As NHS trusts are being forced to make cost savings, medical support staff are taking the role of paramedics in some cases when responding to emergency calls. These staff who have received less than two months training can be sent out as first responders to people who are facing potentially life-threatening conditions.
These support staff are known as Emergency Care Assistants and have not had anywhere near the amount of training paramedics have. Paramedics are able to give injections and administer drugs whereas these ECA’s are not able to. They’ve also only been given basic first aid instruction.
Four years ago ECA’s were introduced to ease the strain on paramedics by driving the ambulances and assisting patients going into hospital. Guidance from the NHS states that they should only be used when they’re being guided by a practitioner.
Health experts have recently said that there is now too much reliance on ECA’s and they are being used on the front line to cut the cost of paramedics who earn around £12,000 more than ECA’s. Half the ambulance trusts in the UK are sending ECA’s without paramedics to respond to emergency calls. However, the other half refuse to compromise on patient safety and do not imply any ECA’s at all.
Currently in England there are over 2000 ECA’s and this accounts for around 10% of ambulance staff. They are being used increasingly because budgets are being cut in the NHS and this has lead to an ambulance workers union to say that their increased use brings a considerable risk to patient safety.
A spokesman from the union has said, “The use of ECA’s is gradually increasing and while they can be useful they should not be used when treating people with urgent or life-threatening conditions. They should only be used as a backup to a primary response from qualified paramedics. The way they are currently being used is simply not safe.”
Ambulance trusts have defended themselves by saying that an ECA is only used when the condition is not life-threatening. However, they have admitted that in certain situations, such as if the ECA is closer to the scene, then they might be used. Additionally, there is the problem that a non-life-threatening situation can quickly change and the ECA will find themselves quickly out of their depth.
The Chief Executive of the patients Association is Katherine Murphy and she has commented, “When people call the emergency number they expect a qualified paramedic to come not someone with just a few weeks training. Patients being put at so much risk is simply unacceptable.”
The Shadow Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, has criticised the Conservative government saying that they are wasting money on reorganisation and not spending it on the front line where it is actually needed.
Recent cuts announced by the government have meant that over 500 paramedic jobs will be lost in London so that a saving over the next five years of £50 million can be reaped. Ambulance Service Network is headed by Jo Webber and she has commented that, “The different trusts across the UK use ECA’s in different ways, but all trusts have in place procedures that will mean that patients get the most appropriate response to their requirements.”
The Department of Health has commented that, “When someone makes a 999 call their requirements are accessed by the operator and an ambulance is dispatched to their location if necessary. The type of staff who ride in the ambulance will depend on how serious the patient’s condition is. What people can be sure of is that the clinical needs of the patient will be met.”
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