Technical glitch delays ambulance response times and puts lives at risk

PATIENTS' lives in Lincolnshire are being put at risk as a technical glitch causes ambulances to be delayed.

East Midlands Ambulance Service (Emas) is commissioned to reach 75 per cent of emergency patients within eight minutes in the Greater Lincolnshire area at the end of each financial year.

But due to new software being implemented in the county's ambulance control centre at Bracebridge Heath, the 75 per cent mark was last hit on the week commencing Sunday, May 23 – more than two months ago.

Latest figures show during the 2010/11 financial year, Emas reached 72.2 per cent of emergency patients within eight minutes, but only 67.8 per cent in the NHS Lincolnshire area, which covers Lincoln, Gainsborough, Boston and Grantham.

Ambulance services in Greater Lincolnshire are commissioned by NHS Lincolnshire.

The problems have occurred while Emas are bringing Lincolnshire's 999 call handling system in line with their other call centre in Nottingham.

NHS Lincolnshire's chairman, Richard Childs, said: "I don't want to escalate this up at this stage, but I think we should get some reassurance from Emas."

Chairman of patient group Lincolnshire LINk Preston Keeling said it was unacceptable patients' lives were being put at risk because of a technical problem.

He said: "We will want to seek reassurance on how swiftly the situation will be rectified, as we don't want to be putting people's lives at risk.

"Having got themselves into this situation, we need to know whether they can correct it at speed."

Spokesman for Emas Phil Morris said the new technology would provide Lincolnshire patients with a better service in the long-run.

He said: "It will improve the way we handle 999 calls, our speed of response and the quality of care provided to patients.

"For example, it is now easier for our control operators to identify the nearest ambulance to where help is needed and dispatch it immediately at all times.

"Information about the patient's medical condition can also be passed to crews while they are en route, which allows them to select the correct medical equipment when they arrive at the scene."

However, Mr Morris accepted the upgrade in software at the Bracebridge Heath call centre had been a "major challenge" for Emas.

He said: "As well as dealing with the technical aspects of the upgrade, each member of control staff had to undertake 60 hours of training on the new system.

"We anticipated a slight reduction in performance standards during the initial period following installation, but are confident our performance standards will improve as control staff become more experienced in using the facilities available to them."