You may have read last month that the performance of our local ambulance service here in Reading was heavily criticised by inspectors. You can read the inspector's report here.
The South Central Ambulance Trust which runs the ambulance service is a relatively new organisation and covers a massive area - not just Reading, and not just Berkshire.
As I've said before, due to a number of factors including its geographical location the population of Reading does not always get the provision of health services it really needs.
In the Lib Dems we want more accountability for health services and less 'postcode lotteries'. Where you live should not dictate the quality of health services you receive.
The Trust's headquarters are in Bicester (!) which give you an idea about how local they are.
Some more facts about the Trust:
- It was established on 1 July 2006 following the merger of four ambulance trusts in the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire.
- This area covers approximately 3,554 sq miles with a resident population of over four million
- The Trust's emergency call centres handle more than 400,000 emergency and urgent calls a year.
The two main functions of the Trust are:
- the provision of an accident and emergency service to respond to 999 calls
- the Patient Transport Service
Bloggers in Bracknell recently raised the alarm about perfomance and staff shortages in their area.
Key concerns inspectors raised include response times by the Ambulance Trust to emergency calls from the public. These fell well short of national standards.
Overall, quality of services overall has gone down hill over the past two years - from 'good' to 'weak'.
The Trust responded to the criticism as follows:
"We fully accept the findings of the CQC AHC review for last year. Prior to the
publication of this report, South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust (SCAS)
has already made significant improvements to address the areas highlighted by
the annual health check"
Read the statement in full here.
The reasons behind the problems identified by inspectors are no doubt complex and varied.
Things like Swine Flu could have an impact, for an example.
I really hope they are not linked to financial pressures - as these pressures are set to increase.
However, it's vitally important we get a better understanding of the challenges the Trust is facing so that any problems can be tackled swiftly.
Wearing my Chair of Scrutiny hat I have invited senior officers from the Trust to the next meeting of the Housing, Health and Community Care Panel in Reading on 8 December.
This is the only real opportunity we have in Reading to get some answers. We need reassurances too that people in Reading are getting a good service.
Find more details about this meeting in this RBC press release.
The meeting will be held in public at 6.30pm in the Kennet Room at the Civic Offices.
If you have any questions or concerns your would like to raise with the Trust at the meeting or you would like me to raise on your behalf please email me: redlandslibdems@hotmail.co.uk.
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