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.

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.

In the blow-by-blow account of 12 hours on the road, the whistleblower – who has asked not to be identified – tells how swingeing cuts are putting lives at risk. The lifesaver’s disturbing account reveals how:

An 86-year-old woman is left lying on her floor for two hours after a fall – because a drunk 22-year-old asleep on a bus takes priority.

via mirror.co.uk.

Rural areas, such as those west of the Bann, are expected to be worst hit under proposals approved by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said he would carefully consider the plans.

The ambulance service said its capacity to respond would actually improve, despite the efficiency savings. But health service unions are angry.

via BBC NEWS.

The victims could suffer without intravenous drugs until 20 minutes into their journey to one of the regions new heart attack centres because some ambulances are staffed by technicians rather than paramedics, the head of Accident & Emergency at Ipswich Hospital has warned.

Read full article: Evening Star 24.

The people behind the Shetland Independent Ambulance Service (SIAS) said that they were so concerned with the local ambulance cover that they had to act to improve the situation.

Read full article: The Shetland News

Rising numbers of GP referrals have already led trusts to scrutinise their hospital activity closely, but those with high levels of referrals will now be named and shamed as the NHS publishes performance league tables for the first time.

The influential NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement has calculated the number of outpatient referrals each PCT ought to have, based on the age, sex and needs of its local population, and found most need to reduce their rates substantially.

The average PCT had a referral rate 9.2% above the calculated ideal level in the quarter two figures for 2008/9, but in some areas rates were 50% higher than expected or more.

The worst performer was NHS Berkshire East, with referrals more than 61% above target, although it claimed it had already begun to use practice-based commissioning to curb referral increases.

Norma Southwood, an associate at the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, said the tables would allow PCTs to compare themselves and had identified best practice in high-performing trusts.

‘This is designed to be a prompt for further analysis at trusts. It links in with other work going on at the institute, with the potential to move some activity from the acute sector into the community,’ she said.

Advice accompanying the publication of the tables outlined ‘key steps’ to achieve more efficient outpatient services, including incentivising GPs to reduce referral rates – directly contradicting official GPC advice on referral incentive schemes.

‘PCTs should introduce systems to monitor GP referral rates and provide feedback to them. PBC can be used to incentivise GPs to reduce referral levels where they are overly high,’ it said.

Read full article: Pulse Today

With only one ambulance on duty at a time here now they must be kept very busy for their whole shift going straight from one incident to another, but still arrive and attend to their patients as professionally as ever.

I had occasion to call them out last week, and really do appreciate their care and attention. Thank you folks!

There is currently a petition to The Scottish Ambulance Service calling for more ambulance cover for Shetland circulating in shops in the town and in almost every country shop. If you agree, please do sign as soon as possible as time is of the essence.

The wording on the petition is as follows;

Petition To The Scottish Ambulance Service for More Ambulance Cover for Mainland Shetland.

Mainland Shetland Needs Another Ambulance Plus Crews. Recently there were two accidents at opposite ends of Mainland Shetland. The ambulance crew could not attend both. This proves that Mainland Shetland needs more than one Ambulance on duty

Read full article: Shetland News.

John Tierney, the Dublin city manager, ambulance service, which responds to around 5,000 high priority calls a year.

The service was introduced in 2007 to cater for the 40,000 people who live in the vicinity.

The HSE says it has never paid the city council for the ambulance because it was introduced without its approval. “When the fire brigade service in Swords went full-time, Dublin city council took the decision to put an ambulance into the centre,” it said. “This was not subject to any agreement with the HSE.”

Read full article: Times Online.