Express & Star comment: We must play our part to help ambulance service
As we enter 2020 it is worth reflecting on the fantastic work of our emergency services, which collectively have just gone through their busiest annual period.
Christmas and New Year is guaranteed to put a strain on the resources of our police, fire and ambulance services, but year after year they manage to battle through it.
The staff at West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) deserve special praise, as they are often considered the unsung heroes of this country’s emergency services.
It has been a remarkably successful decade for WMAS, which has deservedly received a series of accolades despite what, at times, have been extremely challenging circumstances.
It is interesting to note that Sir Graham Meldrum, the outgoing chairman of WMAS, attributes its success to the roll out of the ‘Make Ready’ system, which saw dozens of small ambulance stations close to be replaced by 15 large hubs.
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The move – although questioned by some at the time – increased efficiency and enabled resources to be ploughed into frontline staff and vehicles. It has resulted in WMAS becoming the only ambulance service rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission and one of only two who are rated at the top level by NHS Improvement.
The trust also has a paramedic on every vehicle and has no frontline vehicle older than five years.
Rather than rest on its laurels, it is committed to developing further into the future and meeting new challenges head-on under new boss Professor Ian Cumming.
This is great to hear, but we all have a part to play in the continued success of our ambulance service.
WMAS still receives a high level of calls over issues which could easily be resolved without the presence of a paramedic.
For each of us, it is our duty to consider whether it is necessary to call for an ambulance. We must do all we can not to over-extend the service.
With our help, the region’s ambulance service can continue to go from strength to strength.
