Concern Over Private 999 Ambulances
Written by HFM News on 27th August 2019
East Midlands Ambulance Service has paid private ambulance firms £6.9m in the last year to respond to 999 calls on its behalf.
That’s an increase of £3m on the previous 12 months.
An investigation by the Press Association, which found NHS trusts across England spent more than £92m on private ambulances and taxis last year. suggests a shortage of staff, and problems with recruitment are to blame.
The Care Quality Commission previously warned patients are being put at risk as a result.
Rachel Harrison from the GMB union agrees.
In a statement, East Midlands Ambulance Service said: “Private ambulance service colleagues are helping us to bridge the vacancy gap while we recruit and train people to work on our frontline.
“Ambulance crews are highly skilled clinicians and it is not possible to recruit and train staff within a short period of time.
“However, since May 2018, EMAS has recruited over 200 additional frontline colleagues, with the majority completing their training and starting to join our ambulance crews out on the road.”
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