Tea Breaks
I’m guessing a lot of you will already have read Reynolds’ post about the news that ambulance crews are now allowed (shock, horror) official tea breaks — half-an-hour in a twelve hour shift, unpaid — and the fact that The Sun apparently thinks this is “barmy”. Here are my views from the Control side of the fence — I would be interested to hear the views of any LAS crews reading this.
Before the new rules came in, it wasn’t that ambulance crews didn’t get any breaks at all, but they certainly didn’t get the kind of breaks most people would find acceptable. Crews on q***ter stations would be able to return to station between calls, and crews on busier stations would take a few minutes out at hospital after each call, listening to their radio to see if Control are holding any serious calls in their area. In both cases, crews would find their breaks frequently interrupted, with Sod’s Law dictating that if any of them were to attempt to eat any hot food or light a cigarette, a call would come in straight away. At q***ter times, we would ring stations to officially put crews “on break” but these breaks could be interrupted for any call. If crews got no break, or an interrupted break, they got a small payment (about £5, I think?) to compensate them. It seemed to me that everyone was content with this system.
The new system dictates that each crew must have a break in a certain time slot. The first twenty-minutes are uninterruptible whilst the last ten can only be interrupted for a Suspended. (Incidentally, what is this “code red” business the press keep going on about? I heard it first during the Kayleigh Christie case, and now again with meal breaks. It’s not a term we actually use…) I haven’t worked a shift on Dispatch since this rule came in, but I hear the rumblings coming down the stairs, and it seems no-one is happy. In particular, there seems to be a record level of antagonism between crews and control staff. I am not even sure what they are arguing about; it just seems to be a source of constant conflict, with confused controllers trying to interrupt uninterruptible breaks, crews not wanting to go on break, crews wanting to go on break, crews saying they are still on break when control think they are not on break, crews being on break when we are holding fifteen Cat A calls, etc, etc, etc. It has got so bad that people are actually getting to work and asking to be on Call Taking, because they are more likely to get into a slanging match with a crew than with an arsey caller.
From the Call Taking perspective, all I keep noticing is that whenever I get a really serious call, there’s always a FRU a few metres away… on its sodding break!!!
In summary, crews are entitled to their breaks, and I think it is completely ridiculous for the Sun, Control or anyone else to complain about them being given them. We all get our half hour lunch break without interruption and I am sure the Sun journalists get a lot longer than that. On the other hand, I’d like to see the system become a bit more flexible and somehow be revised in a way that stops all the aggro. In most professions, one gets one’s uninterrupted lunch break most of the time, but when things at work get hectic or there is some kind of emergency, lunch is sometimes postponed or cut short, and it does seem a bit ridiculous that if someone drops dead outside the ambulance station, we can’t even ask the crew on break inside if they could put their sandwiches down to go and help.
Hopefully this is all just teething problems, and in a few months everyone will be all smiles again.
on December 16th, 2006 at 12:10 pm
Hi Mark.
Not sure why LAS don’t use the same system we have in GMAS or NWAs as it is now. We have 2 half hour meal breaks, 1 of which is unpaid and we can be interupted at any time for a job unless we’re out of the system i.e. we have gone more then half the shift without a break. As for code red we have 3 catagories up here Green, Amber and Red. As regards the Red, the press probably think it sounds sexier!
on December 16th, 2006 at 12:17 pm
Yeah, we have the green, amber, red system too, but no-one ever says “Code Red”. It sounds like the name of some kind of dodgy American tv programme about spies.
on December 16th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
Well I suppose I,d better start the ball rolling.
And remember this is my take on things and everyone is entitled to their opinion.
I am a Paramedic. I work as a crew and on the RRV/RFU. We are a demand driven service. When its busy it is difficult to get a proper break, if at all. When its not busy we sometimes get downtime to make up for the busy periods.
People that I work with want an uninterrupted break/normal break/full stand-down break or combinations thereof.
Personally I get knackered running from job to job and not getting fed and watered properly, but, that is the nature of the beast. I would not like to be put on an uninterruptible break to later find out that someone had died nearby who possibly could have been saved by a more prompt attendance.
