Chris

🍀 in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿. Paramedic | PEd | MCPara 🚑. Interests in harm reduction, palliative care, and public health edu 🏥. All views are my own.

[Royal College of Paramedics @ParamedicsUK]

🥳 Happy International Paramedics Day!

🌍 Today, we celebrate the dedication and lifesaving work of paramedics across the globe.

🚑 Use #IPD2026 to get involved and share where you are celebrating International Paramedics Day!

#InnovateAndIntegrate #InternationalParamedicsDay

[UNISON Scottish Ambulance Service @unisonsas]

🚑 International Paramedics Day – 8 July 2026 🌍

Today we celebrate the dedication, professionalism and compassion of paramedics across Scotland, the UK and around the world.

Whether responding to life-threatening emergencies, providing urgent care in the community, supporting patients through mental health crises, delivering palliative care, or working across primary care, education, research and specialist services, paramedics continue to evolve and make a lasting difference every single day.

This year’s International Paramedics Day theme is “Innovate & Integrate” – recognising how paramedics are advancing clinical practice, embracing new technologies, strengthening partnerships and delivering more connected, patient-centred care across healthcare systems. (Paramedics Day)

At UNISON, we are proud to stand alongside our ambulance professionals and all healthcare staff, campaigning for:
✅ Safe staffing
✅ Fair pay and conditions
✅ Staff wellbeing
✅ High-quality patient care
✅ Recognition of the vital role paramedics play within our NHS

To every paramedic, Emergency Medical Technician, Ambulance Care Assistant, Control colleague, Community First Responder, student paramedic and everyone working across our ambulance services—thank you. Your commitment, skill and professionalism save lives and support communities every day.

Happy International Paramedics Day! 💚

Find out more about International Paramedics Day and this year’s campaign:
https://t.co/DEuaDfwrUa (Paramedics Day)

#InternationalParamedicsDay #IPD2026 #InnovateAndIntegrate #Paramedics #Ambulance #NHS #UNISON #ProudToCare #ThankYouParamedics https://t.co/DovTygKZlu

[Paul Bronks @SlenderSherbet]

"Honestly, I don't know where to fucking start"

[Ada 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ @YPZBYDJCMKatyaa]

important always 🩷

[UNISON Scottish Ambulance Service @unisonsas]

🟣🟢 ⏰ 8️⃣ days left to vote! 🟢🟣

Negotiations on Rest Breaks and End of Shift protection have now reached their limit — no further improvements can be secured through talks alone.

This now goes back to you — the members.

A combined ballot is open on:
• Rest Breaks (ToC SOP)
• Shift Overruns (ToC SOP)

These proposals will directly impact how your breaks and overruns are managed going forward.

Review the documents, then decide:
Accept — or Reject and determine the next steps.

👉 Vote here:
https://t.co/M77Yz5McAj

You’ll need your membership number.

⏰ Deadline: Tuesday 7 April at 14:00

Don’t sit this one out — this result will shape what happens next. Make your voice heard.

[The Nobel Prize @NobelPrize]

Statement from the Nobel Foundation

One of the core missions of the Nobel Foundation is to safeguard the dignity of the Nobel Prizes and their administration. The Foundation upholds Alfred Nobel’s will and its stipulations. It states that the prizes shall be awarded to those who "have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind," and it specifies who has the right to award each respective prize. A prize can therefore not, even symbolically, be passed on or further distributed.

For additional information, please refer to the Norwegian Nobel Committee: https://t.co/HqL1ZR8Bos

[UNISON Scottish Ambulance Service @unisonsas]

UNISON Ambulance Retirement Age Campaign – January Update

UNISON has issued a special update on its ambulance retirement age campaign, backed by new academic research, calling for ambulance staff to be given the choice to retire earlier.

Ambulance work has become increasingly demanding, with rising levels of stress, trauma exposure and physical strain, while the pension age continues to rise. For many staff, working until 67 or 68 is not realistic and some are being forced to leave the service early through ill-health.

UNISON is calling for staff in operational roles — including paramedics, ECAs, EMTs, PTS staff and emergency call handlers — to have the option of earlier retirement, in line with other emergency services such as fire and police. In England, these groups already qualify for the Early Retirement Reduction Buy Out (ERRBO) scheme, negotiated by UNISON and other ambulance unions.

