A Shropshire ambulance worker at the centre of a row over leaked documents today resigned, claiming service bosses were more concerned with Government targets and portraying a favourable image than patient care.Steve Jetley also warned that the lives of Shropshire patients were being “recklessly” put at risk because ambulances are sent out of the county to deal with calls in the West Midlands.
His claims have been strongly denied by service chiefs, who have released figures which, they say, show there is “no significant drain” on Shropshire resources when ambulances are sent on cross border calls.
Mr Jetley, 51, an ambulance technician, handed in his letter of resignation this morning at the Shrewsbury station.
He was one of three Shrewsbury-based staff suspended pending an investigation by the West Midlands Ambulance Trust into a possible breach of the Data Protection Act.
He had produced information showing that while Shropshire ambulances were being used in the West Midlands, a Shropshire patient had to wait 16 minutes to be allocated one after a call for help was made.
The two other staff – a controller and another technician – were reinstated last week but yesterday, after being interviewed by investigators, Mr Jetley remained under suspension.
Mr Jetley said today: “Giving notice of my resignation is the only way I can show how important I feel the issue is. It is the only stand I can now take.”
Mr Jetley said his wife, Angharad, had been a “tower of strength” and fully supported his action.
“It has been an horrendous time but neither of us are people who will bow down when we see a wrong being done,” he said.
“We have talked it through endlessly and both came to the conclusion that there is nothing else I can do but resign.”
Mr Jetley joined the service four years ago.
“I absolutely loved the job,” he said. “It has got to be one of best jobs in the world. Everyone who works in it says so.”
He will now consider what other work to do. He previously ran his own computer software company.
West Midlands Ambulance Trust says that it has researched the way it “flexes resources” so that a response is sent as quickly as possible to every patient.
Figures for April to July showed Shropshire ambulances operated outside the county on 179 occasions.
Ambulances from other localities operated inside the county 166 times.
“These figures clearly demonstrate that there is only a slight loss of resources from Shropshire,” a spokesman said previously.
“This trust is proud that it sends ambulances as quickly as possible to each and every patient, whatever type of call.”
An extract from Mr Jetley’s letter of resignation:
It is with deepest regret I feel compelled, with immediate effect, to tender . . . my resignation from a job I have loved, and originally believed I would continue to enjoy until retirement. However, I feel it is impossible to continue to work under a senior management team in which I have no confidence and for which I hold no respect.
The executive appears to be more concerned with Government targets and portraying a favourable image than patient care. Their apparent recent attempts, at first to silence, and then to detract from, the proof that lives of Shropshire people had been put at risk, suggests to me a complete contempt for those they are supposed to represent.
Not one single attempt has yet been made to acknowledge the incontrovertible evidence . . . that showed a Shropshire resident had to wait 16 minutes for an ambulance. Any decent human beings would have admitted their failings, then found ways to prevent anyone’s life ever being put at risk again.
When I spoke to the media . . . I did it in the hope that it would make some difference and because I cared dearly about the ambulance service and my patients.
But sadly nothing has changed . . . the chief executive and his officers still refuse to admit that there ever was, and still is, a problem.
Eventually, and inevitably, someone will die when there is no ambulance available because too many have been sent out of the county.
Perhaps then things will change.
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29 Comments
THERES A GUY WHO DOESNT KNUCKLE UNDER PREASURE FROM HIS BOSSES HE HAS STOOD AND HAS BEEN COUNTED WELL DONE TO HIM HIS FAMILY SHOULD BE PROUD
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I think I am right in my understanding of the way in which the ambulance service works in that we send our ambulances over the welsh border but we dont get the same courtesy back. Also, I think that I am correct in saying that the money allocated per head per patient in Wales is more than Shropshire, yet the welsh are happy to utilise our resources.
Im not one for nitpicking but surely when lives are at risk, petty politics should not get in the way!
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Steve Jetley is a local hero, who should not have been obliged to resign after revealing the truth.
What’s wrong with our country that the truth has to be left unknown to the majority of us and only known to an elite few who wish to keep us in ignorance.
Perhaps Mr Jetley will consider a career move into journalism, where his insight into health matters will prove more valuable than in his recently departed post.
Best wishes for the future Steve.
Michael Ryan,
Shrewsbury
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Mr Jetley can hold his head up high
Good luck to him in the future!
We waste so much on poor public services.
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Well done for speaking out Steve, you’ve created massive amounts of publicity which is exactly what the situation needs, lets hope people start to listen!
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‘No significant drain on Shropshire resources’ Who are they kidding?
