Ambulance cover call after Market Drayton tragedy
The family of a 21-year-old who suffered a fatal asthma attack has backed calls for improved ambulance cover in a Shropshire town.
Sarah Edwards died at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford shortly after she collapsed outside the Hippodrome pub in Market Drayton on December 1 last year.
Her mother, Karen, who lives near Newport, feels her daughter could have had a better chance of surviving if ambulance crews had responded sooner.
A meeting of Market Drayton Town Council's community and governance committee heard in January ambulances were taking up to 40 minutes to respond to emergencies in the town.
At the meeting councillors said the town does not have sufficient coverage since the changes to the ambulance service were introduced in April last year under West Midlands Ambulance Service's (WMAS) Make Ready scheme.
Mrs Edwards said: "One can only speculate that there may have been a different outcome had there been an ambulance situated in the town.
"There is a campaign in place to restore an ambulance facility in Market Drayton and Sarah's case was cited as evidence that one is needed."
Earlier this year a retrospective planning application was approved by Shropshire Council for a new ambulance base on Walkmill Business Park in the town, which rapid response vehicles moved on to in February.
During consultation, a road safety group, the town council and nearby residents all objected to the scheme.
Resident Rob Bullen raised concerns about narrow roads, flooding and large groups of horse riders and pedestrians.
Speaking about the incident in December, Claire Brown, spokeswoman for WMAS, said: "The community paramedic (CP) based in Market Drayton arrived in just over 12 minutes of the 999 call after clearing from dealing with a chest pain case in the town.
"As is always the case, the nearest available ambulance was dispatched, on this occasion coming from Whitchurch.
"Prior to the introduction of Make Ready, Market Drayton had one ambulance which was not "ringfenced" to the area. It now has a dedicated community paramedic and is supported by ambulances which rotate through the town."
