Lives are being being put in “serious danger” in a Powys town because the Welsh Ambulance Service is “refusing” to provide enough staff to man the town’s ambulance, it has been claimed.
Welshpool Ambulance Station has been left without appropriate cover since Monday, it was claimed today.
It is the latest in a string of complaints received by Montgomeryshire Community Health Council (CHC) about the ambulance service in the county.
The CHC said it had learned that the station had not been staffed properly because of staff shortages.
CHC chief officer John Howard said: “We’ve received numerous calls telling us that Welshpool Ambulance Station has been operating on a single manned basis since Monday.
“I’ve been told someone is off sick and the Welsh Ambulance Service is failing to get cover because they refuse to pay overtime.”
He said ambulance chiefs were continuing to run a lottery with people’s lives.
“If someone calls for an ambulance in Welshpool, the ambulance will go out with one paramedic - but if the patient needs hospital treatment that ambulance has to wait for another ambulance to arrive with two ambulance personnel on because they need two members of staff to convey a patient to hospital,” said Mr Howard.
“The situation is absolutely horrifying and lives are being put in serious danger because the service is refusing to provide enough staff to man the town’s ambulance.
“Members of staff are being put under considerable pressure and something needs to be done.”
The Welsh Ambulance Service was unavailable for comment.
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