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Police officers express ‘grave concern’ at driving ambulances during strikes | Politics News


Police officers expressed “deep concern” after being told they could be called to drive an ambulance when paramedics go on strike this month.

According to national contingency plans, it is understood that military personnel will enlist in the army to help drive the ambulance when the walks take place just before Christmas.

It has now emerged that police officers may also be called upon to help drive emergency healthcare vehicles.

The Police Federation, which represents about 140,000 rank and file officers, says that “policemen are not ambulance drivers or qualified paramedics”.

Steve Hartshorn, its national president, said the request was a “serious concern” as he warned that putting officers on ambulances would mean they were “not performing their police duties”. me”.

The employee union said that “the thin blue line has been overstretched and under more pressure than ever”.

Ambulance Team in England will go on strike on December 21 and 28 as part of a coordinated industrial action by the unions GMB, Unison and Unite consecutively on wages.

Mr Hartshorn said police officers “cannot express our own disappointment through strike action, even though we intervene as a last resort to ensure public safety when people another strike”.

He added: “It was no different from an ambulance worker strike when our members were asked to join and drive an ambulance.

“Needless to say, but policemen are not ambulance drivers or qualified paramedics.”

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‘Deeply concerned’

Mr Hartshorn said that while some officers may have a unique qualification to drive an ambulance, “this is where the similarity ends”.

“I am really concerned for any officer who may experience a medical emergency that they are not qualified to act on,” he said.

“The consequences for humans are unimaginable, but we must also consider liability and practicality.

“If a patient dies in front of police, or during a period of stay with police, that officer will be referred to the Independent Office of Police Conduct for investigation.”

Sky News has reached out to the Department of Health and Social Care for comment.

Army ‘only 40 paramedics’ can work in NHS

It is reported that the armed forces have only 40 qualified medical staff working in the NHS.

Andrew Murrison, Secretary of Defense, said of the 107 medical personnel serving in the military, 40 have the qualifications requirements set forth by the Health and Care Professions Council.

The details, set out in a written response to Liberal Democrats health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper, were revealed as ministers prepared to send in troops to assist rescuers. trade strike.

It is understood that the military is not likely to be used to drive ambulances to respond to emergency calls, although they can be used for non-emergencies to free medical personnel. .

Ambulances will be dispatched to “danger to life” Category 1 calls for two days of industrial action this month but may not attend if elderly people fall, Health Secretary Steve Barclay suggested earlier.

Service agents have been trained at Heathrow and Gatwick to assist with passport checks at the border as the UK prepares to face a wave of tensions across many sectors.

Other Industries will go on strike throughout December including civil servants, nurses, driver assessors, Royal Mail workers, national highway workers and baggage handlers as unions seek to raise wages to match soaring inflation during the crisis. cost-of-living crisis.

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