKS Spring 2018


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Paramedic Debbie Wilkinson (pictured) on the ‘guilt’ of an NHS worker


usually don’t want, or need to go to hospital – but we may still end up taking them to A&E. Yet again – we feel guilty.


While we wait to hand over our patients and transfer them off our stretchers – our radios constantly screech with the control room asking if anyone is available to clear to attend a ‘Red’ call. We can’t go – the hospital that is full to bursting can’t take our patient from us. Guilty – again.


The guilt and frustration are exhausting. I go home and worry at least half of the patients may come to harm, or worse – because funding cuts mean I haven’t got them the help they need.


Guilty and frustrated and we break.We burnout. Then we feel guilty we aren’t at work as we’ve had to go sick. I’ve just gone through that myself. Every time I heard a siren, I got upset – I wasn’t there helping my colleagues and patients – but yet I couldn’t be at work. If I’m not on my game people die.


We’ve just lived through seven years of pay restraint. I live alone and I had to go back to work. If I’m not working at least one day’s overtime a week I can’t manage. We don’t expect a fortune – just a decent living wage.


It’s no good this government telling us they value us at tragic times when atrocities occur but still won’t give us a decent pay rise.Only a Labour government can save our precious NHS and I for one am willing to fight to preserve it.


See page 9


Mark Thomas


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