West Midlands Ambulance Service boss thanks staff and warns of pressure ahead
The boss of West Midlands Ambulance Service has promised to do "everything he can" to protect his staff as he thanked them for their hard work in one of the toughest years in memory.
West Midlands Ambulance Service Chief Executive Anthony Marsh posted a personal message to wish all his colleagues across the organisation a merry Christmas.
He spoke of the limitations placed on services through the current restrictions and thanked colleagues for their hard work during difficult times.
It comes as the service faces some of the toughest challenges in its memory, with delays handing patients over at hospitals keeping many ambulances and paramedics off the road and prolonging the amount of time it takes calls to be dealt with.
Mr Marsh said: "I know in an ideal situation I have been able to see many of you on our ambulance stations on our hubs in our control rooms, etc but given the current situation, clearly that's not possible again.
"But I didn't want to miss the opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you for everything that you continue to do, especially at this time of the year.
"The last couple of years during this pandemic have been a real challenge for all of us. A challenge at work.
"A challenge out of work, but the extent to which all of you have really stepped forward, always doing the right thing, often in difficult circumstances to support one another, to protect yourselves and to protect one another and to do the right thing for the public and for our patients is a real testament to your ongoing professionalism, commitment and determination, all of which I am enormously grateful for.
"I'm hugely proud of everything that all of you do every day, often in very difficult circumstances."
Earlier this year the ambulance service warned that patients were being put at "catastrophic risk" due to the length of time it is taking hospitals to be able to receive patients.
Many people and medics have been left waiting in the back of ambulances for hours as a result while others have had to wait more than 10 hours to be treated after calling 999.
In October the ambulance trust board moved the risk rating for handover delays to the highest possible level for the first time in the service's history.
Now Covid cases are rising again, Mr Marsh said it was crucial that staff "carry on doing the right thing" but warned the coming weeks were going to be tougher than hoped.
He urged staff to "continue to achieve" the targets he set at the start of the pandemic.
He continued: "Firstly, to protect all of our staff; to be able to help all of our patients; and thirdly to save as many lives as possible.
"Each of those objectives are as real today as they were at the very beginning of the pandemic and I'll continue to do everything I can to protect you, so that together we can help all of our patients and we can save more lives.
"This time of year is always special for us to be with families, but also represents a bigger challenge for the NHS and for the ambulance service right across our country.
"And the next couple of weeks, as we move into Christmas and the New Year celebrations, given the pressure the NHS is under, the ambulance service pressures and the rise in Covid cases, I fear that the next few weeks are going to be even more challenging than we had hoped they would be.
"But I do really, really hope that you're able to spend some quality time with your loved ones, with your friends with family members, time that you truly deserve; I really hope that you have a great time together.
"So again, a really big thank you for what you've done during the pandemic, what you've done during 2021 and what you continue to do. I wish you every happiness for Christmas.
"All the very best for the New Year and above all else, please keep safe and keep well. And when you return home today after your shift, please pass on my personal thanks to your loved ones at home.
"Whoever it is at home that loves you, whether it's your husband, wife, partner, parents, children, they continue to provide the love, the care, and the support for you to give of your best every single day.
"Without that love and support, it would make our jobs even more difficult than they already are.
"I don't want their efforts to go unrecognised, so please pass on my personal thanks to those loved ones at home that love you and support you and express my gratitude for everything they do to help you be the best you can every day, saving lives across the West Midlands."
