Member Update
Branch Secretary’s Update
Welcome to the latest UNISON Yorkshire Ambulance Branch newsletter. This edition brings together key updates for members across Yorkshire Ambulance Service, including fatigue, consultations, pensions, workplace issues, equality, health and safety, and opportunities to get more involved in the branch.
UNISON continues to represent members locally and nationally, raising concerns with the Trust, challenging unfair processes, and pressing for fair pay, safe staffing, proper consultation and dignity at work. We know that members are facing pressure across all areas of the service, and our priority remains to ensure your voice is heard.
Inside This Issue
- Formal dispute over AAP to AP training pay
- Proposed Sheffield “super station”
- PTS update from Eamon Murphy
- End of shift protection and split crews update from Callum McInnes
- UNISON fighting for unsocial hours pay during Trust-organised training
- Pensions and retirement age for ambulance workers
- Fatigue as a health and safety risk from Josh Phillips
- Health, safety and workplace wellbeing
- Equality, self-organised groups and member involvement
- Branch meetings and how to get support
Formal Dispute Raised Over AAP to AP Training Pay
UNISON has raised a formal dispute with the Trust over the pay arrangements affecting members progressing from AAP to AP. For too long, members seeking to develop their careers have faced the unacceptable prospect of taking a pay cut while training for a higher role.
This is not a minor technical issue. It goes to the heart of fairness, career progression and the proper application of Agenda for Change. Where a member moves into a higher-banded role, the principles of Agenda for Change are clear that pay should be set in a way that provides an uplift and recognises the increased responsibility of the new role. Members should not move upwards in responsibility while moving backwards in pay.
UNISON’s position is simple: training for progression must not mean financial detriment. Members who step up from AAP to AP are committing to further study, additional responsibility and the future clinical workforce of the service.
The Trust benefits from that commitment, and it must not be allowed to balance workforce development on the backs of members’ pay packets.
UNISON has tried to resolve this issue through grievance, discussion, meetings and the appropriate joint structures. However, members’ frustration has continued to grow while the issue remains unresolved. The branch has therefore moved the matter into formal dispute so that the Trust is left in no doubt about the seriousness of the issue and the strength of feeling among affected members.
We are calling on the Trust to agree a fair, transparent solution that ensures members progressing from AAP to AP receive a proper uplift in pay and are not left worse off during their training. Any proposal must also avoid creating a two-tier pay system for members doing the same job. Equal pay means equal pay, and UNISON will challenge any arrangement that fails to uphold that principle.
Career progression should be encouraged, supported and properly paid — not punished. Any members who have already progressed but suffered detriment also need to have their pay corrected and any back pay owed paid.
UNISON will continue to update members as the dispute progresses. Affected members should keep records of their current pay, training pay, any loss of earnings and any correspondence relating to their progression.
Proposed Sheffield “Super Station”: Members Views Need to be Heard
UNISON is closely monitoring proposals to amalgamate the three Sheffield ambulance stations, Sheffield vehicle workshops, the Magna resilience hub and both Doncaster training centres into one large combined site. Members have told us they need clear information, meaningful consultation and firm assurances before any major estate changes are progressed.
The proposed new “super station” is expected to be based near Sheffield Arena, bringing together operational ambulance provision, vehicle preparation, fleet services, training and resilience functions on a single site. While modern facilities may bring benefits, UNISON is clear that any change of this scale must be judged against its impact on staff, response cover, travel times, welfare facilities, training access, parking, shift start and finish arrangements, and the communities members serve.
Local press coverage has already highlighted significant public concern about the proposed closure of Sheffield’s existing ambulance stations, with reports that hundreds of residents have objected and that local politicians are calling for public meetings and proper consultation. The issue has also attracted attention from MPs and councillors because any reduction in local ambulance bases raises understandable questions about emergency response times, particularly for outlying communities. A local council meeting highlighted the lack of consultation that had taken place.
UNISON’s position is straightforward: members must not be presented with a finished decision after the event. The Trust must engage properly with staff side, publish clear information, assess the impact on all affected groups, and provide evidence that any new arrangements will improve services without creating unacceptable risks for staff or patients.
