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 two emergency ambulances would risk lives.NEAS said without changes it would “fail to meet response targets”.

The plans include adding a new category of ambulance to the current rapid response vehicles and dual-crewed ambulances.These “urgent care” vehicles, with no paramedic, would deal with the majority of hospital and GP transfers and other non-emergency calls.

Some places would gain one or more types of ambulance, while others would lose some of their current provision.Many locations would gain one type of ambulance while losing another.

via BBC News.

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 Cambridgeshire, seven in Hertfordshire and five in Bedfordshire.

via Bury Free Press.

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 and improve care.

But the Association of Professional Ambulance Personnel said moving larger patients would still be a problem.

The new ambulances, which are currently being built, will be able to take patients weighing up to 50 stone (318kg).

via BBC News

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 high demand.

But Mike Eddy, from Kent Local Involvement Network (Link), said it would be cheaper to use NHS ambulances.

Secamb, which covers Kent, Surrey and Sussex, is one of only five NHS ambulance trusts in England which currently uses private companies to answer 999 calls and to take patients to hospital for outpatient appointments.

via BBC News.

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 service has turned its performance around – and is beating government targets.

The news comes after the trust that runs NWAS was given an ultimatum in August to improve – or face a £3.8m fine.

Paramedics are supposed to get to life-threatening emergencies within eight minutes – and trusts must hit the standard 75 per cent of the time.

via Manchester Evening News – menmedia.co.uk.

He said: “More vehicles are going to Royal Blackburn Hospital than previously so unless they are putting extra ambulances on and staff on at the casualty department that is going to create problems.”

via From Lancashire Telegraph.

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 from joint worst in the country last month to joint fifth of 12 ambulance services after responding to 76.5 per cent of category A calls within the Government’s time specification.

West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) recorded a figure of 76 per cent.

The figures also showed that EMAS had failed to improve its efforts to reach lifethreatening emergencies within 19 minutes.

via Burton News & Staffordshire Newspaper

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 received, while also seeing an improvement in response times.

Mr Whiting said: “Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) has much to be proud of.

“We are now responding to patients more quickly than ever before and have seen some really positive results in relation to the quality of clinical care we provide.

“Over the last three months we have been consulting on our plans to achieve NHS foundation trust status, which will give us greater freedom to shape the way we provide and develop our services for patients.

via York Press.

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.”

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disruptive weather: A tree toppled by high winds blocks Green Lane in Crowborough

Alarm bells began ringing when hospital trustees became aware of an application from South East Coast Ambulance NHS Trust to secure permission for a new ambulance response post at Crowborough Business Park in Park Road.

via This is Sussex.

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 to treatment, ambulance calls closed with telephone advice or managed without transport to A&E, ambulance emergency journeys; for period November 2011.

Ambulance Clinical Outcomes; Outcome from cardiac arrest – return of spontaneous circulation, outcome from acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), outcome from stroke for ambulance patients, outcome from cardiac arrest – survival to discharge; for period August 2011.

Read full article at – Department of Health.