A five-year study comparing early retirements on medical grounds in ambulance personnel with those in other groups of health service staff: Part I: Incidences of retirements

The objective of this study was to compare morbidity betweenambulance staff and other groups of health service workers,to facilitate planning of occupational health (OH) services.A retrospective study of employees of The Eastern Health andSocial Services Board, Northern Ireland was conducted. Subjectswere 181 men and 353 women assessed at OH between 1988–92and found eligible (on the basis of permanent incapacity) toapply for early retirement on medical grounds (EROMG). Ambulancepersonnel showed a high rate of EROMG (55.9/1,000 per annum)both compared with previous ambulance studies (5.7–22.5/1,000),and with other groups in the present study (manual 24.8/1,000,nursing 5.9/1,000 and non-manual 2.6/1,000). Indirect standardizationwas used to correct for age-sex differences between groups,by deriving standardized early retirement ratios (SERR). Ambulanceand manual staff showed high SERRs (636, Cl=558–714 and164, Cl=149–179), whereas nursing and non-manual staffshowed low SERRs (91, Cl=75–107 and 38, Cl=25–52),(all results except that for nursing staff being significantat <0.001). There is evidence that ambulance staff are agroup with high morbidity, and thus deserving of particularattention in terms of preventative and health promotional activities.Other issues requiring consideration in relation to ambulancestaff are redeployment and lowering of the retirement age.