Hi, and the compliments of the season to you. I read your blog regularly because I find it exceptionally interesting and informative. As a journalist I have had some dealings with ambulance crews and management over the years. In a previous existence I worked for Auntie Beeb in Scotland and did a documentary during a period of industrial strife within the Scottish Ambulance Service - SAS (unfortunate acronym). As part of the documentary I stayed with a crew for the duration of a Saturday nightshift in Glasgow and boy, was it an eye opener. The crew were brilliant. As they shovelled up drunks with (imagined) heart failure (indigestion) and tended victims of Saturday Glasgow's favourite sport (serious assault by knife or bottle), I stuck by them, recording every moment. On that one shift they attended fourteen calls and lost one life. And they were more cut up about the life they'd lost than the rest of the crap they'd had to put up with for the duration. To say they earned my unconditional respect and admiration is an understatement. At the time the SAS was being run by John Wilby, a fly-by-night cretin from South Africa. He wanted everything done his way, including shift patterns that would have diverted care from the areas where it was required. Thankfully, public opinion and the unions (and hopefully my little part) persuaded him that his plan was a non-starter and common sense prevailed. I don't know where Wilby is now and I hope that the crew I spent the night with are both well. The point is - and I'm sorry this comment is so long - that the managers, as in every other industry, are simply glorified accountants and do not have a clue what happens 'on the street'. At the same time it isn't always possible to make a good medic a decent manager, but the least the bosses could do is make sure that they spend some time not just speaking to crews, but staying with them for a shift or three and find out what actually goes on at the sharp end. Perhaps then they might have some idea of what happens when they make ill-considered decisions. I applaud your decision to go back on an ambulance. Your talents appear to have been wasted in your present role and I wish you all the best for the coming year (and beyond). Again, apologies for the length of this comment, but I hope it makes some sense to those who care about our emergency services. Greg