Addressing the burnout issue

Last month a special report on the issue of burnout among ambulance staff was published by the Larrey Society (2015), the cross-sector think tank for emergency medical services. Within the report, the society urges all NHS ambulance Trusts, independent companies and voluntary organisations to adopt a 7-point code of practice on work life balance designed to improve the working environment of all employees in the ambulance service. Specifically, the code calls on all Care Quality Commission regulated ambulance providers to:

The key actions were put together following the completion of an online survey by members of the Society, where they were asked to indicate issues they felt were important for the society to focus on. Burnout was identified as one of the key priority issues, with 40% of members choosing it as an area of focus. There is no denying that stress and burnout remains an important issue facing ambulance staff, with paramedics in England taking 41 243 days off in 2014 as a result of stress-related illnesses (Kirk, 2015). It is therefore welcoming that the society is seeking the support for the campaign from numerous organisations, including the Department of Health, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, the Ambulance Services Charity and Unison.