I firmly believe that the AMPDS system of control and despatch is crap and is sending us to too many Cat A red call jobs when a lesser response could be used. Cat As stop people from getting breaks….I mean the wrongly coded As. A real Cat a is fair enough, thats we are here for.
We are the busiest emergency service and we are getting busier. The police can turn out at their own discretion and the fire brigade get plenty of rest and have their own kitchens and cooks. (This is not a dig at our colleagues in the police & fire.)
It seems like the new break system is going to be very devisive and will lead to a breakdown in harmony between roadcrews and puzzle palace.
on December 16th, 2006 at 12:58 pm
I firmly believe that the AMPDS system of control and despatch is crap and is sending us to too many Cat A red call jobs when a lesser response could be used.
Totally agreed. I think this is the biggest problem that the ambulance service have, and that if they made a bit more effort to put this right, then everything else would start falling into place.
on December 16th, 2006 at 1:29 pm
The compulsory breaks protect patients and the public as well as staff. Maybe someone in Brussels actually used their loaf and thought about what can happen when tired ambulance drivers are let loose in heavy traffic.
Of course you can’t guarantee daily lunch breaks at set times in our line of work but a crew that has gone for hours without a break is a danger, not an asset. The issue is not about European busybodies trying to force the Siesta on the unwilling British workforce, although that would be a nice side-effect …
on December 16th, 2006 at 2:19 pm
Its typical of the senstionalist sun to make a big hooha aout something like this. I read the article and thought a lot of the stuff they said was a load of rubbish, such as not being able to go and help someone right outside their station because theyre on their breaks. I do not believe that would ever happen, I have a lot more faith in the people who work in emergency care in this country than that, and am pretty sure that if a situation such as this arose that no one would be too bothered about missing their break if it meant someone got to live to see another day.
on December 16th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
We have had unpaid, uninterruptable breaks for quite some time now in my service. While it is nice to know you can start microwaving your soup without fear of being sent out, it is not ideal. A short while ago I was working on the car, and got sent to a serious job (’code red’, I guess!) while the crew from my station was on a break, so my back up was sent from the next nearest station - about 20 miles away. The incident was not in a house so I was left managing the patient outside, hoping the relatives didn’t get stroppy with me because the ‘proper ambulance’ that could actually take the patient to hospital took a while to arrive. I’m glad the relatives didn’t know that there was an ambulance parked at station 2 minutes down the road where the crew were on break.
Most people I know wouldn’t mind still being interrupted for the cardiac arrests and other serious calls, but sadly the AMPDS categorises in a quirky old way, and when it decides that all the ‘collapsed’ drunks are worth interrupting din-dins for, all that goodwill may quickly go out the window.
on December 16th, 2006 at 3:35 pm
We have had the choice over whether to have an interruptable or uninteruptable break for some time now. We have to let control know within twenty minutes of the shift starting. If we make the choice of being available and are then called upon, we get a compensatory payment of £20, though we are not necessarily reallocated any untaken break time.
We have ‘windows’ in which to take the breaks, if the window time elapses we are still available, but cannot be sent on standby; if it all goes wrong and we work eight hours without a break we can only be ‘offered’ any jobs that come in until we get back to station and then we are stood down for half an hour. We gripe about it, but then we gripe about most things, however it sounds a better deal than many are getting.
Nicenurse
on December 16th, 2006 at 5:48 pm
My take fram my service is on myblog (above). Everywhere is different but crews do need to ear and some respite. no one wants to think that someonewill die because were on a break but there are deeper issues as to why this might happen.
on December 16th, 2006 at 10:08 pm
Mark
I’m one of the road crews who are trying to understand this break system. I work in one of the busy areas and prefer it that way.
For the system to work, AMPDS has to be re-written so that it doesn’t take into account the American litigation system so that the calls receive the correct priority and the major shift changes need to be staggered more.
So far, today has been the only time i’ve been put on a break, and while welcome both myself and crewmate would have rather carried on. We had been busy throughout the shift up until the break and then found it harder to ‘get back into the swing of things’.