We will continue to raise members’ concerns through the appropriate consultation channels and will push for answers on staffing, rotas, travel, parking, welfare, training delivery, fleet capacity, resilience arrangements and the effect on communities across Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster. Members affected by the proposals should speak to their local UNISON representative and share any concerns, questions or examples of potential impact. UNISON will also be setting up members meeting to ensure we get the views of those that may be affected.
PTS Update
By Eamon Murphy, PTS Convenor
Hopefully all members are aware that the contracts in all four areas have been renewed, with just a few minor final details still to be resolved.
The Trust has ordered another 25 electric vehicles (EVs), and some of these will be going to stations and areas that may not currently operate EVs. If your area receives an EV, please ensure you receive all the required familiarisation training is carried out before you a asked to use it, as you would expect from the Trust prior to using any new types of equipment.
The Trust is still in the process of trying to bring in a compulsory fitness test for all existing PTS road staff. UNISON has informed the Trust that we do not agree with this proposal. An agreement was reached some years ago not to introduce this for all operational road staff, and we have withdrawn from any engagement connected with this idea. For this reason, and for many others, we do not support the proposal.
Would any member be interested in becoming a rep or workplace contact? Getting more PTS staff involved would be of great benefit to all PTS staff, your expertise is invaluable to the branch, working in the role, seeing the issues on a daily basis. Please contact the branch emailing yas.unison@nhs.net if you would like to become more involved.
End of Shift Protection and Split Crews
By Callum McInnes
UNISON is aware of ongoing frustration of members regarding the allocation of late jobs when a member has been sent on the day to crew up at a different station. This has caused significantly prolonged shift finish times for some members.
The End of Shift SOP outlines the Trust’s awareness of the impact that late finishes have on staff:
“1.1 The Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) recognises the impact regular late shift finishes have on staff, their families and potentially the clinical care of patients. The nature of front-line accident and emergency means that late finishes can never be eliminated but the Trust has a responsibility for minimising the occasions this occurs.”
However, this SOP does not take into account split crews and the travel time required to return to the base station where the staff member started their shift.
The current approach relies on a decision being made at the time by the EOC dispatch team covering that area. This has led to inconsistent application, with some members experiencing significant and consistent late finishes, especially relief staff or staff members on a line that has been left uncovered.
A fair position would be to factor in travel time back to the original station before end of shift protection applies. For example, on a 06:00–18:00 shift, if AA Route Planner states it will take 30 minutes to return, end of shift protection should start 30 minutes earlier. This could mean Category 2 and Category 1 protection from 16:30, Category 1 protection from 16:50, potential cardiac arrests from 17:10–17:30, and unavailable in order to return from 17:30.
This matter was discussed at the most recent UNISON Branch Committee Meeting and with the Trust keen to promote itself as a staff health and wellbeing champion, you would think that this would be a safe and simple solution.
UNISON will be taking the issue forward to the next Operational Joint Steering Group with senior management for consideration and to find the best way forward to protect members. This also links incredibly well with the article below and the work our Health and Safety team are doing.
UNISON Demands Fair Pay for Trust-Organised Training
UNISON is demanding an end to members losing unsocial hours pay when they attend Trust-organised training courses. It is completely unacceptable for staff to be left out of pocket for attending courses that the Trust requires, expects or relies upon to maintain and develop its workforce.
For many operational members, unsocial hours payments are not an optional extra — they are a regular and important part of take-home pay. When members are removed from their normal rota to attend training, only to lose money as a result, that is not fair, reasonable or acceptable. If the Trust organises the course and expects members to attend, the Trust must protect their normal earnings.
This includes development routes such as the university paramedic course. The Trust may describe attendance as a personal choice, but for members who want to progress, develop clinically and access future opportunities, it is not a genuine choice. Members should not have to choose between career progression and protecting their pay packet.
The Trust benefits directly when members gain qualifications, expand their skills and take on greater clinical responsibility. It cannot be right that the organisation gains a more skilled workforce while the individual member pays the price through lost unsocial hours.
UNISON is calling for a fair, consistent and transparent agreement that protects members’ regular unsocial hours payments whenever they attend Trust-organised training, including where training replaces shifts that would normally attract unsocial hours or where rest days are moved in a way that leaves members worse off.
