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21/09/2009 by Steve Barclay.
More worrying news in terms of the cuts in paramedic cover in East Cambridgeshire.
Thanks to campaigners Louise Brighton and Debra Jordan who flagged to me the figures from the Quality Care Commission. Not only is the East of England Ambulance Trust failing to consult local people about these changes, but the official figures highlight their record as weak. They compare badly with the East Midlands, London, and South Central - you can see the figures below and visit the Quality Care Commission website:
The Government have issued a 75% target for paramedic cars to arrive within 8 minutes. Moving one of the two paramedic cars to Cambridge will help the East of England Ambulance Trust hit their target - but what about the other 25% of responses including Littleport? The concern raised is whether Littleport is being left on a limb in order to hit the Government target in Cambridge. Together with Cllr Fred Brown I am following this up, but to date there has been no clear answer despite our enquiries.
This morning I have been told that a young football player from Littleport broke his leg in three places on Saturday in a match, but the paramedic car that arrived was not staffed by a fully trained paramedic. As a result it took 1½ hours before he received any morphine to help with the pain. So there still seems to be a lot of uncertainty and confusion about these changes. The Ambulance Trust must explain why these changes are taking place and what impact they will have in East Cambridgeshire.
I will be in Littleport on Saturday morning with Debra and Louise to support their campaign and find out more about recent developments. If you want to come and discuss the changes in paramedic cover please do pop along to see us on the High Street.
Posted in Paramedics, Littleport | No Comments »