Internet fight over 999 threat
Tuesday 10th April 2007, 10:08AM BST.
Staff at Shropshire’s under-threat ambulance control centre in Shrewsbury have set up an internet blog in an attempt to save the service from the axe.
West Midlands Ambulance Trust revealed last week that the control room, which takes 999 calls, could be closed as part of restructuring plans.
But the 16 staff at the Abbey Foregate control room have vowed to fight the move and have set up a websi – www.saveourambulancecontrol.blog.co.uk – to encourage people to support their campaign.
A spokesman for the group today said a large number of councillors had already given their support.
He said: “We have also had a lot of comments from ambulance staff, who see how important it is to retain the local knowledge and commitment of the staff at Abbey Foregate.”
The group is calling on more people to e-mail their support to saveourservice@aol.co.uk
The spokesman said: “A big wake-up call is needed by the population of Shropshire as soon it will be too late. They see this centre as the soft option.”
Murray MacGregor, ambulance trust spokesman, said a decision could take months.
He said: “The number one thing people want is to get ambulances out quickly and we are looking at the best ways of doing that.
“There are currently five control rooms with fall back centres. We are reducing that. The only thing I can say for certain, and the chief has said, is that there will not be one control room as he does not feel that’s safe.”
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I want to help save the shrewsbury control Centre but I need your help to run a petition in the town my home number is 01743240732
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I hope that the people who have decided to shut this down need the help of emergency services in the future but cant get through cause the phones are to busy!
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Well well well, i thought it wouldn’t be long till Shropshire got the mucky end of the stick yet again….
Since the Shropshire Ambulance Service was taken over by the West Mids a couple of years ago its always been Shropshire and the people who live within it that have had to suffer…
Shropshire’s road staff (999 Crews) are not only short staffed beyond belief but now they want to get rid of even more of the workforce and move the Ambulance control room over to the West Mid’s… It wasn’t all that long ago that there was talk of the Ambulance Control room in Shrewsbury being moved from Abbey Foregate and joining up with the Fire Service control, its luck that this never happened at the time because think of the money that would have cost the tax payers of Shropshire…
If the Ambulance Service really need to re-structure, save money, cut corners, or how ever you want to put it, then the spokesman also needs to watch his position, i’ve noticed over the last few weeks alone that there is at least three different spokes people from the Ambulance Service, surely they dont need all those people doing what is plainly the same job, perhaps move two of these people to work on the road and fill some of the empty road staff positions (that is if they are suitably qualified).
The spokeperson made a comment that local knowledge is no longer needed as vehicles are now fitted with Satelite Navigation machinery that is capable of taking crews straight to the casualties front door, Sadly this is not the case, we are not dealing with shopping that might defrost if it is delayed by a few minutes, we are dealing with peoples lives, seconds really do matter. These machines are only as good as the data and programs entered into them, perhaps Mr MacGreggor could explain why some of the front line Ambulances within Shropshire dont have fully opperational Sat Nav’s and why have none of the programs been updated since their original instalation date, the information is only as good a what you tell it and if these machines are not updated regularly then surely they are relativly useless…
If the Shrewsbury Control room is lost, then i can see only one way that the Ambulance Service in Shropshire going and that is DOWN……
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This is reckless behaviour putting lives at risk in the name of regionalisation for regionalisations sake. Shropshire is the most rural county in the West Midlands euroregion with villages and hamlets spread thinly around the country side. Some of the names in the north of the county are unpronounceable even to someone born and bred in the county.
Will someone in an ambulance control room in Dudley or Birmingham know the difference between Uppington and Uffington or Shrewsbury and Shawbury? When someone from the borders phones for an ambulance and says they’re in Rhydcroesau or Llawnt will they have a clue even what country they’re in?
With the very best of intentions, someone working in a central control room in the West Midlands cannot possibly give the same level of life-saving service that a network of local control rooms can. Regionalising the ambulance service might save money but it will cost lives.
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I think its appalling that 16 local dedicated staff may be losing their jobs.They do a wonderful job,because they are local people they stand a far better chance of saving livesby directing ambulances to there destinations.Iam discusted with west midlands ambulance trust and would like to give my support to all the staff in abbey foregate who do a very difficult demanding job,they must be very upset and I feel they are being treated unfairly.
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