UNISON Cymru, the largest trade union representing ambulance staff in Wales, has said the ambulance service has been “transformed” since its new chief executive was appointed.

The union welcomed new figures published by the Welsh Government showing the number of ambulance staff off sick each year in Wales is at the lowest level since 2012.

Annual sickness levels among ambulance workers dropped from an average of 8.9 per cent in 2014 to 6.8 per cent last year – the first time there has been a decrease since 2011.

The figures, published last week, showed healthcare assistants and support workers had the highest annual sickness rate last year. They were followed by ambulance staff.

Medical and dental staff had the lowest annual sickness levels at just 1.4 per cent.

Darron Dupre, Unison Cymru Ambulance Lead, said the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust’s appointment of new chief executive, Tracy Myhill, in autumn 2014 has played a key role in the change.

He said: “Tracy, working closely with the trade unions, has profoundly challenged and helped remove many of the reasons for stress related ill health in particular which came to a head in the summer of 2014 where sickness rates rose to almost nine per cent.

“Bullying behaviours, inconsistent decision making and a refusal in some quarters to deal with excess hours and missed rest breaks suffered by road staff throughout Wales almost brought the service to its knees and also contributed to poor overall response time performance.”

As well as sickness levels improving, operational performance has also increased.

But Mr Dupre added: “One important factor that UNISON has some concerns about is that the overall reduction in sick levels across the NHS in Wales, whilst welcome, does coincide with the temporary removal of allowances from sick pay.”

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board’s annual sickness levels dropped slightly since last year, from 5.5 to 5.4 per cent.

The Gwent health board sickness levels was more or less on par with the Welsh average of 5.3 per cent. They came joint fifth out of a total of 10 Welsh NHS organisations.