Army Called In To Help East Midlands Ambulance Service
Written by HFM News on 12th January 2022
The Army is being drafted-in to assist ambulance crews across the Hfm region.
Sixty military personnel will help East Midlands Ambulance Service respond to non-emergency calls, due to continued high demand and the large number of staff self-isolating due to Covid-19.
They will work alongside Urgent Care crews, who attend patients who have already been seen by a healthcare professional, such as a GP, and need to go to hospital.
Ben Holdaway, Director of Operations at East Midlands Ambulance Service, said: “As an ambulance service, the most important thing for us is that we are able to provide emergency care to our patients when they need it.
“Transmission rates of COVID-19 in the community have continued to rise, and we have seen an increased number of EMAS staff needing to self-isolate or be absent due to testing positive for COVID-19.
“Combined with the intense pressure the whole NHS system is under, and the high demand on our service, some of our less urgent and non-emergency patients are waiting longer for an ambulance than they should rightfully expect.”
The 60 military personnel are due to begin training later this week.
Alan Lofthouse, national officer at the union Unison, says longer-term solutions are needed:
