New eco-friendly ambulances to meet greener NHS targets are being parked up across the country because paramedics are too tall or have feet too big to drive them.
The embarrassing gaffe has left half the NHS ambulance trusts in England which bought adapted Fiat Ducatos to replace their old Mercedes vehicles facing the expensive problem of how to off-load them.
But angry paramedics say patients’ lives have also been put in danger as some staff wait up to seven hours on their shifts for an ambulance they can actually drive.
Last night, Mark Tilley, deputy chairman of the GMB union’s national ambulance committee, said: ‘Paramedics should not need to worry if their feet are too big or their legs are too short.’
A whistleblower said paramedics with size 12 and above feet cannot use the Fiats as the special reinforced toe-capped boots they wear are too big to move safely from one pedal to the next.
The embarrassing gaffe has left half the NHS ambulance trusts in England which bought adapted Fiat Ducatos to replace their old Mercedes vehicles facing the expensive problem of how to off-load them (File Photo)
Fiat Ducato A&E ambulance. Angry paramedics say patients’ lives have also been put in danger as some staff wait up to seven hours on their shifts for an ambulance they can actually drive (File Photo)
Paramedics say the new vehicles give them the ‘heebie-jeebies’ as they often have to break speed limits as part of their jobs. They add the Fiats also have less room for paramedics to stand by a patient’s side, which can create worse outcomes if that person is suffering cardiac arrest. Now at least one of the five trusts affected has decided to stop using the vehicles completely. In other trusts, paramedics unable to drive the Fiats are stuck with only using the old Mercedes ambulances. The revelations are in papers released to The Mail on Sunday under Freedom of Information.
Five years ago the Lord Carter Review recommended standardising ambulance specifications to make them cheaper and more fuel-efficient. Trusts are under pressure from ‘Greener NHS’ targets to reduce emissions, with ambulances seen as a big polluter.
The Fiats comply with UK safety regulations and there is no suggestion they are unsafe on the road.
But one paramedic said they are ‘detrimental to me doing my best for my patients’, and added: ‘They can’t go safely from the brake to the accelerator.
‘We’ve got people who are quite big and tall, who have size 14 feet. When they try to drive, they can’t move their foot from one pedal to the other because of their boots.’
Last night, Mark Tilley, deputy chairman of the GMB union’s national ambulance committee, said: ‘Paramedics should not need to worry if their feet are too big or their legs are too short’ (File Photo)
Following concerns raised over the Fiats, last month NHS England expanded the types of ambulances trusts can buy.
Last month, South East Coast Ambulance quietly vowed to replace all the Fiats in its fleet following staff concerns. Sources said as many as one in five drivers can’t use the Fiats.
Minutes of its board meeting said: ‘We will replace the manual Fiat Ducato DCAs and decide a new ambulance design to continue our fleet replacement.’
East of England Ambulance Trust said 35 of the 145 staff who underwent ‘ergonomic assessment’ were found not to be able to drive the ambulances.
This assessment includes height and body shape, the trust said.
South Central Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust said staff found unable to use the Fiats are stuck driving the old Mercedes ambulances.
Paramedics say the new vehicles give them the ‘heebie-jeebies’ as they often have to break speed limits as part of their jobs (File Photo)
North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said about one per cent of its staff were found unable to drive the vehicles.
The Fiats also have multiple levers to adjust the driver’s seat position, which sources said is not feasible for paramedics in their fast-paced jobs and the way they regularly switch vehicles.
‘The seatbelts on the Fiats have also caused some drivers problems. They can’t get themselves in a position that’s safe and comfortable to have the seatbelt not cause them a distraction,’ the source added.
A Fiat spokesman said: ‘If any of the English ambulance authorities have specific questions about their respective vehicles, we are keen to investigate with them.’
An NHS spokesman said: ‘The safety of NHS staff and patients is our priority and ambulance trusts have established processes in place for staff to raise any concerns.
‘All ambulance trusts have been fully involved in the recent tendering exercise and will make their own decisions on their fleet based on their specific needs, in line with the national vehicle specification.’