East of England Ambulance: Call to 'seek help' after death

The brother of an ambulance worker who took his own life is urging other staff to get help if they are struggling.

Luke Wright, 24, who worked in Norwich, is one of three members of the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS) who have died in the past 11 days.

His brother Daniel, who also works for the EEAS, said: "We need to highlight that it is OK not to be OK. People need to talk to people to get help."

The EEAS has told its staff to reach out and that help is available.

Daniel said his brother "constantly had a smile on his face. He was caring and loved his job and was amazing. He was always helping people".

"With regards to any public sector work there are pressures and strains, but you expect the pressures. I would say if you are feeling pressures, in the police, fire or ambulance services, you should talk to your managers and the your colleagues," he said.

"They can help you. I have had so many messages of support."

Sam Older, regional organiser for Unison, which represents ambulance drivers, said: "While we don't want to speculate on the causes of these deaths, we recognise how important it is for staff to receive the mental health support they need at work, particularly in such a stressful and potentially traumatic job in the ambulance service.

"Unison is pushing the trust to do more to look after the health and well-being of its staff, as a result of which employees now have access to a dedicated helpline with dedicated trauma therapists, and we will do everything we can to look after our members."

Dr Tom Davis, EEAS medical director, said: "We are extremely sad about the deaths recently of three of our colleagues.

"The trust takes any concerns about the health and well-being of its staff extremely seriously and will always offer support to those staff who may require any help."

The EEAS has 4,000 staff across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and into Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.