07.05.13
Ambulance service revamp for Wales
The Welsh ambulance fleet will benefit from a £9.5m upgrade, health minister Mark Drakeford has announced. 110 vehicles will be replaced, including ambulances and rapid response vehicles.
The move follows the McLelland Review of the ambulance service, which sets out options for change.
The review calls for a clear vision for the service, with more training for paramedics to make decisions about patient care, concentrate on emergency patients rather than routine transfers, a revamp of performance targets and improved governance arrangements.
It also suggests running the ambulance service as a separate health board, with the same budget, funded by the Welsh Government.
Drakeford said: “The volume of calls to the ambulance service in Wales has risen by 68% over the last decade. It relies on its vehicles being ready to respond 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ambulances in Wales are exposed to harsh conditions and high mileages in many cases.
“We must, therefore, keep investing in new vehicles so they are on the road and able to provide high quality clinical services.”
He will set out the government’s formal response to the review later today.
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