04.01.18
Ambulance trust turns to private services due to ‘extreme pressure’
The East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) has revealed it was forced to turn to private ambulance services as the number of calls it received on New Year’s Day was more than 50% above normal levels.
The trust had to move to level 4 on the national Resource Escalation Action Plan (REAP) because of the rise in calls, which was 12% higher than the number it received in the same period last year.
On average, EEAST gets around 3,000 calls a day for services, but on 1 January the trust was hit with more than 4,800 calls – adding to the 4,100 that came in the day before.
Explaining the decision to turn to other providers, the trust said it had been under “extreme pressure with demand” every day since New Year’s Eve but assured patients that private services had been accredited.
“We are using private ambulance services to help increase our ambulance cover,” a spokesperson explained.
“We only utilise CQC-accredited private ambulance services, who have also gone through our own trust accreditation and we have maximised all available resources from these providers currently.”
But despite the assurances, the trust featured second in a list from last year which revealed the biggest NHS spenders on private ambulances, coming just after the South Central provider. Data collected by the Press Association found that national spend on private ambulance services had ballooned by 22% in 2016-17, suggesting a more systemic problem.
The news also comes amid rising fears and snowballing winter pressures, with the National Emergency Pressures Panel (NEPP) now advising trusts nationally to postpone elective care and outpatient appointments.
Yesterday, it was revealed that the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) had also had to raise its REAP level to 4, following an unprecedented increase in the number of calls it received.
NEAS, along with other ambulance services across the country, has advised people to make sure the situation is really an emergency and needs an ambulance before calling.
It said patients should only use 999 for medical emergencies, such as chest pain, severe loss of blood and breathing difficulties, and has urged people with less serious problems to consult a GP or pharmacist or visit a nearby walk-in centre.
Top image: Chris Radburn
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