Three out of four paramedics say they are at “breaking point” as they describe how patients are dying while waiting for ambulances, a new study suggests.
The influx of COVID-19 patients has left staff suffering low morale and many believe the crisis is much worse than the first peak in March, according to a study by the GMB union.
Almost two out of three of the 2,000 ambulance staff surveyed said they should have better PPE, with some saying the situation was “very scary”.
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Ambulance delays ‘at a scale we’ve never seen’
“In 24 years in the ambulance service I’ve never ever seen staff sat on station at the start of the shift so frightened (almost to tears) to go out on an ambulance,” one response said.
Others described how they were “overwhelmed” as “calls waiting are in their hundreds for hours on end with little or no resources to send”.
“People are dying waiting for ambulances whilst crews are stuck at hospital with COVID-confirmed patients,” said another respondent.
In one particularly distressing experience, a paramedic said they had seen a taxi pull up in an ambulance bay with a dead man inside as his wife was shouting for help.
The latest data available shows 4,532 coronavirus patients were admitted to hospital on Tuesday.
Dr John de Vos, the lead COVID-19 consultant at The Royal Surrey County Hospital, told Sky News this week that hospital admissions are “relentless” and “come fast and they come all the time”.
There were 4,532 COVID hospital admissions on Tuesday
The number of people being admitted to hospital is expected to peak over the next week, according to England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty.
GMB national officer Rachel Harrison said: “This cannot go on – something has got to give. Ambulance staff are going off sick in droves while the service collapses around them, despite their heroic efforts.”
She said the PPE that ambulance staff are given “isn’t fit for purpose” and is “a massive factor in why the situation is so desperate”.
“Ambulance PPE needs addressing urgently or more people will die unnecessarily, including our ambulance workers,” she said.
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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “The safety of NHS and social care staff including paramedics has always been our top priority and we continue to work round the clock to deliver PPE that helps protect those on the front line.
“Guidance on the safest levels and standards of PPE is written by experts and agreed by all four UK chief medical officers. Our guidance is kept under constant review based on the latest evidence.”