Worries lives at risk over Shropshire ambulance wait times

Patient groups across the county have been asked to highlight cases where West Midlands Ambulance Service has failed to meet its targets for attending emergency 999 calls.

The Shropshire County Clinical Commissioning Group, which represents the 45 GP practices in the area, is behind the study.

It comes as a £9.8 million programme of changes, which will see scores of ambulance stations close, gathers pace.

Six stations in Shropshire will shut while two new hubs, in Donnington and Shrewsbury, are being introduced.

The shake-up has raised concerns in market towns where stations have been axed that they will experience longer response times.

Market Drayton Town Council has requested response time figures from West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Councillor Roger Smith said ambulances were taking too long to arrive.

Kate Ansell, chairman of Shropshire Patients Group, said the issue would be raised at the group's meeting on Tuesday evening at William Farr House in Shrewsbury.

She said: "I know that there has been a request out from the CCG to Shropshire's different patient groups asking for feedback or any incidents of late ambulance arrivals which have meant people having to wait an unnecessary amount of time.

"We will be raising this issue at our next meeting and seeing what the consensus is."

In December, a Bridgnorth family launched a campaign to get a full-time ambulance reinstated in the town after it took more than 40 minutes for help to arrive for seven-week-old Thomas Passant.

A life-threatening blood clot was discovered in his heart.

Ambulance stations which have closed or are earmarked for closure in the county are in Oswestry, Craven Arms, Whitchurch, Tweedale, Bridgnorth and the Abbey Foregate station in Shrewsbury.

Ambulance chiefs have defended the changes saying they have created a more 'robust service' for people across the county as well as making savings in equipment and vehicle costs.