Personally, I’d rather grab a quick drink and a sandwich while completing the paperwork at the end of each job and move onto the next one.
on December 17th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
I would hate to be in the position ambulance drivers are in. Take your break and some one might die. Don’t take your break and your health suffers. In my job, busdiving, we have to have a 30 min break by law. Now and then if you start your break late you can end up starting the second half late. At least this is most unlikely to end up with some one dying. Being late for work maybe but not dying at a bus stop.
on December 17th, 2006 at 5:20 pm
I only had 1 break out of three shifts this week but i prefer to eat when im hungry not when in told to on a 12 hour shift they can insist you have a break after the 4th and before 10th hour.personally i dont want a break after 4 hours theres still 8 to go and yes we are running further to call cos another sector fru is on break. on the other hand if you are on a shift less than 8 hours they can put you on break half hour after starting work theres no point having one.
on December 17th, 2006 at 8:10 pm
Ok, I’m gonna chip in my tuppence worth.
Old Trust terms and conditions = 40 hours per week with no meal-breaks. It was crap but we all learned how to play the system. (Remember we used to have an unpaid 1 hour running overtime as well)
Now we have agenda for change = 37 1/2 week. We still work the same shift patterns which gives 45 mins break on 12 hour shifts and 30 mins break on 8 hour shifts.
We told management we’d stick to the old system of interrupted breaks if they paid us for the “down time”. The tight bastards said NO! We told them they’d be in trouble. They said “no they wouldn’t”
Well now there are. “Told ya so”
They want us to opt for interrupted breaks. £20 ‘compensation’ if you actually get called out (for code reds only of course).
Being a militant lot we’ve told them to go and “stuff the 20 quid where the sun don’t shine” It’s a no brainer really. Go back to the old system and we’re all happy.
on December 18th, 2006 at 8:37 am
I’d love an uninteruptable break. We work a 12 hour shift and are only paid for 11.5 hours. If I’m not being paid for 30 mins I don’t expect to work, regardless of who might need an ambulance. That’s not a crew problem, it’s a management problem, of their own making. I will happily have my breaks disturbed, if I am getting paid. What we need in our trust is more ambulances on the road and less management. Then we could have undisturbed and unpaid breaks (as has already been mentioned, MPDS needs a review).
It is dangerous when we go twelve hours without a break. We may have been up two hours ahead of our shift start time and we rarely finish on time either so when you’re working four shifts in a row, you usually only get about 6 hours sleep maximum. But where still expected to drive using emergency procedures and carefully calculate drug dosages and be polite, thoughtful and helpful to patients, relatives and ‘concerned’ bystanders. I find the drive home quite challenging sometimes too!
I know people think we should be able to ‘fiddle’ a tea and a sandwich sometime throughout our shift, however, when we get sent our without the opportunity to check our vehicle, we are not allowed more than 20 mins for a handover at hospital, we get radioed at hospital asking us to green up before we have even handed the patient over to Sister and we get refused permission to refuel the vehicle, how can we sneak in a cup of tea? Last night I was driving back to station, late off, but they still allocated us a red call despite being 30 mins after our shift had ended…
on December 18th, 2006 at 1:45 pm
The obvious answer to me would be more cover (more ambulances, more staff). I’m sure these are all just teething problems though and in time everyone will be able to strike a balance.
on December 18th, 2006 at 2:44 pm
I do not see why anyone should get their knickers in a twist about people having breaks. 12 hours is a long time without food and I reckon you are more likely to make mistakes if your running low on sugar.
I work as a nurse in a busy hospital, I would love it if I got paid everytime my break was interupted. It is not often I can sit for the whole 1/2 hour without having to speak to a relative, go to theatre, attend to my patients. I do not mind doing any of these things but medical workers are intitled to eat just like the rest of the world.
I find working 14 hour shifts without a break almost impossible, I cannot remember how many times I am eating my lunch/dinner at 9pm so that I feel safe to drive home. What about the safety of my patients preceding this?
on December 19th, 2006 at 6:51 am
Originally our crews had two 30 min breaks in a 12 hour shift. The first interruption netted them £5 to cover cost of a spoilt meal.
Since A4C and Euro-”peon” working laws crews now have one paid and one unpaid break (still 30 mins and still 12hr shifts). If a crew is interrupted on a paid break, that’s part of the job. If the crew is interrupted on an unpaid break they net a £15 compensation. 5 hours on the road with no break and you get a protected, non interuptable break.
