Ambulance service boosts numbers in response to front line attack from critics.
Ambulance chiefs are bringing in extra rigs and recruiting more than 200 staff in a bid to stave off criticism over its response times.
The move comes after MPs, police and the Fire Brigades Union hit out over delays by crews from the East England Ambulance Service (EEAS) which covers the Beds area at reaching 999 emergencies. The LBO highlighted concerns by Leighton firefighters on our front page in December.
Now EEAS is bringing an extra 15 ambulances into service and employing 75 new paramedics plus 124 care assistants.
Before the announcement Keith Handscomb, East Anglia FBU said: ““We applaud the skills and commitment of the professional paramedics and ambulance crews we work alongside but fire crews are telling us something is going seriously wrong with the 999 response of the East England Ambulance Service (EEAS).
“Fire crews tell us they and casualties are waiting longer and longer for the arrival of paramedics and ambulances. When a paramedic does arrive they are often on their own in a car or on a motorbike and are unable to take seriously injured casualties to hospital.
“Fire officers tell us of their desperate frustration at being told to wait in line when chasing up emergency requests for an ambulance – sometimes they are told the ambulance sent to their emergency has been redirected to another call due to there being no other ambulance available.
“For those who find themselves in medical emergencies, this is a matter of life and death importance.”
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Weather for Leighton Buzzard
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 4 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North west
