Breaks again

So the LAS has hit the newspapers. Several articles were published this weekend about patients dying due to the fact that crews were on their uninterruptable breaks. Especially about a patient in Edmonton. The Sunday Express and the Sun amongst others have led an attack on the Service as a whole. I'm fairly sure that all frontline staff would agree on a couple of things. First, we deserve a break. Hungry crews make for grumpy and sometimes careless crews. Second, and just as important, if any crew was to find out that there was a cardiac arrest call round the corner, they would get in their vehicle and go to the call. Break or no break. Rules or no rules. The problem is not necessarily with the breaks, but the way they are being allocated. It has almost instantly become a cost-cutting exercise, rather than a sensible way to ensure crews get the rest that they deserve, and at a time that is logical. The fact that more than one crew on a station are being put on breaks at the same time is crazy. Patient care still has to come first. However, it seems that more and more like this is going to the bottom of the list of priorities. Times and rules come first. Common sense has gone out the window.