Up in Control we used to have two paid 30min breaks, to make up for the fact that we couldn’t leave the premises in case of a Major Incident. Now with the hours juggling, that has changed to the same one paid, one unpaid deal the roadstaff get.
The only difference being we rarely take the breaks and Control Officers sometimes force us out of the room. This is not through being q***et but more to do with not wishing to leave your colleagues in the brown stuff. Almost impossible to justify having your break interupted and claim the £15 in Control.
At the end of the day everyone can sneak in a cuppa here and there and nobody will collapse from lack of food, but people need to have a “break”. A moment to unwind without worrying about the phone/radio.
The Sun would have a campaign defending the rights of the British Public to an old fashioned cuppa, but as soon as it involves ambulances it’s another matter???
Why does the media hate us so?
on December 20th, 2006 at 1:23 pm
Neither of you would be in this mess if:
* AMPDS was better at classifying calls. (I doubt it’ll ever be perfect, though)
* Abusing the emergency service number was made a criminal offence.
* There were enough bloody ambulances and crews to go around!
God help Rebecca Wade if she ’suspends’ inside the M25, that’s all I can say. And really, if it’s a genuine Category A then nine ambulance crewmen out of nine will leg it for the big white taxi regardless.
on December 22nd, 2006 at 2:03 am
Welcome to the world of the police.
on December 25th, 2006 at 9:59 pm
Just to put the record straight for us Fireys. You are busier than us but we are getting busier each year with less machines available. Our kitchens are going under modernisation and more than 50% of the cooks who only work between 7am & 1pm are left. Those remaining are being redeployed and will be gone very soon.
We are all dedicated enough to not be on a break when someone needs your help, but at what point do you need a break because your performance is starting to dip.
Your system of breaks sounds all over the place, but to be fair non interruptable breaks dont exist in our service. Good luck I hope you do sort it. Even when we have boken breaks we always make sure our crews are fed and watered at some point.
on December 27th, 2006 at 3:59 pm
Our system sounds like nicenurses.
Our crews are entitled (and always have been) to an undisturbed 30 minute break somewhere in their “window”. However, they are given the choice of going disturbed or undisturbed and they have to let the EMD know when they sign onto shift which it will be. 95% of the time they will choose disturbed because it’s just the done thing, and they get paid if they get disturbed.
This seems to work most of the time, it rarely causes any tension between EMDs and crews (there’s enough other things to do that) - the only time it does is when a crew is disturbed and it turns out to be a panic attack or something, but then panic attacks are every EMDs nightmare anyway. Stupid AMPDS. I’m waiting for protocol 34: Timewaster.
on January 25th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
being on the road crew in london for 26 yrs in the past 4>5 years i cannot remember actually getting a break (officially) but found most controllers if they were able to let you grab a bite while out they were great.and apart from rare occasions we were all happy to accept this plus it gave us something to winge about ha ha.but the service was getting vehicles to patients even the rare geniune ones. but now and(being a single male not organised not always bringin in food) we get put on break after just 4 hrs of the shift when we have probably only done 2 jobs, we are not tired and if we ask if we can go and get some food befor are being told it is a RESTBREAK not a meal break so no,or if on the rare occasion we bring in microwaveable food yuk! 2 or 3 crews get put on at the same time so you cant all use the facillities together .then the next 7 hours you get rushed off your feet and have to go without this whole system comes across as a money saving scheme rather than worry about crew welfare.plus to top it all if you do not get a restbreak at all and you get sent home half hour early (which is your time) you loose fifteen minutes nad dont get this magic £10 so it seems the best way for the service once the inforce new rotas where vehicles are staggared enough to cope with this downtime. to not even bother to give crews restbreaks at all then you save 15mins downtime per crew and dont have to give them any subs what a wonderful service this will be then .sorry if i sound critical but i think if tou ask them about 90% of opperational staff would admit moral is worse now than in 1989/1990 what a great time in this wonderful service (the job that we are ALL proud of bar none) that was
on January 25th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
sorry about the grammer and spelling mistakes just finished 3rd of 4 nights