Glasgow nurses slam bus service putting Queen Elizabeth University Hospital patients 'at risk'

Nurses have hit out at a “horrendous” reduced service provided by First Glasgow that runs from the Southside to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH). 

They argue that over the last month, 34A has caused them to fork out on taxi fares and has resulted in them being late for shifts due to buses not running to schedule or not turning up at all.

First Glasgow has said that the issue boils down to an Omicron outbreak among staff – which has caused a temporary reduced timetable. 

The firm has since apologised to the NHS employees and says it will commit to supplying additional peak-time journeys “as and when resource allows”. 

One nurse, who wished not to be named, said: “They done this in the last lockdown but they have done it again where they put on a reduced service because of Covid and social distancing.

“I really don’t understand why, in the first place, they have got a reduced service because it just means more people are packed onto less buses. 

“A load of nurses travel from the Southside to Govan to go to the QEUH every day and honestly, since Covid has got bad again in the last month, the service has been horrendous.”

The frontline worker says that when she uses the First Glasgow app, the bus will look as though it is about to appear at a stop but “never turns up”. 

She added: “That happens sometimes twice in a row, one after the other. I have been late for work on multiple occasions and that is in turn putting my patients at risk.

“You’ll have really, really, tired nurses who are either on the night or day shift who need to look after the patients until you get there. 

“What’s more annoying is that it will look as though they are turning up on the app on Google maps and at the bus stations where the times are there and they just won’t ever come.”

When the 34A does appear, nurses claim that the route is “rammed” – causing them to worry about transmitting Covid, infections and other viruses to their patients who have “no immune system at all”.

Another nurse and First Glasgow customer – who also wished to remain anonymous – said: “I have had to pay around £10 to get to work on a few occasions because the bus is running late, when it should have really only cost me a couple of quid.

“It ends in your whole shift being stressful as you are constantly chasing your tail after coming in late. It means that the nurse who is handing over to you has to work an extra 40 minutes or so until you get in – it isn’t fair on them, they’ve already worked on their feet for 12-hours straight. 

“The problem has definitely got worse in the last month, it was fairly regular beforehand.”

The other healthcare worker added: “When the bus does finally arrive, it is so rammed. Most times I have had to sit next to someone while there is someone standing in front of you as well. 

“They are way over capacity and it doesn’t feel Covid safe at all.

“We are going into hospital to look after our patients who have no immune system at all and after being on a bus that is absolutely rammed with people who sometimes aren’t wearing masks is obviously worrying.”

First Glasgow said it will do “everything it can” to minimise service disruption in the meantime. Local teams are working to ensure vehicles are sanitised regularly to a high standard. 

A spokesperson said: “Along with many other organisations up and down the country, we are experiencing a higher-than-normal level of staff sickness due to the current wave of Omicron Covid-19 cases. 

“The safety of our staff and customers will always be our number one priority. As a result, we have had to introduce a temporary reduced timetable across our network. The temporary timetable will operate until further notice, but we will look to supplement this with additional peak journeys as and when resource allows.

“We are doing everything we can to minimise disruption to services and inconvenience to our customers, and our teams are working extra hard to ensure as many buses run as possible.

“We are continuing to do everything we can to support and look after our colleagues whilst in the workplace with hand sanitiser, face coverings and enhanced cleaning taking place to minimise the risk of transmission of the virus. Our local teams will continue to ensure our vehicles are cleaned regularly to a high standard.

“We’d like to apologise to all customers who are affected by these timetable changes. For the latest information, we will continue to provide regular updates on services on our networks through our local First Bus websites, the First Bus app and our social media platforms.”