Damning ambulance report

An inspection has revealed the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) is putting patients at risk of infection with dirty vehicles and poor training.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) looked at 22 NWAS ambulances and found nine were "in a very poor condition with visible dirt".

The report added: "The remaining 13 were not found to have been cleaned to a good standard; all had some areas of dirt in the interior of the ambulance. It was clear from the level of dirt these vehicles were not cleaned on a frequent basis. All crew reported that none of the vehicles we inspected had had a deep clean in the past year or more."

Professor Kevin Mackway Jones of the NWAS said he admitted the report was "damning". In a BBC TV interview at 6.30pm last night he was taken to task about the report, just as he has been by Audlem representatives about ambulance response times over the past few years.

Audlem Parish Council, working with other local parish councils, is shortly to seek the opinion of local residents with a questionnaire seeking support for their campaign for a better service from the NWAS.

While the questionnaire focusses on ambulance response times and First Responder training, this latest criticism on cleanliness grounds will add to the concerns about the management of this crucial emergency service.

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