With the reducing number of ambulances now being replaced by response cars across the country, there is bound to a reduction in availability of properly staffed and equipped ambulances
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What happened to Union support on whistleblowing. Steve is right what he says. He should not have resigned. They should have come clean. I have been there with Staffordshire. Steve contact me through the paper.
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Just because those in charge of the Shropshire ambulance service are idiots, is no reason for them to presume we are all idiots, too!
Good luck Steve!
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Well, they are about to loose an experienced ambulance tech, now that is going to be a drain on services.
If they sliced some of the management who hold back truth then it would alot better.
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Sorry Blueyes, but I don’t know whether you are referring to Powys or Clwyd in your comments about Wales. However I can assure you Powys do assist Shropshire when asked and when crews are available. At the moment there are quite serious staffing problems in parts of Mid Wales. Allocation of monies has little to do with it and the issues – as you suspect no doubt – are far more complex.
Welsh Ambulance Control staff fully support the Shropshire staff – some of them went through similar reorganisation and relocation and had no real support from anybody!
Incidentally I agree with the comment about more and more Rapid Response Vehicles (to get on scene within the required standard) and less and less double crewed vehicles available to actually transport patients. This is common throughout most services now. More manipulation of statistics.
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With some knowledge of how things work in the public services, if an employee upsets the bosses and releases information that is uncomfortable for them or is an embarrassment, they scrape the barrell to “get him/her” in subtle ways. I would like to be certain that pressure was not put on Steve to resign. The usual ploy is “resign or be sacked” – this comes usually when they have insufficient evidence or grounds to discipline or sack an employee but gives the person affected the belief that they have. It lets them off the hook and gets them out of a hole that they dug themselves into. The employee leaves with pension intact, a good reference for future employment etc and his pride unaffected. Tell us Steve that this ultimatum was not put to you because I would’nt put anything past the Ambulance bosses.
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Here here simon ! I was just about to put him right, the problem is with West Midland Ambulance Service draining resources not the welsh , we help the welsh and they help us,
Has he been following the same story ? !!!!
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I feel sorry for the shropshire ambulance service, they have just lost a hero who was standing up for the people of shropshire. The managers in charge of this cover-up do not deserve to be in the post they are, they are a disgrace.
Good luck steve, wish you well in what you do next.
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I saw this on the side of an ambulance outside Walsall manor hospital recently
“shropshire ambulance service”
“caring for the community of Shropshire”
I thought it would be nice for the crew if they had chance to do that!!
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Good luck Steve.
Thank you for all you have done to highlight these lies and injustices.
People of Shropshire, please support these brave and selfless staff and attend the meeting on the 28th at Shirehall.
We owe it to those who have had to sacrifice their careers for the people of Shropshire.
Your Ambulance Service- save money or save lives…?
It’s your call.
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In regards to “999 worker” comments below-
I saw this on the side of an ambulance outside Walsall manor hospital recently
“shropshire ambulance service”
“caring for the community of Shropshire”
I thought it would be nice for the crew if they had chance to do that!!
May be it should be now changed to
“Shropshire Ambulance Service”
“NOT caring for the community of Shropshire”
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Hi Alan. Thanks for your concern but I wasn’t being pressured into resigning. Quite honestly I’m fairly sure that I would have been reinstated eventually as there would have been quite a lot of bad publicity if I had been sacked.
However, I thought that I could make a bigger impact if I resigned now, showing people just how much I believed in what I was doing, and how important the issues were. I knew that would get significant coverage in the media.
I just hope it was all worth while though, and that people DO turn up for the meting at Shirehall on the 28th to express their anger at the way Shropshire Ambulance Service is being “managed” by the present Trust.
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Can anyone give me a idea just how many thousands of pounds salary that murray macgregor and his merry gang are earning – whilst running this ‘over the border’ sorry ?shropshire? ambulance service………………..!
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Thanks Steve, at least that is one point in their favour but it doesn’t lessen the contempt that it seems a lot of people hold for these people. If they run true to form, whatever is said and no matter by how many people, the decision has already been made and the consultation process will be just a charade. The outcome is a foregone conclusion and the only satisfactory consequence will be that those responsible for making the decision will be sued by the relatives of the unfortunate deceased person/s who will be the innocent end result of their outrageous actions. Their names should be recorded for future reference when the proverbial hits the fan as it will do as sure as night follows day.
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I think the problem with PR officers is that they are paid to put the Trust’s point of view. In this case, it hasn’t been handled very well and there have been some ‘untruths’ ( if I can put it politely like that) which were exposed by the rather brave and principled actions of the member of the control staff and by Steve Jetley and another colleague.
