Need to know
For #TeamEEAST Last updated: 19 May 2024 at 00:37
This week's We Are EEAST Briefing and Executive Q&A was led by Marcus Bailey, Chief Operating Officer.
Q1 - Hello, It's Kristina (Paramedic from Peterborough). I would like to ask about Christmas leave allocation policy. My question is, why is the local management decision going directly against the statement of executive team on NTK. Why is this decision being communicated to the staff app? 8 weeks after person who made it has left? And why has the leave been already allocated for this week prior to meeting with station representative. I find this deeply upsetting and unfair. And I feel let down by management. It feels that the welfare of their staff is not their priority, especially when this policy doesn't affect their holiday leave allocation. Thank you for your response. I am happy to discuss this further.
Q2 - I am excitedly looking forward to attending the Long Service Awards (23yrs, no mean feat these days!). May I respectfully ask why we are being forced to wear uniform? This is a prestigious event for your staff, and we want to look our best. Sadly, frontline uniform is ill-fitting and not really smart enough for an Awards Ceremony. I would really like to wear civilian clothing which is smart and presentable. May I ask why this is not possible? (Thank you).
Q3 - Why have the Trust made SAP's who were told they would keep annex 5 sign a HR2 to put them onto section 2? We've been advised it is while the exec team make a decision on whether or not they will keep annex 5 - how long does it take to make this decision?
Q4 - Good afternoon, a few weeks ago Tom mentioned a paper for staff responders had gone to ELT. Can you provide an update on progress?
Q5 - What is being done around the shortage of ID card production and staffing for it? When I was asked to provide ID as a Paramedic but only had my Technician ID. This I was told due to shortage in production, I had to pull up the HCPC website on my phone to prove clinical grade. I felt embarrassed.
Q6 - Still in many areas we have seen frontline staff leave to go to organisations that will better them as clinicians, and will actually look after their staff welfare? Have the Trust considered a £1200 retention payment for frontline staff, similar to that which call handlers got as a thank you?
Q7 - Why have staff with over 5 years’ service only been issued a medal and it’s not national as other Trusts are giving their staff both the medal and the coin. The coin has engraved on it thank you for your service and comes from AACE, new staff still in training are being given a coin having not done a shift out on the road. Is this not a kick to staff that have worked throughout the pandemic and some with many years’ service? Why the difference between Trusts? The coin is a thank you from the service and the medal as a celebration of the queen’s reign.
Q8 - Thanks for mentioning the staff networks, at what point can we see output from the LGBT+ network? Aside from joining a pride event, what else will they offer? It is now Pride month and feel we are missing key opportunities to engage with staff have education sessions etc. It would be nice to see this network catch up with others in terms of outputs.
Q9 - The Trust policies in place for out of area working and dispatching makes a divide between the dispatchers and frontline staff - hours late off due to working out of area and travelling hundreds of miles. Will the Trust address this at any point?
Q10 - Why are non-clinical drivers still being used? It makes it difficult for the clinicians to attend and do all of the paperwork - staff feel pressured in having to work with them when it is a very difficult shift, with someone who cannot even perform some observations.
Q11 - What can we do as an organisation regarding our poor fleet availability due to repairs being required? Reports of 3 x crews sat doing nothing in one locality, 1 x crew in another locality. How is this cost-effective and safe? Managers attempt to get a vehicle from another area but are being told they are also in minus figures. Can we not procure/lease some 'CQC' registered vehicles from other providers as a matter of urgency?
Q12 - When we first raised concerns annual leave wasn’t allocated. It was allocated after concerns were raised before they were addressed.
Q13 - Thanks Marcus re: staff responders, can you provide any proposals on how it may look, even with a caveat of *awaiting sign off?
Q14 - The recruitment drive is evident, what is the Trusts plans for internal staff progression and keeping the existing, already committed team, interested and in the Trust.
Q15 - With regards to the decision on Annex 5/Section 2; we are currently working on identifying all the staff and will be communicating about the decision to all concerned staff members ideally via individual electronic letters/email. We are also trying to send a formal communication out via NTK.
Q16 - Can the Trust re look at the NQP portfolio? Some of the points are very patronising and are lengthy - asking registered clinicians to complete work to demonstrate the fact they can be paramedics (when they have passed the courses and are independent clinicians). Why is no protected time given to NQP's to complete this mandatory portfolio?
Q17 - One more question: I have raised issue with local MROs and management including Head of Ops. Our ambulance fridges are set to low temperature and tend to freeze out food. This hasn’t been rectified yet and talking about it to people around me, this is very frustrating, especially with current demand and lack of break, and those being cut short as well. Thank you for looking into it.
Q18 - Why were jubilee medals issued after the jubilee? Seems like an afterthought. Fire and police managed to issue to their staff prior to 2nd June so they were able to wear them from that day. Mine was issued today and just seems pointless now the jubilee celebration is over.
Q19 - Regarding disturbable portion element of meal break, make an executive decision to only disturb for C1 calls especially between midnight and 6 in the morning, end of shift trials showed no effect on patient care when we reduced the response in our last 30 minutes of shifts.
Q20 - Why did EEAST give a cheap enamel badge and generic letter as a thank you for covid when the Scottish got a medal, Irish got medal and 1000 euro. Even other English Trusts such as Southwest Yorkshire have given medals. Any plans to rectify this?
Q21 - Over 6 months we have had issues with queuing at hospitals, dedicated cohort team has been removed from JPUH, already short of crews on night we remove another crew to staff a hospital function. Why?
Q22 - Does the Trust have a staff progression plan for those members of staff who want to go into advanced practice or similar? Or is it best to seek employment elsewhere? I know the Trust rather have "bums on seats" but those seats will soon be empty when everyone's left to go elsewhere.
Q23 - Thank you to the people that have trained to be non-clinical drivers your support has been vital!
Q24 - Fleet availability: Marcus - the issue with fleet availability is a here and now issue. I'm not sure it can wait two weeks for a meeting.
Q25 - Regarding the anonymous question about protected time for NSP portfolios.... if the Trust is going to consider this then arguably it should be expanded to completion of ALL portfolios - All paramedics have to complete mandatory portfolios as part of CPD/HCPC registration; EMTs have to complete mandatory portfolios including AEMTs; personally? I have been studying a BSc Hons Degree in my own time for over 10 years with NO protected study time. I sympathise with this poster of this question but if you make the rule for one, then it needs to be the same for all.......
Q26 - Given how awful the Fiat has proved to be can we please move back to Merc?
Q27 - Sandra, as far as I am aware.. the apprentices should have been given 20 percent of their time to complete their portfolios. LAS have paid their apprentices for this time, and I believe this is something the Trust is looking at, as they should have been given protected time?
Q28 - In terms of now there are 63 DSAs in service, in operation not being used currently.
You can catch up on previous We Are EEAST Briefings on our Archive page. You can also catch up on Local Manager's Briefings here.
Published 13th June 2022