I work for the best Ambulance Service in Britain!
I’m sorry if that statement upsets other Ambulance Services, their staff, and friends of mine who do a great job, but there you are, it’s the way I feel!
I suppose that I should also apologise to those people within, and outside, the National Health Service, who only see Unions as vehicles of confrontation, as a wrecking force, and not as a force for good, for bonding & building.
I am sorry to disappoint you, but we care about our Ambulance Service, we care about, and for, our patients, we care about the Public Sector, and, more importantly, we care about our members and staff who make the NHS and Ambulance Services what they are.
We are a force for good.
Our members and staff come to work every day to do a good job for the London Ambulance Service in looking after, and caring for, the people of this great Capital City of ours.
However, you wouldn’t think that after reading the booklet ‘A Time For Change’.
Everything that is seen to be wrong is simply laid at the feet of A&E staff.  The way staff have Rest Breaks. The way staff take Annual Leave. The way staff work their Rosters. The way staff do their work.
Blame the staff, blame the Union.
I may have misread it of course as there is a lot to take in, but it seems that all our agreements, made in good faith, are now the barriers to a successful Service in the future.
That is blatantly unfair.
We are not against change. The world has changed. The NHS has changed. Ambulance responses have changed. London Ambulance Service has changed.
However, of course, nothing stands still. The Union understands that, our members understand that. Change is constant as they say.
Former Tory Prime Minister Harold Macmillan once said that a ‘Wind of Change’ was blowing through Africa and I don’t think I exaggerate if I say that a ‘Tsunami of Change’ is blowing through the LAS! (He was also responsible for the ‘Night of the Long Knives’ but that’s a different story and I will leave it at that)!
UNISONÂ wants to save jobs within the LAS.
UNISON wants to reduce, and then get rid of the Private Sector from the LAS.
UNISON wants investment and recruitment within the LAS.
UNISON has a vision for London Health that the vast majority of Londoners also want and support.
To bring that about we have to treat staff fairly and treat staff right. I’m not sure ‘A Time for Change’ does that.
Forewarned is forearmed. Unfortunately we were not forewarned.
We have a duty and a responsibility to engage with Senior Management over these plans and proposals and we will be doing that over the next few weeks.
No one can disagree with the general principles and thrust contained within ‘A Time For Change’. We all want staff to be better trained and better used. We all want the incessant workload in London to be reduced so that staff are not ran ragged every day. We all want better outcomes for patients.
The devil is in the detail however, and it is amongst that detail that we have concerns.
While not wanting to throw the baby out with the bath water, we have to make sure that the baby has been washed in the first place.
http://news.lasunison.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Patient-Care-A5-v21.pdf
http://news.lasunison.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Rest-Break-Arrangements-FINAL-DRAFT-17Apr13.pdf
More information will be sent out soon.
Best wishes
Eric Roberts
Branch Secretary
