| 1971: Skye ambulance staff endure "unbelievable" work conditions |
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Working practices for ambulance technicians on Skye could well be among the worst in Scotland, the GMB union said this week. Following a meeting in Inverness, the union have stepped up their campaign to abolish the practice of working 12 hours on call every day for a week, on top of a scheduled 12-hour shift. “It is unbelievable what goes on in Skye,” said GMB Highland officer Bruce Crabtree. “The siuation there is the worst I have come across. The situation is made worse by Portree Hospital closing its doors to people of an evening and the GP out-of-hours situation. The slack is being picked up by the ambulance service. “Staff have one minute to get out of bed, get dressed, and get into the ambulance. They are pulled like yo-yos all over the place and it is having a real impact on their health. In many remote areas staff don’t go home at the end of their working day like you and I do — we have a life in the evenings. but when you’re on-call you don’t.” Mr Crabtree said the Health and Safety Executive had given the Scottish Ambulance Service until next Monday to respond to their inquiries on the on-call system. “What we’d like to see is a workable shift pattern introduced,” added Mr Crabtree. |
