AMBULANCE bosses have unveiled plans to improve services to patients.
The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) revamp will include investments in new staff and resources.
Months of analysis and research have allowed EEAST to accurately pinpoint when demand is at its highest and where they should place vehicles to get to most patients in the shortest amount of time.
Hayden Newton, Chief Executive of the Trust, said: “We would like to reassure members of the public that these improvements will see patients benefit while we make more effective use of tax payers’ money and boost staff numbers. No staff are being made redundant.
“Our strategy addresses three challenges: dealing with an ever increasing number of 999 calls, making savings through more efficient working of more than £50 million over five years and improving the quality of services to patients.
“The redesign of our front line rotas is better for patients and the public as it will better match our resources to patient demand. Put together all these improvements mean we can continue providing an excellent service in a sustainable manner, cutting down on inappropriate ambulance dispatches and unnecessary hospital admissions and allowing our clinicians to concentrate on patients who really need them.
“This ensures patients get the right treatment in the right place at the right time and means we maintain a safe service and protect existing front line staff while making necessary financial savings.”
There may be fewer vehicles stationed in certain areas during quiet periods because they are not needed, but more resources will be available when and where patients need them most.
The Trust is also investing £400,000 to improve rural services following various actions over the last six months to make better use of Community First Responders and reduce times spent at hospital.
All these improvements come a year after the trustwide implementation of the clinical support desks (CSDs) which were introduced to deal with the significant number of calls that do not warrant an emergency response, freeing up crews to attend to more patients who really need them.
Further investment in the CSDs is ongoing while the Trust continues to work in partnership with commissioners to place a hard focus on hospital handover delays over 30 minutes.
This includes hosting a summit with hospitals to discuss the issue, share best practice and explore ways forward.