Legal News

Pressure placed on paramedics as a result of the NHS A&E crisis are resulting in higher levels of reported mental health conditions and a rise in the number of sick days paramedics are taking off work.

The Guardian reports that last year, paramedics took more than 40,000 days in sick leave as mounting pressures took their toll on the mental health of accident and emergency staff.

Data obtained under a Freedom of Information request to NHS ambulance trusts across England reveal that over the last three years, pressures on A&E services have coincided with an increase in sick leave for paramedics, with ambulance staff taking a total of 41,243 days in sick leave for stress-related illnesses in 2014.

The figures represent a 28% increase on figures for 2012 and are collected from nine of the ten ambulance trusts in England – the London Ambulance Trust did not respond to the Freedom of Information request.

The East Midlands ambulance services saw the largest increase in stress-related sick leave, with a rise of 142%.

The data shows that in 2014, a total of 146 paramedics took 6,536 days off for stress-related conditions in the East Midlands Ambulance Service – an increase from 2,696 in 2012.

In the West Midlands and East of England, there was a slight decrease in the number of days taken off by ambulance crews for stress-related illnesses, with stress-related leave falling from 3,701 days in 2012 to 3,371 in 2014 in the West Midlands.

Paramedic Gerry Egan – who is executive director of the College of Paramedics – said:

“It is clear that there are very real concerns among our membership in regards to mental ill health – and many are worried that they will not reach retirement age of 68 years as a result of physical or psychological injury.”

Fellow paramedic David Davis – Fellow of the College of Paramedics – said:

“As a paramedic who has suffered with stress and anxiety from the effect of paramedic duties, I understand only too well how devastating the impact of mental illness is.

“It is clear that the changing environment has a part to play – in years gone by, informal counselling and peer support was a feature of every ambulance station.

“Such are the pressures of ever-increasing and relentless 24/7 workload and escalating complexity of paramedic practice, that consideration must now be given to developing mechanisms to support paramedics and ambulance workers inside and outside the NHS.

“Paramedic work is rewarding and humbling; but there is no doubt that the role exposes my colleagues to scenes and circumstances that most members of the public will never see in their whole lives – it is little wonder that one of the risks associated with the role is an adverse effect on individuals’ mental health.”

In response to the increasing number of paramedics suffering from work-related mental health issues, NHS Employers has published new guidance for manager on how to reduce stress and improve support for staff who experience it.

The Department of Health said:

“We know paramedics provide life-saving care, often in stressful circumstances.

“To support our hardworking paramedics in delivering care to patients, we recently invested an extra £50 million into ambulance services, and there are 1,800 extra paramedics since May 2010.

“Well supported staff provide better care to patients, so it’s also vital ambulance trusts take ownership of workforce problems and better support staff if they run into difficulties.”

Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is the UK’s largest provider of Legal Aid mental health services and can advise mental health patients on their rights under the Mental Health Act, including access to NHS treatment and detention under the Mental Health Act.

There are Duncan Lewis offices nationwide and our mental health solicitors are available at short notice for appointments at police stations and hospitals to advise on mental health law.

In some cases, it may be possible to advise the nearest relative or carer of a mental health patient, including initiating treatment reviews, where appropriate.

For expert legal advice on mental health law, call the Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors’ Helpline on 0203 114 1124.