Stressed 999 staffer fights his dismissal

Jun 20 2008 by Jule Wilson, The Journal

AN ambulance worker lost his job after he developed post-traumatic stress disorder in the line of duty, an employment tribunal heard yesterday.

Arthur Biggs, 58, an ambulance technician who responded to emergency calls alongside paramedics within the North of Tyne division of the North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust, developed the debilitating condition after dealing with a number of serious incidents out in the field.

Mr Biggs, of Ringway, Stakeford, Choppington, Northumberland, is claiming unfair dismissal and disability discrimination after his long-term absence from work resulted in him being sacked.

He will today claim that a number of incidents – including one where a number of children died in a horrific car crash – contributed to his illness.

A Newcastle employment tribunal panel heard yesterday that Mr Biggs had been dismissed on April 4, last year, almost a year after becoming unwell and going on long-term sick leave while on shift in May 2006.

He had worked for the service – which denies his claims – for four-and-a-half years.

Gary Molloy, the operations manager for the North of Tyne division of the service, told the tribunal that the service accepted Mr Biggs had been left disabled as a result of developing PTSD following duties he had carried out in the Trust’s employment.

But Mr Molloy denied any discrimination had taken place. He said: “I do not believe the dismissal or that any discrimination had taken place against Arthur because of his disability.

“I would have treated anyone in the same way for that level of absence and I believe my decision to dismiss Arthur was the right one.”

Representing himself at the tribunal, Mr Biggs claimed that research he had carried out into the condition had revealed 25% of North East Ambulance Service staff are likely to be suffering from PTSD at any one time, and suggested that the trust had handled his case insensitively.

He said: “I was phoned by occupational health to self-diagnose while suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. This was inappropriate.”

Responding to the allegation that the Trust is failing to deal adequately with the problem given the alleged statistic, Mr Molloy said: “Nobody has raised that with me. Surely if that is a problem individuals should highlight that to me and that hasn’t been done.”

Mr Biggs, who is expected to give evidence today, said: “You treated me in the same way as anybody else with that level of absence, disregarding my disability and putting me at a substantial disadvantage.”

He added: “I should have been retired on the grounds of ill-health, not dismissed.”

But Mr Molloy’s superior, the Trust’s director of operations Paul Liversidge, told the tribunal that such a decision did not lie with the Trust.

He said: “That would be a decision for the NHS Pensions Agency, and the time to make the application for retirement benefits on those grounds would be following a dismissal by the Trust.”

The tribunal panel heard that Mr Biggs had made such an application but was told it had been unsuccessful.

The hearing is expected to conclude today.

Meal breaks controversy resurfaces

THE long-running issue of ambulance crew meal breaks will be brought back into the spotlight as Mr Biggs gives evidence today.

Mr Biggs is expected to claim the policy of the North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust to give ambulance staff undisturbed meal breaks was a factor in him developing post-traumatic stress disorder.

The 58-year-old, who claims he has been left unable to work by post-traumatic stress disorder, was part of an ambulance crew based in Belford, Northumberland, which he says was sent in August 2005 to deal with a incident 13 miles away in Spittal, Northumberland, rather than interrupt a team in Berwick, only a mile from the scene. A woman died following the incident.

The long running dispute involved ambulance crews being left undisturbed during meal breaks and different crews being sent to incidents, even if they were further away.

But communities around the region were unhappy with the practice and highlighted a number of incidents where it was claimed that patient care had suffered.