Fresh fears surface on Shropshire ambulance coverage
Ambulance chiefs today insisted they were doing all they could to ensure towns and villages in Shropshire were being adequately covered – despite fresh fears being raised about patients receiving speedy treatment.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said the decision to reintroduce ambulances in Market Drayton, Bridgnorth, Craven Arms and Oswestry had been taken to get ambulances to patients more quickly.
It comes after Councillor Paul Milner, of Oswestry Town Council, said: "We were told that that was better than an ambulance to take patients out of the area to hospital and would no longer be able to respond to any second incident. Now we are told the rapid response vehicle is being taken from us to be replaced with an ambulance. I am very worried now Oswestry will be back were it started, without cover if the ambulance is transporting a patient."
He said there were particular problems at Wrexham Maelor Hospital where patients were being held in ambulances, sometimes for over an hour, until the staff could hand them to hospital staff.
"I am really worried that someone could die if we do not get this sorted out."
Claire Brown, spokeswoman for WMAS, said: "In order to get more ambulances to patients quickly, the trust made the decision to convert some of the existing community paramedic schemes to ambulances at sites across Shropshire utilising the estate and staffing already in place.
"This has resulted in four additional ambulances being sited in the towns of Market Drayton, Bridgnorth, Craven Arms and Oswestry.
"When the designated ambulance in, for example, Oswestry is sent to a 999 call, every effort will be made to send the nearest free ambulance to cover the town."
