Backward step for specialist lifesavers

Published on Friday 3 September 2010 20:33

This cropped up once before, when it was suggested by a councillor in Aberdeen. It was knocked back then and I think we still want to remain as an ambulance service now.

I know there are huge savings that will have to be made, including by the Scottish Ambulance Service itself, and I don't know how that's going to pan out. I don't know what's coming down the line.

A lot of ideas will be brought to the table, but I don't know whether any of them will be any good.

The difficulty is you never know how something would work until you try it out, but I believe this would be a retrograde step.

We have highly trained paramedics looking after seriously ill people in what are already very constrained conditions.

My fear would be that this would break down with the ambulance service and have a damaging effect on the work that paramedics do. And what about control rooms?

We have paramedics working in the control rooms of the Scottish Ambulance Service - they have to be in order to take the calls that come in.

What would happen to that level of training if we merged with the police and fire service? We've got a very professional ambulance service in Scotland the way we are.

• Alan Jamieson has 28 years' experience working as a paramedic in Pitlochry, and is Unison's Scottish Ambulance Service representative.