Ambulances in the news today

Last week's Audlem Online story "Ambulance Service not getting the vehicles they want" has been featured in today's Chronicle with local MP Stephen O'Brien saying that lives are being put at risk because 93 ambulances nearing the ends of their lives will not be replaced this year. North West Ambulance Service wants to replace 128 of its ambulance fleet with newer vehicles but budget difficulties will mean only 35, or just over a quarter, will be ordered.

Parish Councillor Mike Hill is quoted in the Chronicle report. Mike says although news of the replacement vehicles is concerning, the NWAS is introducing methods which will help save lives while ambulances get to their destination.

He said: "We never agreed with the centralisation of the ambulance service in the first place and we lost patience with the slow response times – people's lives were at stake. However, the NWAS will soon appoint a training manager so we can have a First Response team in the village. Those volunteers will be on hand to help keep people alive until the ambulance arrives. We already have a few volunteers lined up and Audlem is treated as a priority."

Regular readers will recall the public meeting in Audlem on 7 June to discuss the local ambulance response times. The meeting was arranged by Stephen O'Brien and attended by a team from the North West Ambulance Service led by Deputy Chief Executive Bob Williams. The meeting was called because of concern after a number of very lengthy responses to emergency calls.

Local people were looking for an improvement in the service and Stephen O'Brien asked the question "Where's the improvement to come from?" Bob Williams said the ambition was to reduce the average 16 minute emergency call out to the Audlem area to 12 minutes. Bob Williams was quite open about 'resources' at the Audlem meeting. It seems that those resources to improve the service are extremely limited!

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