A Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee from Cumbria, Blackpool and Lancashire has supported a reconfiguration of the region's ambulance control rooms, saying it will improve the service.
The committee was looking at the proposal from the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust to reconfigure the region's four ambulance control rooms in Carlisle, Manchester, Liverpool and Preston into a more cost-effective and resilient three-control room model. This would involve closing the Carlisle ambulance control room, which is the smallest in the region, and fitting out a new control room in Broughton near Preston to cover the whole Cumbria and Lancashire area.
Cumbria County Councillor Jeff Garnett, Chair of the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, said:
"As a Cumbrian, my instinct is always to fight Cumbria's corner and I must admit I had initial reservations about closing the Carlisle ambulance control room. But we visited the centre in Broughton and the whole committee was impressed by the technology being introduced and the facilities available. I genuinely believe that this measure will make the region's ambulance response service more effective and efficient in all parts of the region."
The Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee has been assured that the Ambulance Service will continue to make full use of its Carlisle site, although its role will change. It will continue to control patient transport services, and will become the regional base for the control of inter-hospital transfers of patients. The Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee was told by the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust that jobs and salaries at the Carlisle site will be safe and its potential as an Urgent Care Centre for Cumbria is also being looked at.
Lancashire County Councillor Mary Wilson, Vice Chair of the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, said:
"The new technology will include fitting all ambulances with Sat Nav-style vehicle location systems and with mobile data terminals. This will improve the ability of ambulances to get to the correct location and to receive a wide range of data about the sick or injured person's requirements. Technology will also allow control rooms to track the location of calls made from either land lines or mobile phones. Any one of the three control rooms will be able to respond to emergency calls from anywhere in the region, which will speed up response rates at busy times and will reduce the risk of problems if a control room is ever out of action."
Before reaching its conclusions, the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee held discussions with staff representatives and also with the Patient and Public Involvement Forum.
Notes
The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust will be issuing a discussion document on its proposals in September. It will also meet key stakeholders and community groups to explain the proposals further and will make sure that the Patient and Public Involvement Forum is kept fully involved. Its eventual aim is to transfer services from summer 2008.
ENDS
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Follow this link to view the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust's proposal