NHS 999 staff are burning out and quitting in droves, research by Unison warns today.

More than a quarter (27 per cent) of NHS ambulance control room staff have quit their jobs over the past three years, according to data obtained by the union.

Unison found that 510,254 days were lost to call handler illness in the three years from April 2021.

The figure for 2023/24 alone was 166,940 — the equivalent of more than a month of sick leave for each call handler.

Workers often do a 12-hour shift with limited breaks while dealing with emergencies that can include suicides, stabbings, shootings and patients dying before ambulances can reach them.

One worker said she had to take time off sick after dealing with four suicide calls in a single shift, an issue that had affected her personally in the past.

“There is also no consistency in the support given to call handlers after a difficult or deeply upsetting call. Often we don’t have enough call handlers on shift,” one call handler and trainer told the union.

Another worker said: “Some shifts are overwhelmingly traumatic, with 90 per cent of the calls of a distressing nature. One shift, I handled three road traffic accidents and two cardiac arrests.

“It’s deeply concerning how little regard there is for the health and wellbeing of staff.”

Last year, South East Coast Ambulance Service had the highest staff turnover (80 per cent), followed by North East (33 per cent), and Yorkshire (31 per cent).

Unison is calling for better training, regular breaks during shifts and improved emotional support.

Pay should also be regraded to a starting salary of £26,530 a year, the union said.

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: “It’s bad for morale and for patients when so many staff quit or are burnt out.

“Ambulance employers must do more to protect the health and wellbeing of staff who provide such high stakes support.

“This would help create a more stable emergency service that can retain the skills and experience of emergency call handlers, and persuade people to stay in the job for longer.”

The government has been contacted for comment.