Rubberstamped Diss ambulance cuts ‘could kill’
Diss, Norfolk. Diss Ambulance Station
Changes to ambulance rotas in the Diss Express area could result in people dying, a source close to the ambulance service has claimed.
The source believes now-confirmed East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) cuts to ambulance staff at Diss’ station will impact on responses to emergencies.
The changes will leave south Norfolk and north Suffolk with woefully inadequate cover, the source - backed by South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon - claims.
But a spokesman for EEAST, which covers six counties, said the alterations to the rota in Diss form part of overall changes necessary for efficiency.
The source said: “Patients are already harmed by current manning levels - we need more ambulances, not fewer. People can be 25 miles from a hospital here, and the lack of adequate cover means those delays will kill people, as they already do.
“Diss has been hit so hard - we’re not only losing ambulance services, but other services too.”
The source also claimed that data gathered in order to push through the changes - exposed by the Diss Express last July - was compiled before Diss lost its out-of-hours surgery and the extended care paramedic service that came with it in 2012.
When the changes take effect on March 4, Diss station’s capacity will be reduced from two 24-hour ambulances to one 24-hour ambulance and a rapid response vehicle - which cannot transport patients to hospital - for ten ‘peak-time’ hours a day.
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Weather for Diss
Thursday 23 May 2013
Today
Heavy showers
Temperature: 4 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: North west
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Light rain
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