LOCAL Labour Assembly Member, Joyce Watson has written to the Chief Executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, Alan Murray, to ask him to investigate claims that emergency responses times are being affected because ambulances are being tied up outside hospitals that are unable to accept new patients.
The inquiry comes in the wake of the latest figures which show that despite recent improvements, ambulance response times in Powys remain amongst the worst in Wales, with just 44.6% arriving within the All Wales target time of 65%.
Figures for November 2008 show that response times in Powys were 10% below the Wales average and 20% below the All Wales target.
Speaking in a National Assembly debate about ambulance response times in Powys (28 January 2009), Joyce said that while local ambulance staff did their best in very difficult circumstances, more could be done to improve the system of patient transfer to speed-up response times:
“I had a recent meeting with the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust on this particular issue (and) it acknowledged that much needed to be done to improve response times and gave me an assurance that it was committed to achieving the results that we want to see.
At the moment, the delay in handing over is affecting response times for emergency calls. I t is clearly an important factor that needs to be resolved.
The Minister for Health responded by saying that she acknowledged the AM’s concerns and said that ambulances in Powys had to overcome significant challenges in order to reach patients more quickly:
“(Powys) is unique in its geography and rurality, presenting a different and significant challenge for the emergency services.
“There have been improvements. However, we need to get the service right across Wales, and it is important that Powys starts to achieve some of the national standards.
“We do not want to let down patients in Powys or anywhere else in Wales”.
The Minister continued by saying emergency services in Powys needed to develop a unique service model:
“I believe that the service model for Powys may have to be different from those of other areas, with a greater focus placed on partnership between the public, the voluntary sector and the emergency services.
“Plans are in place to introduce a paramedic role with specialist knowledge and skills in primary care to provide more care at home and avoid hospital admissions.
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