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As a result, there is no incentive for paramedics to come and work here when they can easily get better pay working at ground ambulances services and dispatch centres. In fact, not only can we not attract new staff, but also we are continuing to lose those we have at an alarming rate. On the Flight Side we have 14 full time positions with five presently being filled by part time staff. The flight analyst’s are either pilots or have accredited certification for dispatching aircraft [air traffic controllers] Their job not only includes ensuring a patient gets to the appropriate hospital in the fastest and safest way possible, but they must do so ensuring that they employ the most cost-effective and efficient means available for the tax-payers of Ontario. Both our medical staff and flight analyst’s deal with a multitude of agencies on a daily basis, ranging from hospitals, nursing facilities, trauma centres, children’s hospitals, and First Nation clinics, to airports, weather centres, air traffic control towers and air carrier companies. Together, WE ARE responsible for the safe transfer of patients that includes newborn babies requiring emergency care, to motor vehicle collision victims needing to get to trauma centres. Our mission is varied. We routinely fly patients going for life-saving operations and treatments, to those returning to first nations reserves after flying them to medical facilities in built up urban centres. We work in all kinds of weather, around the clock. Things in our job happen fast and can change very quickly. In some cases, we have only seconds to decide on one of a variety of different options. The decisions we make have a direct impact on the speed and patient care of those people needing our services. As you can imagine, the type of work we do requires a lot of skill and expertise. The stress we work under is enormous during the best of times, yet over the past few years, with short staffing,………..we have been forced to work under increasingly frustrating and stressful conditions. We are constantly running short-staffed and this is directly affecting patient care. Depending on just how short-staffed we are, we may have an occurrence that we are unable to give our full attention to. Because we are forced to juggle calls at the same time, we may end up missing something that could affect patient care or delay a response, or even result in duplication, which ultimately ends up costing taxpayers even more money. An example of just how bad this situation is getting, last week alone, for the 42 shifts that are available we were only able to fill 19 positions using part time staff and full time personnel. The week before we had 22 shifts unfilled. Because of our situation, one employee worked over 48 hours of overtime in a two-week period, this after already working their regular 120-hour schedule. It is not uncommon to have staff staying on duty after working a 12-hour shift, to help alleviate the workload for staff coming on shift. In fact, due to staff shortages, one employee finished his twelve-hour shift and ended up working an additional two, twelve hour shifts. Due to the nature of our work, our office is extremely busy. At times, it is so busy that it is not uncommon for staff to miss lunch, go without a break or even an opportunity to go to the washroom for hours. With all of these factors we face on a daily basis, it is no wonder that we cannot attract new staff and worse, that we keep losing the staff. The people we do have are extremely dedicated and conscientious. They are committed to the highest level of service to the citizens of Ontario; however, we can no longer work under these conditions. We are short staffed, overworked and stressed out. As vital members on the frontlines of emergency medical treatment in this Province, we are in trouble and, we need your help, … and we need it now! The issue is simple. It comes down to money. We are not asking for anything more than to be treated fairly and be recognized for the important jobs we do and the responsibilities we carry out. All we are asking is to be brought up, on par, to the level of our peers working at other Emergency dispatch centres. Together we can ensure that the air medical services we have been providing are not jeopardized or compromised by a lack of staffing, but are maintained and enhanced by making the Medical Air Transport Centre a priority! Thank you. Chuck Kennedy And the staff at MEDCOM Air and Land Ambulance Dispatch Campaign Index
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Ontario Public Service Employees Union, 100 Lesmill Rd. Toronto, ON M3B 3P8 (416) 443-8888 www.opseu.org |
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