Strike costs Alderney thousands

Tuesday 10 December 2019

Five days of Guernsey Ambulance cover is estimated to have cost the Alderney Ambulance Service around £6,000 so far, but the industrial action could soon be coming to an end.

All eight voluntary crew members resolved to withdraw their services after their chief officer Mel Walden was sacked by the organisation's board last Wednesday following a Care Quality Commission review which contained several criticisms of how the organisation was being run.

Three officers from Guernsey Ambulance were drafted in to provide cover.

By Monday, crew members had still not reached any resolution with the board, but States of Alderney President William Tate has volunteered to mediate between the two entities.

Pictured: File image of William Tate, President of the States of Alderney.

In recent days Alderney Ambulance Service has mounted a drive to encourage people to subscribe to the service prompting questions about how long it can afford to foot the bill for emergency cover.

One Alderney Ambulance crew member said the £1,200 daily cost was a reasonable estimate based on previous periods of cover.

The volunteer said each member of crew cost around £240 a day. Then there was the cost of hotel accommodation, a hire car, food allowances and flights.

Alderney Ambulance is financed by public subscriptions and a £21,000 per year grant from the States.

"Alderney Ambulance does not have pockets deep enough to finance this cover for a sustained period of time," said one member. "If the charity goes bankrupt then the States will have to fund emergency cover."

Alderney Ambulance crew said the review has proposed that crew members were reduced and that the service be reduced to a single ambulance.

"The document contains other recommendations which point strongly to the involvement of interested outside parties," they said in a statement.

They said they were disappointed at the lack of dialogue with the board since the dispute had started, but there has been progress made in the last 24 hours. 

Mrs Walden had previously said she'd been heartened by the support of her ambulance crew colleagues and was ready to go back on duty as soon as the matter was resolved.

Pictured: One of Alderney's ambulances.

In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, the Alderney Ambulance Service appeared positive there might soon be a resolution to the strike. 

They said contact between the two parties on Monday had indicated the crew would return to work, but only if certain criteria are met.

"Shortly before noon today, Monday 9 December, some, but not all, crew members received an email, individually addressed, from Les Stewart, Chairman of the Board of AAS Ltd, requesting a reply by noon on Tuesday 10th December, in order that he could inform the office of Andrew Muter, States of Alderney Chief Executive, whether and when the crew would be returning to duty," said the AAS.

"Crew members met at 18.00 this evening (Monday) to discuss the contents of Mr Stewart's email and have agreed a response. Subsequently, a joint reply has been sent to Mr Stewart, reiterating the crew's wish to return to duty at the earliest opportunity and stipulating the terms on which this could be achieved. 

"The crew have given an undertaking to work constructively to address the few remaining areas of concern, rebuild the reputation and strengthen the clinical governance of the Alderney Ambulance Service."

An update is expected by Tuesday afternoon, as the AAS has asked Mr Stewart to reply by midday on Tuesday.