Fears for Shropshire patients in ambulance cash row
A lack of funding could see patients left at their nearest hospital instead of the one that offers the best care, ambulance bosses have warned.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said that unless more money was made available, patients could be taken to a hospital without specialist facilities.
Officials warned that this could start happening from as early as Monday.
But health bosses have accused ambulance chiefs of using "threats" and of putting patients at risk for "financial leverage". Barry Thurston, director of service delivery at the ambulance service, said matters had come to a head after the decision to temporarily move acute stroke services to Telford's Princess Royal Hospital and unify some adult day surgery at the Royal Shrewsbury.
He said the ambulance service could not meet response time targets if staff had to keep transporting patients to Shrewsbury or Telford.
He believes the service needs another ambulance, at a cost of £496,000 a year.
Mr Thurston said: "Since the changes were made the additional time required by West Midlands Ambulance Service crews to convey patients has contributed to delays in reaching new patients.
"Our vehicles and staff are having to travel further and are diverted from the area to which they are allocated.
"It is the view of West Midlands Ambulance Service that it is preferable for all patients to be conveyed to a place of safety as soon as possible rather than some patients being left at the scene of an incident for longer than is necessary due to ambulance crews being diverted," added Mr Thurston.
"Unless funding is agreed all crews will be instructed to take stroke or surgical patients to the closest facility from January 13.
"Should the patient then need to be transferred due to lack of facilities at a hospital, a new call should be placed and will be responded to within the appropriate time."
Dr Julie Davies, who sits on the Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said she planned to meet Mr Thurston tomorrow to try to stop the move.
She said: "In our opinion they should always take the patient to the centre where they will receive the best treatment.
"We absolutely acknowledge the impact the stroke consolidation has had and we hope to recompensate the ambulance service.
"However, the surgical reconfiguration happened in the summer of 2012 and should have been picked up sooner, not just mentioned now.
"We haven't acknowledged that for this financial year but we will look at it again in 2015.
"On Friday I hope I will achieve an agreement for additional funding for stroke services. We will look to ensure that is appropriately funded."
Dr Caron Morton, accountable officer for the CCG, added: "We will not tolerate the threat of taking patients to an inappropriate site.
"We will not enter into an arena where patients are being put at risk for financial leverage."
See also:
Star comment: Service is paramount within NHS
Stroke scan service improves after move to Telfords Princess Royal Hospital
