Save Bridlington Hospital

Greg Knight MP is concerned about Yorkshire Ambulance Service

BRIDLINGTON deserves a better ambulance service, according to MP Greg Knight.
He said he is seriously concerned about a report that brands the Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) as "weak" and has labelled it as one of the most unacceptable in the country.

Mr Knight, who earlier this year raised his concerns about local ambulance services in East Yorkshire, said he was alarmed by a Care Quality Commission report.

"The Yorkshire Ambulance Service urgently needs to improve its game. This is the third year in a row it has been judged as sub-standard and residents of East Yorkshire deserve better", said Mr Knight, adding: "Clearly, lives may be put at risk by this."

He and other hospital campaigners have already slammed Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust for closing acute wards and cutting services at Bridlington hospital.

"Thousands of people joined me in opposing the ill-conceived cuts to Bridlington Hospital. Following today's revelations, local health bosses should be asking themselves urgent questions about the advisability of ferrying patients from Bridlington to Scarborough using what is clearly a sub-standard ambulance service," said Mr Knight.

According to the report, Yorkshire Ambulance Service has the second worst response times in the country for 999 emergencies and failed to meet a Government target for attending life-threatening incidents within eight minutes.

It was one of only two in the country failing to ensure crews reached 75 per cent of category A emergencies within the target time.

Patients in North Yorkshire and York fared worse with only 66 per cent of calls to life-threatening cases being responded to within the eight-minute national standard. In the East Riding only 67 per cent of emergencies were met on time.

Last year, the service, created after a merger in 2006, was ranked the country's worst performer with only 72.4 per cent of calls responded to in eight minutes.

Now, figures released show a slight improvement, to 73.5 per cent.

Bridlington hospital campaigner Mick Pilling said it bears out the fears of Bridlington people who are worried about getting help in time and about having to travel to Scarborough or Hull hospitals.

"There are so many ambulances making blue light runs to Scarborough it is causing a queue at Accident and Emergency and delays people receiving attention," said Mr Pilling.

On November 4, he is meeting with two acting assistant directors of operations for the ambulance service.

"I want to discuss the problems in this area and the fears of the people of this town," he said.

The Care Quality Commission ranked the Trust as "good" for financial management, which is an improvement on the past two years.

Ambulance service officials say they have made big strides to improve since the original inspection.

Martyn Pritchard, chief executive of YAS, said: "For the second year running, YAS has improved its rating for Quality of Financial Management, reflecting better management of our finances and governance arrangements."

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'Bridlington deserves better ambulance service' says MP

Greg Knight MP is concerned about Yorkshire Ambulance Service	BRIDLINGTON deserves a better ambulance service, according to MP Greg Knight. He said he is seriously concerned about a report that brands the Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) as "weak" and has labelled it as one of the most unacceptable in the country. Mr Knight, who earlier this year raised his concerns about local ambulance services in East Yorkshire, said he was alarmed by a Care Quality Commission report. "The Yorkshire Ambulance Service urgently needs to improve its game. This is the third year in a row it has been judged as sub-standard and residents of East Yorkshire deserve better", said Mr Knight, adding: "Clearly, lives may be put at risk by this." He and other hospital campaigners have already slammed Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust for closing acute wards and cutting services at Bridlington hospital. "Thousands of people joined me in opposing the ill-conceived cuts to Bridlington Hospital. Following today's revelations, local health bosses should be asking themselves urgent questions about the advisability of ferrying patients from Bridlington to Scarborough using what is clearly a sub-standard ambulance service," said Mr Knight. According to the report, Yorkshire Ambulance Service has the second worst response times in the country for 999 emergencies and failed to meet a Government target for attending life-threatening incidents within eight minutes.
It was one of only two in the country failing to ensure crews reached 75 per cent of category A emergencies within the target time. Patients in North Yorkshire and York fared worse with only 66 per cent of calls to life-threatening cases being responded to within the eight-minute national standard. In the East Riding only 67 per cent of emergencies were met on time. Last year, the service, created after a merger in 2006, was ranked the country's worst performer with only 72.4 per cent of calls responded to in eight minutes. Now, figures released show a slight improvement, to 73.5 per cent. Bridlington hospital campaigner Mick Pilling said it bears out the fears of Bridlington people who are worried about getting help in time and about having to travel to Scarborough or Hull hospitals. "There are so many ambulances making blue light runs to Scarborough it is causing a queue at Accident and Emergency and delays people receiving attention," said Mr Pilling. On November 4, he is meeting with two acting assistant directors of operations for the ambulance service. "I want to discuss the problems in this area and the fears of the people of this town," he said. The Care Quality Commission ranked the Trust as "good" for financial management, which is an improvement on the past two years. Ambulance service officials say they have made big strides to improve since the original inspection. Martyn Pritchard, chief executive of YAS, said: "For the second year running, YAS has improved its rating for Quality of Financial Management, reflecting better management of our finances and governance arrangements."



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