999 crews say fuelling row could kill patients

PARAMEDICS at Britain’s busiest NHS ambulance service say patients may die after they were told to drive with near-empty fuel tanks so they can respond to more calls.

London Ambulance Service (LAS) says that even when the fuel warning light comes on, an ambulance can drive 25 miles.

But a whistleblower said it was ‘playing Russian roulette’ with lives, adding: ‘Someone will run out of fuel and a patient will die. Then who will they blame?’

Crews used to refuel as soon as possible when their tank was half full to avoid running out.

However, to manage a soaring workload, LAS now wants staff to make judgment calls on whether they have enough fuel to respond to emergencies.

Bosses says the policy should make more ambulances available to cut waiting times.

Unprecedented demand on the service, which deals with 5,000 calls a day, are behind the change. But LAS is thought to be the only ambulance service in the country to officially adopt the risky practice.

Paul Woodrow, director of operations at LAS, said: ‘Our crews are highly trained and experienced at driving around London, and this commonsense approach to refuelling has already increased the amount of time they are available to respond to patients.’