Ambulance Service asked to consider patients’ needs

Ambulance Service asked to consider patients’ needs

24 October 2018

THE Ambulance Service has been urged to ensure that proposed changes to how it responds to 999 calls are patient focused and that the needs of those who live in rural areas will be carefully considered.

The appeal was issued by Downpatrick councillor John Trainor at a special meeting of Newry, Mourne and Down Council on Monday night attended by senior health officials, including Ambulance Service representatives.

The meeting took place a fortnight after the Province’s most senior ambulance official admitted to local hospital campaigners that the local community has not been receiving the emergency response that it deserves.

But the organisation’s chief executive, Michael Bloomfield, said he hoped the service will improve when proposed changes to how the organisation responds to 999 calls are implemented.

A review of current despatch procedures has resulted in the development of proposals — currently out to public consultation – which aim to provide the most immediate and appropriate clinical response to the most seriously ill or injured.

Mr Bloomfield insisted the proposed changes to the way all calls are categorised were not a cost cutting exercise and nothing to do with achieving targets.

He said the main thrust was to provide a safer, quality service, explaining that implementing the new model will require the recruitment of an additional 330 frontline ambulance staff over the next three to five years and will cost in the region of £30m.

“Our firm view is that the proposed changes will provide a better quality and safer service and go a long way to meeting the challenge in providing an effective response times to communities such as the one in this area which has not been getting the sort of response that we would wish,” said Mr Bloomfield.

Cllr Trainor insisted any changes to provision of service must be patient focused. He said it was evident that the Ambulance Service was not meeting the needs of people in Lecale and East Down and welcomed the fact that officials were undertaking a consultation into changing the current models. 

“That said, any remodelling of the Ambulance Service must not solely focus on statistics, but take into consideration patient needs and for areas like Lecale and East Down, the geography and infrastructure that impacts heavily on response times of ambulances.”

Cllr Trainor said he was pleased Ambulance Service officials recognised that any remodelling of the service will need an injection of extra funding, an increase in vehicles and staff and that current resources need to be utilised more effectively. 

He added: “This includes extending the use of vehicles such as so-called intermediate care vehicles to ensure that appropriate staff and transportation is at hand for responding to calls.”

As part of the public consultation on proposed changes to the model for despatching emergency vehicles, the South Eastern Local Commissioning Group has organised for an Ambulance Service representative to update its members to provide further information on the proposals at its next meeting in Ballynahinch Baptist Church on Thursday, November 1, at 2pm, which is open to the public.

Ambulance Service equality and public involvement officer John Gow, who will be in Ballynahinch, said that in recent years the demand for services had significantly exceeded the organisation’s capacity to respond.

He added: “The number of ambulance responses dispatched to calls has increased by 50% over the past five years. This has resulted in many people having to wait longer for ambulances than we would wish, with response times increasing year on year, and falling well below the Ministerial targets.

“Our proposals seek to introduce changes that will ensure that those with the most serious life-threatening conditions get the most immediate and appropriate response. We are also proposing to introduce improved call handling procedures for those calls which are less serious, ensuring that they receive a response appropriate to their needs.”

Commissioning group chairman Dr Michael Steele is encouraging people living in the South Eastern Trust area and any community groups with an interest in the proposed developments to attend the November 1 meeting to find out what the proposals are so they can respond to the consultation.