“Why the Journal of Paramedic Practice?” I was asked when I applied for the job of Editor. Easy: to me it is the most vital and exciting field of healthcare. Paramedics are the first point of professional contact in an emergency, where the time available to respond efficiently and make an informed decision in the best interest of the patient leaves little margin for error.
Considering these demands of the profession at the point of action, I believe that documentation of paramedical research and professional experience becomes even more important for improving the quality of care provided. Well, the pitch worked, and I now have the honour of working on this journal that is so revered among paramedics.
And it is a pivotal time for the profession. With Britain's planned exit from the EU, and financial pressures on the NHS, healthcare will be among the sectors most affected because of this socio-political upheaval. The Government has dropped distasteful hints that future of EU migrants in the UK will be a bargaining chip in Brexit negotiations.
The ambiguity surrounding the future of 57,000 EU employees in the NHS is giving rise to insecurities. This may result in trained professionals looking for other opportunities elsewhere in the EU before the negotiations are finalised, and certainly before the new platoon of trained British professionals is ready to receive the mantle. While it will impact the entire NHS, a sudden dearth of competent professionals will have a more direct impact on the emergency care services.
The Government put paramedics on the Shortage Occupation List in 2015, following reports of “catastrophic shortage” in England and Wales. Several ambulance services have already recruited personnel from abroad. But the current political uncertainty could wreck attempts to rebuild a trained paramedic workforce in the UK.
The NHS has long faced a problem in retaining paramedics, and NHS Pay Review Body Evidence has recommended review of “current redeployment practices and ways to implement reasonable adjustments to keep staff in their existing roles.” In addition to rigorous training, paramedics face many extreme physical and emotional challenges. Therefore, it becomes key to value, and consequently retain these staff at the absolute front of the frontline in healthcare.
Though Ambulance Service in the UK may wish to recruit professionals from abroad, in light of current socio-political situations, it will be increasingly difficult to guarantee potential recruits a secure job in the UK. Surely it's time for the Government to reassure these dedicated professionals that their work is valued, and stave off another emergency in the emergency services.