Some defibrillators were flashing warning lights alerting paramedics they were about to go dead, a report to councillors in Staffordshire has revealed. Bosses reported the problem to the National Patient Safety Agency and ordered a review of procedures.

Meanwhile, the death of a patient who suffered a heart attack while unsupervised in the back of a police van on the way to hospital is also included in West Midland Ambulance Service’s self-assessment report.

via Express & Star.

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

Crews are given a target of half an hour to drop off patients.

But figures from the West Midlands Ambulance Service show in the first nine months of the year, ambulances sat outside the University Hospital of North Staffordshire’s unit for a total of 350 hours above the guideline – the equivalent of 14 and a half days.

The figures, obtained by a Sentinel Freedom of Information request, reveal the wait at Stafford Hospital was 427 hours over the same period.

In 2010, the lost time amounted to 256 hours at the Hartshill unit and 400 at Stafford and in 2009, it was just 193 and 194 hours respectively.

The University Hospital brings in 42 per cent of its 100,000-plus annual patients by ambulance.

It had its worst month in June when 63.5 hours ticked by as ambulances stood outside the Princes Road unit instead of being on emergency calls.

via This is Staffordshire.

Temporary diversions are designed to allow hospitals the chance to clear backlogs of patients and free up staff.

West Midlands Ambulance Service and the four major hospitals in the Black Country – New Cross, Wolverhampton, Russells Hall, Dudley, Walsall Manor and Sandwell – have agreed a deal.

via Express & Star.

The new ambulances are currently in build and will enter into service alongside 60 Movanos already operated by the Trust since last year. Once deliveries are complete the model will make up to half of their fleet of 275 emergency ambulances.

They will operate out of all the Regional ambulance stations from which over 720,000 emergency calls are responded to each year. During their five years in service the ambulances will be worked hard with each covering at least 250,000 miles.

Read full article: Vauxhall Van News

West Midlands Ambulance Service has been told it can provisionally take over the multi-million pound contract from private firm Parkwood, which has run the service for the past three years.

Read full article: This is Staffordshire.

The West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust was rated 93 out of 100 in for the quality of care provided to category C non-urgent patients by independent regulator the Care Quality Commission.

Read full article: Berrows Journal.

It covers his early years manning emergency vehicles in central Birmingham. It’s called ‘Blue Lights and Long Nights’ and is published by Bantam Press.

Les is busy writing the sequel.

First launched in 2007, the move is aimed at reducing admissions to the accident and emergency departments in hospitals.

The unit will be stationed on Broad Street on Friday and Saturday night.

Read full article: Nursing Times.

Mr Thayne led the unsuccessful fight to stop the county service merging into a West Midlands regional service three years ago, has submitted five questions to be answered at the monthly meeting of the trust board in Stoke-on-Trent.

Read full article: The Sentinel