UNISON recognises that not everyone will want or be able to pay more into their pension, which is why this must be a choice, not a requirement.

Despite responding under blue lights and delivering lifesaving care, ambulance staff are still classed as an “essential” rather than an “emergency” service. This has contributed to the lack of progress on retirement age, despite UNISON’s long-standing campaign.

To strengthen the case, UNISON has commissioned independent academic research. Early findings show ambulance workers face serious risks including burnout, PTSD, sleep disruption, musculoskeletal injury and higher suicide rates, with impacts comparable to firefighters and police and worse than much of the rest of the NHS.

The researchers will now examine why staff leave, how health is affected over time, how well employers support workers, and how ambulance pensions compare with other emergency services and other countries.

Why the survey matters

A short member survey is now live and is a crucial part of this work. Your experiences will help ensure the research reflects the real pressures of frontline ambulance work and will directly shape UNISON’s strategy and negotiations on retirement age. The more members who take part, the stronger the evidence will be when UNISON challenges employers and policymakers.

👉 Find out more and complete the survey:
https://t.co/DCSf9wEmrM

[UNISON Scottish Ambulance Service @unisonsas]

UNISON Scottish Ambulance Branch – Statement on Winter Staffing Announcement

Today the Health Secretary announced that almost 100 new staff will be recruited into the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) to support winter demand.

UNISON welcomes any additional staffing — however, we will not allow temporary numbers and headline announcements to be portrayed as a solution to a long-term crisis.

As stated publicly today by John Hackett, UNISON Scottish Health Committee:

“You can announce staff, but if you don’t fix social care and patient flow, you still have ambulances stuck outside hospitals and crews unable to respond.”

Key reality checks:

🔹 Of the “36 new ambulance care assistants,” a recent review showed we are already short by 164 — this still leaves a deficit of over 100 staff.

🔹 Of the “22 GPs and advanced practitioners,” around half are already SAS staff being taken off the frontline to fill these winter roles.

🔹 “25 extra call handlers” sounds positive, but the call-handling department already experiences high sickness rates from stress and understaffing.

🔹 The Minister highlighted 269 new graduate paramedics — but 300–350 staff leave the service every year.
➤ We are barely replacing attrition, let alone increasing capacity.

“We have highly trained ambulance crews spending hours parked outside hospitals, not responding to emergencies, because patient flow and social care are broken.”

⸻

❗UNISON’s Position

Winter recruitment is welcome.

But without fixing the social care system and the exit block in hospitals, nothing changes:
•Patients wait hours in A&E.
•Ambulances queue outside hospitals for long periods.
•Response times suffer.
•Staff burn out and leave the profession.

“You can’t fix the ambulance service without fixing social care. The system is gridlocked.”

⸻

What UNISON is calling for:

✅ Sustainable, long-term workforce planning
✅ Retention of skilled and experienced staff
✅ Investment in social care to allow patient discharge
✅ A safe working environment where staff are protected and valued

UNISON speaks for the workforce — not for headlines.

📢 🗣️ Listen to John’s interview with BBC Scotland here ➡️ https://t.co/DNHf9pqZX5

[UNISON Scottish Ambulance Service @unisonsas]

🟣 UNISON Scotland – Information for All SAS Staff 🟣

Reminder: You Can Request a 🛑”Special Break”🛑
Issued: UNISON Scottish Ambulance Service Branch
Purpose: To ensure all staff are aware of the “Special Break” entitlement under National Operations Bulletin 003/2025-26

🚑🚑🚑🚑🚑🚑🚑🚑🚑🚑

UNISON would like to remind all staff that under current national guidance, you can request a “Special Break” to ensure you receive your rest break.

If you have reached the end of your first rest break window and have not received a rest break, or if you have been working more than 6 hours since your last rest break ended, you are entitled to request a Special Break.

When requesting a Special Break:

•Advise ACC that you require a “Special Break” to facilitate your missed or delayed rest break.

•Dispatchers will make you unavailable for “Full Rest Break Protection (RBFR)” so that you can return to station and take your break undisturbed.

•On arrival back at station, contact ACC to confirm you are back and immediately commence your rest break.

•You will remain unavailable until your full rest break balance is complete.

•You must remain contactable for major incidents.

This process provides additional protection for your wellbeing and ensures no crew should go longer than 6 hours without a rest break.

