Two Shropshire ambulance service staff have been suspended from duty while an investigation is carried out into how evidence of county ambulances being sent to deal with non-emergency calls in the West Midlands was made public.
It is understood that a controller at Shrewsbury was suspended last night while an ambulance technician based there was suspended this morning.
Ambulance bosses this morning confirmed the suspensions but said they could not talk in detail about the inquiry.
The action has been taken after another technician, Steve Jetley, last week revealed that four Shropshire ambulances were being used in the West Midlands at the same time as there was a delayed response to a 999 call in the county.
Mr Jetley, who has not been suspended, highlighted the issue under the “whistleblowing” policies of the West Midlands Ambulance Trust which now runs the Shropshire service.
It had been denied that ambulances were being moved out of Shropshire, leaving the county without adequate cover.
But Mr Jetley produced documents showing that on one particular date four Shropshire ambulances were sent to the West Midlands.
While they were away it took at least 20 minutues to send an ambulance to deal with an emergency call made within Shropshire, longer than the standard response time.
Mr Jetley said today: “The people of Shropshire are being put in danger but instead the trust is more interested in how such information became public.
“Those who have been suspended could find themselves dismissed for gross misconduct for revealing information that shows the risk to Shropshire people.
“Surely it is gross misconduct to take ambulances away from Shropshire leaving patients at risk.”
He said staff morale in Shropshire was at “rock bottom”.
Murray MacGregor, trust spokesman, said today: “West Midlands Ambulance Service can confirm that two members of staff have been suspended pending the outcome on an investigation into a possible breach of the Data Protection Act.
“Until the investigation is complete it would be inappropriate to comment.”
By Health Correspondent Dave Morris
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