In an alarming freedom of information revelation by the BBC, figures show that 17% of the entire workforce is signed off in the England Ambulance Service due to Stress.
Covering just under a fifth of all its members of staff, these numbers have risen by seven percent in half a decade.
To counter this, the Ambulance Service has enlisted qualified counsellors to offer psychological support to struggling employees. They have also committed to delivering a ‘strategic transformation programme.’
This transparency request occurred a month after a member of the Ambulance team was sacked and subsequently awarded £96,000 in compensation after a successful unfair dismissal tribunal. Gordon Flemming, a mechanic from Norwich, was dismissed after experiencing a bout of mental health issues.
A service spokesman stated:
“Awareness of mental health has increased and there has been a great drive to get people talking and being open about when they are having difficulty.
“More people are being trained in spotting the signs, knowing what to look out for in themselves and others, and when to do something about it.
“Without stigma staff are able to openly discuss difficulties which means they are not needing to hide behind other ‘sickness’ reasons too.
“And we are all more careful about recording data accurately too.
“Following our signing of MIND’s Blue Light programme pledge over three years ago, we have worked hard to rid the trust of any stigma surrounding mental health.
“Staff have access to a range of services at the trust, which include occupational health, an employee assistance programme and a variety of other supportive services. We utilise the services of specialist trauma support therapists, who handle complex and sensitive issues well.
“The trust also runs a Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) service and we are very fortunate to have over 165 TRiM practitioners who help colleagues through early stages of trauma management, which can be a significant factor of stress-related absence.”
Appointment of a new Chairman
The service has since announced a new chair of the board, Nicola Scrivings from Cambridge Community Service NHS Trust, who will succeed the interim chairman, Nigel Beverley.
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Article by Stuart Jones
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