1,000 absent ambulance staff

About a fifth of the region’s ambulance staff were off work with suspected coronavirus at some point since the outbreak began, a report says.

The West Midlands Ambulance Service employs “approximately 5,000 staff” and its board has been told 1,000 of these were absent, but testing allowed more than a third of these to return to work.

The report, from the trust’s Resources Committee, said 10 staff were in hospital, including three in intesive care, as of its last meeting on April 20. It also says demand for the 111 service – which WMAS runs in most parts of the region – has been “relentless” because of COVID-19.

The report was presented at an extraordinary meeting of the West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust, held on Wednesday, April 29.

In a section titled “Workforce”, it said 961 staff had been tested, “either through centres or home kits”.

An initial figure of 1,000 absent staff was “no reduced to 633 as a result of testing”, it said, adding that a further 179 staff were “shielding”.

“Ten staff in hospital, three in ICU [sic],” it added.

WMAS covers a 5,000-square-mile area incorporating Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Telford and Wrekin, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. It took over control of the NHS non-emergency 111 helpline in all areas except Staffordshire in November 2019.

In a section about the service, the Resources Committee report said: “Demand has been relentless due to COVID-19.”

It added that there were “still problems recruiting clinicians” and “a number of 111 staff [were] being trained up to cover the 999 calls”. Social distancing measures were also in place.