If you experience issues requesting a Special Break or are denied one, please raise this with your local UNISON representative.

🍽️🍽️🍽️🍽️🍽️🍽️🍽️🍽️🍽️🍽️

UNISON – Supporting Our Members’ Health, Safety & Wellbeing

[Royal College of Paramedics @ParamedicsUK]

🗞️ The College of Paramedics is proud to share the news that we have been granted permission to use the title ‘Royal’. The College will officially be known as the Royal College of Paramedics from January 2026.

To find out more ➡️ https://t.co/WjcOGg1Yrf

[UNISON Scottish Ambulance Service @unisonsas]

Violence and abuse are never part of the job.

Reporting Scotland feature highlighted the ongoing problem of alcohol-related assaults on ambulance staff. The segment included an interview with ARAF, who later shared disappointment that his full interview wasn’t shown — because some of the most important issues were left out.

Araf wanted to make clear that:

•The physical and psychological effects of assaults are lasting and too often ignored.
•The Scottish Government is failing both staff and the public by avoiding the root causes — underfunded mental health services, long ambulance delays, and chronic hospital stacking.
•Prolonged waiting times and hospital offload delays increase frustration for patients and families, and when alcohol is added to that mix, it creates a perfect storm for violence.
•These incidents are draining — physically and mentally — and many staff finishing several hours late are too fatigued and demoralised to report every act of aggression.

“We’re being failed, the public is being failed — and it could take one of us being killed on duty before real action is taken. I’m angry, and I’m not alone.” — ARAF

While the Scottish Ambulance Service has reinvigorated its Violence Prevention & Reduction training, ARAF highlighted that this had been absent from staff training for nearly a decade, leaving crews without consistent support or preparation.

⸻

🟣 UNISON says:

•Acts of aggression toward ambulance staff have increased year on year, with more than one assault every day in the last year, according to UNISON’s report based on figures provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service.
•The reality is that incidents remain vastly under-reported — often because staff believe it’s “part of the job” or because failed prosecutions leave them feeling unsupported.
•Alcohol plays a major role in these acts of aggression. At the same time, cuts to community mental-health services for both adults and young people leave many waiting months for specialist intervention. Without proper support, people often turn to alcohol or recreational drugs as coping mechanisms.
•Prolonged ambulance waiting times and hospital stacking, sometimes lasting hours, fuel frustration for patients and families — and when combined with alcohol, can lead to volatile and dangerous situations.
•These experiences take a huge toll on ambulance staff, both physically and psychologically. After long, delayed shifts, many are simply too exhausted to report every incident, allowing the true extent of the problem to remain hidden.

UNISON continues to demand:
•Zero tolerance toward violence and abuse.
•Accurate reporting and robust prosecution under the Emergency Workers Act.
•Meaningful investment in community mental health and social care to address root causes.
•Timely wellbeing support and protected recovery time for those affected.

📽️ Watch the Reporting Scotland segment on our Facebook page on the following link.

https://t.co/PnLM1BEjhJ

Together, we say: Enough is enough. Protect our staff.

#ZeroTolerance #ProtectOurStaff #UNISON #Ambulance #RespectOurWorkers #PublicService #HereForYou

[nn. @eternaldroplets]

jet2holiday truly ruined me

[Hiroshi Suzuki @AmbJapanUK]

Can’t leave Scotland without enjoying IRN BRU!!😋

[KNEECAP @KNEECAPCEOL]

New Banksy is fucking nail on the head 🔨 👏

Free Palestine 🇵🇸

[Chris @ChrisGGSAS]

Not all of these are relevant to my Scottish colleagues as we routinely use them already, but its still a big step forward

[Chris @ChrisGGSAS]

The DoH is currently running a consultation to expand the scope of medicines able to be given by paramedics. Please take a few minutes out of your day to fill it out!
https://t.co/yJKi3tnQDN

[Chris @ChrisGGSAS]

This includes:

[Hiroshi Suzuki @AmbJapanUK]

Paddington is enjoying his visit in Northern Ireland!!😄

[Gyll King Post Skip Diplomacy @GyllKing]

93% sexual offences against women & girls are by men we know - mostly family.

3% sexual offences against women & girls are grooming gang offences.

Of this 3% >80% of offenders are white men.

Only 4% rapes go to court.

So who benefits from the hyper focus on Pakistani men?