A&E Mass Meeting Update

Dear Member,

Due to UNISON members rejecting the trust’s proposed operational redesign package a mass meeting was held last night. The meeting was attended by around 200 A&E members with a good mix of staff from across Yorkshire.

The meeting split into two natural discussions, firstly why was it rejected and secondly what are the next steps. After lengthy discussions around why UNISON members had rejected the package and although there was an acknowledgement that progress had been made it became apparent that members had no faith in how the proposals had been managed and implemented.

As a result there was a proposal from the floor that UNISON A&E members have no confidence in the Chief executive David Whiting, former Ops Director Paul Birkett-Wendes, deputy Director of Ops Dave Williams, Ops manager Glen McPeak and EOC manager Ben Holdaway due to the way the Operational Redesign Proposals were allowed to be developed and implemented, the subsequent vote was unanimously carried.

In regards to the next steps, UNISON members made it clear that negotiations had been exhausted and no more indicative ballots should take place.

After lively discussions members unanimously voted for the branch to demand the following in order to avert the need industrial action.

• Meal Breaks – agree changes to the meal break windows, on both the 10 and 12 hour rotas as follows. Return to the original windows on 10hr rotas, to be completed between the 4^th and 6^th hour. Have the option of two breaks on a 12hr shift, 30 and 15mins to be taken between the 3^rd and 5^th hour and the 8^th and 10^th hour, or one 45min break to be completed within the 4^th and 6^th hour.

• End of Shift Overtime – to develop and implement a policy that protects crews, vehicles will be returned to base 60 minutes prior to the end of the shift and during the last 45 minute would only respond to a confirmed red 1 & 2, and to send the most appropriate vehicle. UNISON is also challenging the Trust with regards to the contractual side of overtime.  If it is regularly worked should it become contractual so members will be paid a level of overtime whilst on leave and is the Trust in breach of contract due to the current excessive levels being worked. These do not detract from the want of members to finish on time but are challenges that need to be made as we believe that if there was a greater cost implication the trust would manage the situation better.

• ECA role - A full review of the ECA role and ensure the Trust enforce the agreement that two band 3 ECAs do not work together and that any ECAs who are asked to move station, due to them only having a temporary station agreement, should only be asked to move to a station which is deemed reasonable.

• Relief policy - adhere to the current policy, in its entirety, and clarify that the 2 weeks of relief in station rotas is for STATION cover only.

• Rural area cover -  implement a policy that effectively returns any vehicle that is ‘out of area’ back towards its area unless it is the nearest vehicle to a red 1 or 2 call, this will assist in the reduction of overtime and late meal breaks.

• Training - the Trust has committed to doubling the training allocation for A&E ops but members want more details of how this will affect them individually depending on grade.

• Station rotas - a commitment to ‘where necessary’ review station rotas to ensure the work pattern reflects the majority of members views such as long stretches of shifts, 12hrs at the weekend, shift lengths and start & finish times.

• A&E support –to increase the levels of the A&E support crews and to ensure that any member who has had a reduction in unsocial hours payment, due to the rota change, receives the correct level of protection of up to one year dependant on service.

• Rural area cover – members, across the county, expressed concerns around the level of DCA cover since the rota change, especially in North and East Yorkshire. UNISON members insist this be reviewed in light of the waiting times for DCA crews and the increase in RRV cover. UNISON members believe that this issue has been compounded by the removal of the A&E support tier.

These demands came after lengthy debate which lasted over two hours, they were all unanimously agreed by around 200 UNISON members. If these demands are not met UNISON will ask members to take part in a FULL industrial action postal ballot, this process will start on Friday 7^th March if the demands are not met.

Members also raised many other issues at the meeting such as uniform, vehicles, equipment, vehicle checks and much more, it was agreed that these issues will be discussed at the, soon to be arranged, local area meetings.

Finally, UNISON Yorkshire Ambulance Branch would like to thank members for their support over the past few weeks and for the level of attendance at the mass meeting. The discussions were heated and lively but always respectful of different views and even though many of our demand are around working practices patient care was always at the forefront of the discussions.

Please note these are non-verbatim preliminary notes of the meeting and as always please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you feel we have not captured something agreed and they will be amended

Many thanks UNISON Yorkshire Ambulance Branch Committee