‘I am missing from so many family photos’ Ambulance Officer’s open letter

Ambulance Professionals have taken to writing letters to the board of trustees of St John in hopes their message will be heard. The Union has not received a response from the trust board despite the delegate bargaining group specifically asking them for help to step in on what is becoming an increasingly frustrating scenario for all involved. The first letter (below) is being released publically to raise awareness of what it’s like to be an ambulance professional and why shift recognition is so important to their work. A video of the letter can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/AmbulanceProfessionals/videos/2222428928028427/UzpfSTE4MTgzMTM0MTg5MTU1OToyNDIxMTc4NDAxMjkwMTY0/ Meanwhile, the partial strike actions of around 1000 ambulance officers are piling up for St John as it continues to refuse to acknowledge ambulance officer’s concerns.

The current partial strike actions in effect are a uniform ban, frontline staff not attending commercial events and the non-invoicing of patients. The following partial strikes will come into effect on February 9; • Graffiti on vans; Ambos will be writing messages on their vehicles to share the issues they are facing • Non-urgent patient transfers will be refused • Multiple-loading of passengers into vehicles will be refused All partial strikes have been designed to cause disruption to St John processes while keeping patient safety paramount.

LETTER ONE: I am missing from so many family photos. Not because I hate the camera but because I am a frontline Ambulance Officer. I have been rostered to work numerous Christmas’s and New Years’, and many more nights and weekends. I have more weekends at work, than off. I do not get to choose my rostered days on or the length of my shifts. I do this willingly for a job I love, and with the support of my family who sacrifice the most.

I have attended too many cardiac arrests to ever count. I have seen too many young people killed in their vehicles, drowned or died at the hands of those meant to protect them. I have identified your grandmother’s stroke in the dark, at 3am on the bathroom floor and ensured she received life-saving treatment within the short window available. I have taken away your pain. I have delivered your baby. I have shocked your husband’s heart so they he may arrive at hospital alive to receive treatment. I have cleaned up your mess when you got drunk and never made it to the toilet. I have broken into your house in the dark at night because your family are worried for your safety. I have seen you attempt and be successful at suicide.

I have also attended you when you called for stubbing your toe or cutting your finger. When you called because you had no transport to get to the doctor. When you called because you had a mild fever, were lonely or just didn’t know what else to do. Sometimes these calls came after I had seen people die. I never told you. I put a smile on my face and did my job.

I have been covered in your blood, sweat, urine and faeces. I have been spat at, groped, verbally and physically abused. You have threatened to punch my lights out and told me to get f****d when I tried to help you after crashing your motorcycle. I have worked 14-hour stretches with only one 30-minute break. I have worked in the crushing heat and punishing cold. My crew-partner and I have carried you, twice my size, down numerous flights of stairs because you couldn’t walk.

I am a qualified health professional. My pay has not kept up with inflation and most Ambulance Officers today are worse off financially than five-years ago. Paramedicine is the only health profession that does not receive penal rates for shift work, is not Professionally Registered, and our employer has a monopoly. Despite my Bachelor of Health Science in Paramedicine I am currently employed as an Emergency Medical Technician, meaning I can be paid even less than the already low Paramedic salary. This is akin to employing a nurse as a healthcare assistant. Would this be ok in any other health profession? Is this not a form of free labour?

My colleagues and I cannot continue to pay a high personal price for this job. We are at risk of falling over, some of us have already and are struggling to get back up. I have always been there for you. Now I need you to help me.

• We deserve shift recognition payments.

• We deserve to employed in the role we are qualified to perform.

• We deserve recognition as Registered Health Professionals.

• We deserve an employer than cares for us so we can care for you.

Anonymous.

ends

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