This is a simple principle: no member should be financially penalised for doing what the Trust needs them to do. The branch will continue to pursue this through the appropriate joint structures and will press for a clear commitment that training, development and progression must never come at the cost of members’ pay. Members affected should keep clear records of their rota, course dates, rest day changes and any loss of unsocial hours pay, and should contact their local UNISON representative for support.
Pensions and Retirement Age
UNISON ambulance branches are looking at the impact of pension changes on ambulance workers. The physical, emotional and psychological demands of ambulance work mean that members can be disproportionately affected by later retirement ages.
The aim is to build evidence that supports further lobbying for a fairer retirement age for ambulance staff, recognising the unique demands of the role and bringing the issue into line with other emergency services where earlier retirement has long been accepted as necessary.
Local Wins and Ongoing Campaigns
UNISON members and representatives have continued to deliver positive change across Yorkshire Ambulance Service. Recent branch communications have highlighted important local successes including EOC enhanced roles, EMD progression from Band 3 to Band 4, Dispatch progression from Band 4 to Band 5, overtime payments linked to annual leave, SPA progression from Band 2 to Band 3, vehicle mechanics and body shop specialist banding review, and ongoing support for hundreds of other members.
These successes happen because members raise issues, reps organise, and the branch keeps pressure on the employer. If there is an issue in your workplace, do not assume someone else has already raised it. Speak to your local rep, convenor or area secretary.
Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Health and safety remains central to everything UNISON does. Whether the issue is vehicles, equipment, buildings, workload, lone working, manual handling, welfare facilities or the impact of shift patterns, members should report concerns and raise them through UNISON.
The branch is also keen to support positive wellbeing initiatives that bring staff together and help members manage the pressures of ambulance work. If your team has a workplace wellbeing idea, event or success story, please let the branch know so we can share good practice and support members across the service.
Fatigue: The Risk Hiding in Plain Sight
By Josh Phillips, Health and Safety Representative
Every ambulance worker knows what fatigue feels like.
Night shifts. Missed breaks. Late finishes. The drive home when you are more tired than you would ever like to admit.
For years, we have accepted fatigue as part of the job. But should we?
On behalf of UNISON YAS Branch I recently submitted Freedom of Information requests to ambulance trusts across the United Kingdom to understand how fatigue is managed across the sector.
The findings were remarkably consistent.
While trusts recognise fatigue and offer support through Occupational Health, wellbeing services and Working Time Regulations compliance, there was limited evidence of structured systems to assess, monitor and manage fatigue as a safety-critical risk.
No responding trust demonstrated a formal Fatigue Risk Management System, and no trust provided evidence of formal auditing against Health and Safety Executive guidance on managing shift work and fatigue.
“The evidence suggests that fatigue is recognised across ambulance services, but there is limited evidence that it is being systematically measured, monitored or managed.”
Fatigue affects concentration, decision-making and reaction times. In a service where staff make critical decisions every day, that matters.
The question is simple:
If fatigue is a recognised workplace hazard, why are we still treating it as an inevitable part of the job rather than a risk that should be actively managed?
For the full article please click here…
Equality and Self-Organised Groups
UNISON is committed to equality, dignity and respect for all members. Our self-organised groups and equality roles help ensure members’ voices are heard, particularly where people may face barriers, discrimination or under-representation at work.
Members who want to get involved in equality work, disability rights, women’s representation, LGBTQ+ issues, race equality, international work, welfare or lifelong learning are encouraged to contact the branch. You do not need to be an expert to get involved — you just need a willingness to support colleagues and help make the workplace fairer.
Get Involved: Reps, Contacts and Member Meetings
UNISON is strongest when members are active. The branch wants to continue building workplace representation across all areas of the Trust, including operational services, EOC, IUC, PTS, fleet, ancillary, support and corporate teams.
If you are interested in becoming a workplace contact, steward, health and safety representative or simply want to help share information with colleagues, please speak to your local convenor or contact the branch. Training and support are available.
Need Support?
If you need advice, representation or support, contact your local UNISON representative or email the branch. Please include your name, workplace, role, contact details and a brief summary of the issue so the right person can respond as quickly as possible.
Branch email:yas.unison@nhs.net
Thank you to every member, workplace contact, steward, convenor and officer who continues to support colleagues across Yorkshire Ambulance Service. Solidarity remains our strength.