To wonder what happens to HCA pay?

[musicalfrog]

Will they also receive a payrise if nurses do?

They work just as hard (albeit without the level of responsibility) and are on the lowest NHS pay grade.

Good luck to the strikers in any case!

Emergency care. An ECSW is a band 3 and technicians are band 4, paramedics band 5. On ambulances the crews (one ECSW, one tech or para) swap about leading care. The higher grades can do more complicated things but 9/10 times they do exactly the same and get paid a lot less. An ECSW can give paracetamol, oxygen, entonox and salbutamol on their own, as long as there is a higher clinician around to sign for it. Techs can give chlorphenamine and about 2 other things. All can read ECGs, to a differing level, drive the ambulance. Paras a lot more, but in reality rarely need to.

@IsItaCowIsItaPlane aren't paramedics automatically moved up to band 6 after being qualified for 2 years?

I'm a nurse so not too clued up on the roles of paramedics vs support workers or techs, but surely it's the paramedic who makes decisions about whether to take the patient to A&E etc, and has overall responsibility if anything happened as they are the registered professional?

They don't always move up to band 6, depends on the trust. If the ECSW is leading care they will make the decision, however if the paramedic thinks otherwise they will discuss it and plan. Yes the para is clinically responsible, but in 99% of cases they don't step in.

A tech and ECSW crew means that there is not a registered clinician on board. This crewing makes up the majority of crews in my area.

I wouldn't say it's a very different job other than the nurse band 5 is giving meds. Depending on the area the HCA works I've worked with people who admit new patients on a ward (B3) and do dressings, remove stitches band 2.