The attempts to win the hearts and minds of the publci by writing to the Letters Page of the Shropshire Star – as Murray McGregor was no doubt ordered to do – actually opened the way for more accusations from operational staff who can tell exactly the sort of calls they are attending in Dudley and elsewhere…and they aren’t for the most part quite as clinically vital as Mr McGregor claimed!
I’m staggered how the Chief Executive has remained so silent and let other people do the talking (and again, not do it very well). But then again, when it goes pear shaped, the Chief Exec can say “erm, well I didn’t actually say that – it was a member of my staff….” etc etc.
When the PR officer becomes the story rather than the issue he’s trying to manage then he is in trouble (as I think Alastair Campbell once said. I’ve no idea whether the PR officers of today in the West Mids have Operational of Control backgrounds (they certainly used to) but from some of the things they’re trotting out these days, you certainly wouldn’t think so.
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The manner in which the executive team of the West Midlands Ambulance Service have behaved throughout this debacle is completely in line with the way the current government behaves. Smoke and mirrors, statistics and spin with very little truth in any of it. Morale in the service is low, the staff have no faith or confidence in their management, there are no opportunities for advancement, further training has been cancelled for the forseeable future. If the general public were aware of how much the service is being eroded, there would be outcry. Steve Jetley has done a great job in speaking out, I can only hope that ambivalence doesn’t now prevail.
All they are interested in is eight minutes. Nothing more, nothing less.
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As a resident of the Black Country, should I be worried that it takes Ambulances from Shrewsbury to come and give me a lift to the libary? YES! Not because Shropshire residents are at risk but because clearly the other counties dont have enough ambulances! Well done Mr Jetley for highlighting this (admittedly side) issue too!
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Bang On Steve. You’ve got guts! I hope this raises the issue nationally.
What kind of world is it where audio visual retailers are more reliable that AMBULANCES!
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Steve.
I just want to wish you the very best of luck from my family, for what you have done to try and help bring to the publics attention how the greasy pole at Management Headquarters works at West Midland Ambulance Service from Anthony Marsh down. Anthony Marsh should be removed from his position as Chief executive.
Many times now questions have been asked on various problems that are effecting the front line staff who work in our County.
What we get back can only be described as lies, mis-truth, and false manipulation, of figures comments and actual fact being quoted to them. We wish you well Steve and your family, in the hope that you can return to a job that has honesty and integrity at its Management level and is their first priority in its dealings with the community at large.
How do you get rid of this manipulative Management, to stop also the closure of Shropshire’s and Hereford and Worcestershire’s control rooms.
Persistence perhaps or hope that the people of the three Counties wake up in time to attend and support these public meetings,the first coming up on 28th August at 19.30pm at Shirehall Shrewsbury.
Steve good luck in all you do.
Warmest
Regards from Roy …a friend to the Ambulance service in Shropshire.
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28th August im there, lets all stand up and be counted, to back what steve has done. if we dont, we will suffer.
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Unless I have completely misunderstood, this poor guy was suspended purely under suspected breach of the Data Protection Act. I thought the DPA existed to protect members of the Public. Releasing information about Ambulance deployment does not breach the DPA. Get yourself to a local lawyer (they usually do a free half hour consultation so you know if you have a case) because you may be able to sue for constructive dismissal. Good luck to you.
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Anthony Marsh? Wasn’t that the chap on the radio who said that Ambulances were not taken out of Shropshire on non-emergency calls when there were emergency calls to from Shropshire? If this “breach of the DPA” exposed that as a LIE then there is no criminal or civil offence as it is in the public interest. That is the word of the law. Surely it is this Marsh bloke who should resign not Mr Steve Jetley. Now there is one less skilled worker out there…
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I’d like to thank everyone for all the support that I have had over the last few weeks. However everything will all have been in vain if support is not shown at the public meeting at the Shirehall in Shrewsbury on Tuesday 28th September at 7.00pm.
At this meeting the ambulance bosses will be trying to defend their plans to relocate the Shropshire control centre to the West Midlands. As far as they are concerned it is a ‘done deal’, but if this move is allowed to happen, the risks that Shropshire people are already being exposed to will only get worse.
The ONLY thing that will change their mind is a massive demonstration of public opposition to these plans (especially as the media is likely to be there). We need as many people as possible to come to this meeting and express their concerns, and question the bosses on the ‘facts’ that they will undoubtable put forward.
This will probably be your last chance to make a difference, and quite frankly, your life might depend on it!
Steve Jetley
Previously of Shropshire Ambulance Service.
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Takes a brave person.
please get in touch my name sake.
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