Major changes in the way the North East Ambulance Service NEAS is run have been announced. The service plans to introduce more ambulances across the region but the re-allocation of vehicle numbers and types in some locations has raised concerns. The MP for Berwick, Sir Alan Beith, said the loss of one of the towns [...]

EEAS will soon have more qualified ambulance paramedics to respond to emergency 999 calls. This summer, 56 ambulance paramedics (SAPs) currently going through their training with the East of England Ambulance Service will become fully qualified and most – 17 – are based in Suffolk, compared with 12 in Essex, nine in Norfolk, nine in [...]

The East Midlands Ambulance Service is to spend about £800,000 on ambulances capable of dealing with obese patients. It currently has only a handful of vehicles capable of moving the largest patients in a 270-strong core fleet. The trust said investing in 80 ambulances with larger stretchers, ramps, hoists and specialist chairs would cut delays [...]

Patient representatives have expressed concern that millions of pounds are being spent by the NHS on private ambulances in the South East. South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) spent £7.8m in the past three years on private contractors, figures obtained by the BBC show. Secamb said it used private providers and volunteers at times of [...]

Greater Manchester’s ambulance service has gone from one of the worst in the country to one of the best – after being threatened with huge fines. The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) came under fire from health bosses last year after failing to get to enough 999 calls on time. Now, new figures reveal the [...]

Ray Carrick, GMB and the Ambulance Services Union’s north west regional organiser for health, said that the increase put pressure on nurses and doctors at the hospital and paramedics were having to travel further. He said: “More vehicles are going to Royal Blackburn Hospital than previously so unless they are putting extra ambulances on and [...]

An ambulance service previously dubbed the worst in the country has improved its performance in reaching the most seriously ill and injured patients. Department of Health statistics from November showed that East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) was above the national target of reaching 75 per cent of such casualties within eight minutes. EMAS has gone [...]

The head of Yorkshire Ambulance Service has warned there is much to do if the trust is to achieve foundation status in 12 months. Chief executive David Whiting said his staff had reason to be proud after an eventful 2011 in which the service successfully fought off criticism for the amount of written complaints it [...]

SECAmb bosses intent on relocating Crowborough’s ambulances have been called upon to explain the plan in more detail. Terry Moon, secretary of the Friends of Crowborough Hospital, said: “We would hate to think something as valuable as the health service is being managed based on short-term financial principles.” ​ disruptive weather: A tree toppled by [...]

Ambulance Systems Indicators for period November 2011 and Ambulance Clinical Outcomes for period August 2011 The following statistics were released today by the Department of Health: Ambulance System Indicators; Category A 8 minute response time, category A 19 minute response time, call abandonment rate, re-contact rate following discharge of care, time to answer call, time [...]