FRONTLINE ambulance staff have said they fear falling asleep at the wheel and worry about giving patients the wrong drugs because they are so exhausted.

Union bosses have made a film highlighting how late finishes and long hours cause severe stress.

Paramedics regularly work 12 hour shifts, with just a 30 minute break. Sometimes shifts can last up to 15 hours or more because staff are required to answer calls until the last second of the shift.

Regional crews cover hundreds of miles and can be far from their base station at the end of work.

Fraer Stevenson, secretary of Unison's East of England branch, said: “We interviewed frontline staff across the east of England and the experiences they shared were very upsetting. Many felt constantly exhausted from the relentless pressure of late finishes.

Some broke down in tears and spoke about leaving the profession.

Many had 15 to 20 years experience on the frontline.”

The survey showed more than half the 1,541 staff surveyed said they were considering leaving because of late finishes.

In the past 12 months, 230-plus staff have left the East of England Ambulance Service.

Unison is now calling for a “fatigue clause”to allow staff to return to their base station towards the end of their shift when they believe tiredness could prevent them carrying out their work with patients safely.

Mr Stevenson added: “Working for 12 hours is very demanding physically and often emotionally “It is only right that at the end of their shift staff can go home to rest. All the staff interviewed wanted to do their best for their patients, and the recent patient satisfaction surveys show this – with 100 per cent patient satisfaction.”

More than 60 per cent of staff surveyed reported calling in sick because of stress, but not being willing to cite it as the reason.

The results also showed 67 per cent of ambulance service workers felt stress affected their ability to do their jobs properly.

An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We recognise the impact late finishes have on staff and this is one of our top priorities to address. We already have the most progressive late finish policies in place and have been working closely with Uison to develop proposals to help reduce late finishes.

A further pilot was launched on Thursday and, in addition, as hundreds more frontline staff are recruited and join the frontline, this will further ease pressure on existing staff.”