Ambulance changes forced through by Government
May 18, 2006 11:40 AM
The huge new Ambulance Trust being adopted by the government risks losing local knowledge and local accountability.
Cllr Ian Cuthbertson has expressed great disappointment that the government is planning to force through proposals to cut the number of Ambulance Trusts. On the 1st July, Ambulance Trusts will be reduced from 29 across England to just 12.
Cllr Ian Cuthbertson (Liberal Democrat Chair of Social Services and Health Scrutiny) said "City of York Council's Health Scrutiny Board looked at the government's proposals during the consultation process and raised serious concerns. The huge new Ambulance Trust being adopted by the government risks losing local knowledge and local accountability. Yorkshire is a vast county and services are likely to be biased towards densely-populated Metropolitan District areas rather than the sparsely-populated rural areas around York and in North Yorkshire. There is a real worry that the government is putting cost reductions above patient safety.
"Along with Boards from neighbouring local authorities, York's Scrutiny Board suggested an alternative proposal that would have given a fairer deal for rural areas but this seems to have been ignored. This consultation seems to have been just a case of going through the motions - the very short time between the close of consultation and this announcement suggests that the government has paid little heed to the needs of local people or the views of professionals here in Yorkshire."
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