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Emergency call handlers are suffering burnout and quitting due to the relentless pressure they face, analysis conducted by a trade union has revealed.
According to UNISON, more than a quarter (27%) of NHS ambulance control room staff have quit their jobs over the past three years. Emergency call handlers are also much more likely to be absent from work due to sickness. Indeed, more than half a million days were lost to call handler illness in the three years from April 2021. The figure for 2023/24 alone was 166,940 – the equivalent of more than a month of sick leave for each 999 call handler. This compares with just four days on average for UK workers.
UNISON says the high staff turnover rates witnessed among call handlers is due to a lack of support and the non-stop, often distressing, calls that they take on a daily basis, some of which involve suicides, stabbings, shootings and patients dying before ambulances can reach them.
The situation is having a negative impact on patients, accoridng to UNISON, with people having to wait longer for 999 staff to answer calls or for their emergency to be properly assessed and dealt with.
UNISON interviewed emergency call handlers for the report, who described the psychological toll of taking call after call. They often do a 12-hour stretch with limited breaks while dealing with complex emergencies such as mental health crises.
The report is based on data from Freedom of Information (FoI) requests submitted to NHS ambulance trusts across the UK.
Trusts were asked to supply data on 999 control room worker numbers, call handler turnover and days lost to sickness from April 2021 to April 2024.
Last year, South East Coast Ambulance Service had the highest staff turnover (80%) followed by North East (33%), Yorkshire (31%), and South Central (28%).
At least 510,254 days were lost to sickness in 999 control rooms across the UK from April 2021 to March 2024, according to the data.
South East Coast had the highest average number of sick days per person in 2023/24. Figures provided by the trust show 19,319 were recorded that year, the equivalent of more than 54 days per call handler.
UNISON is calling for better training, regular breaks during shifts and improved emotional support. Call handlers should also be regraded, says the union, from band 3 to a band 4 on the NHS pay scale. That would mean a starting salary of £26,530 a year, which would give staff more of a financial incentive to stay and better reflect the work they do, says the union.
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