Nicola Grant responding to the report on a dramatic deterioration in ambulance handover performance, said this is a situation that is going to exponentially grow if the proposed changes to hospital reconfigurations is not changed or halted. She said the thousands of beds that have been closed in hospitals due to efficiency savings and underfunding, the reduction in the number of ambulances and crews is now putting patients lives at risk.
Nicola continued this was all very predictable those who planned the reductions in bed numbers and ambulance coverage had to know what the outcomes would be. Rural areas are disproportionately affected by this crisis. Yet those charged with the responsibility of providing health services, and those whose role it is to scrutinise their decisions making, have learnt no lessons, and seem set on making a bad situation for those depending on health services much worse.
Now is the time to put more beds ambulances and staff back into the health service reconfiguration while it may hide the problem. Cannot plug the huge gap in beds or solve the problem of overflowing emergency departments which leads to the ambulance handover crisis. Reconfiguration and centralization will deepen this crisis. What is needed now is real and meaningful dialogue with all those who are going to be adversely affected by these changes especially those in rural areas. It is now time for a major rethink, not a major reform.
ENDS
CLANRYE NEWS 