SEVEN Bolton paramedics are set to leave frontline service in the next month, whistleblowers claim.

The Bolton News understands the staff have left their jobs with the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) to take up positions at the NHS 111 call centre in Middlebrook because of hours, pay and conditions.

An ex-paramedic claimed the sudden flood of employees from frontline service to NHS 111 is down to stress and poor working conditions.

But NWAS said the transfer of staff from the frontline to NHS 111 — an internal move — was a “positive sign” and reflected employees’ desire for “personal development and promotion”.

A spokesman said: “NWAS has one of the lowest staff turnovers for an ambulance service in the UK and prides itself on providing a wide range of career opportunities for both its clinical frontline and support staff.

“Members of staff will have their own reasons for wanting to apply for different roles within the Trust, however the movement of paramedics from the frontline to NHS 111 is based upon their desire for personal development and promotion.

“It is a positive sign of the staff’s existing educational and clinical development that they are in a position to meet the person specification for the senior clinician roles in the NHS 111 service.”

In April, a whistleblower told the Bolton News that moral at NWAS was so low, six paramedics had left jobs in Bolton in six months.

The Bolton paramedic said a survey for NWAS’ Unison members found 85 per cent of staff were actively looking to leave or wanted to leave.

He said paramedics were being pushed to the limit – without the time to take breaks, or correctly carry out vital vehicle checks – because NWAS NHS Trust is understaffed.

An ex-paramedic told the Bolton News: “Within the next few months there is going to be a number of paramedics leaving the service – seven in Bolton and four in Wigan. They are all moving across to the NHS 111 service because of better pay and conditions.

“When an organisation is losing so many experienced staff you have to wonder why.”

The NWAS spokesman added: “As the paramedic emergency service and 111 divisions are both managed by the NWAS, the general employment terms and conditions, and operational policies remain the same.”

NWAS was unable to confirm how many frontline paramedics have moved or are set to move over to NHS 111 roles.

Craig Wilde, UNISON NWAS Branch Secretary said:“The Government has not provided sufficient funding to meet the growing public demands on the Ambulance Service. This means that Ambulance staff face more pressure and higher workloads. Working at a high intensity for long periods in a job that is physically and mentally demanding can make it difficult for staff to remain in the Service.”