An ambulance service has defended itself after images showed paramedics had been offered money to skip meal breaks due to staff shortages.

NHS staff were offered £20 to skip their time according to a leaked data terminal image given to the Echo from a paramedic working in the area covered by the Mid and South Essex NHS Trust.

The ambulance member, who wanted to remain anonymous, added the service was finding it increasingly difficult to respond to more calls with less staff available due to the covid pandemic and an exodus of staff leaving the trust.

Responding to the image a spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said the money was only offered to staff who had already taken a refreshment break where a crew member rests while the other stays with a patient.  

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They said: “During periods of high demand, we may put out a message to our crews with the option to forego a formal meal break if they have had an opportunity to have a refreshment break while waiting to handover patients at hospital.  

“This offer is only available for staff who have had some downtime at hospitals and there is no obligation for staff to take up this offer.”

They added: “The service remains under extreme pressure and the public can help us get to the most urgent cases by using NHS 111 service for healthcare advice in non-urgent cases. Please continue to call 999 if it’s a life-threatening emergency.”

The news came as no surprise to Glenn Carrington, Branch Chair of the UNISON East of England ambulance branch, who said a “perfect storm” was hitting the NHS.

Echo: Glenn Carrington has been a paramedic for over 30 years Glenn Carrington has been a paramedic for over 30 years

While he encouraged all paramedics to take breaks during their shifts he could not blame those who took the money in an extremely challenging work environment.

He said: “We’ve been decimated by the pandemic. We’ve got a significant number of staff off with covid, plus the effects of long covid on people have hit us bad. You can only do this job for certain amount of time before you think ‘I’ll just stack shelves at Aldi, it’s a lot less hassle.’   

“The staff we’re losing are the most qualified people we can’t afford to lose. “It’s a perfect storm, the pressure on our staff is unprecedented.”

He added: “Our advice is to take your breaks but people do strange things when you dangle money in front of them.”