The COVID-19 pandemic may be over, but its scars remain for those on the frontline of the health sector – not least in the ambulance services. And our research conducted separately in the UK and Australia shows things are getting worse across the globe.
Ambulance staff in many other countries, including Germany, France, Poland, Spain, USA, Japan, Israel and India, are also facing increased pressures. This is due to more people using ambulance services, more complex patient needs, not enough staff and resources, and unmanageable workloads. All these factors have made it difficult for many ambulance services to operate.
We studied two services similar in size and structure: the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust in the UK, and Ambulance Victoria in Australia. We found that both services are close to a point where they may not be able to meet the needs of the people they serve. And we identified similar issues and problems in both locations which are causing many employees to consider leaving the profession.
