Military steps in to help ease ambulance service pressures
THE Welsh Ambulance Service is set to be supported by 110 members of the military who will work as nonemergency drivers, it has been confirmed.
The Ministry of Defence said the armed forces personnel will be deployed from October 14 and will stay with the NHS trust until the end of November.
The aim is to help to ease pressures caused by the pandemic and ensure that ambulance crews across Wales can continue to attend life-threatening calls quickly.
The UK Government said the military will “augment” the ambulance service with non-emergency drivers who will not operate under blue light conditions.
They will attend lower-priority calls to help to free up resources for emergency calls where there is an immediate risk to life, such as cardiac arrests.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “I am proud of the tireless work of all our service personnel during this pandemic. They continue to provide important support, working alongside our dedicated emergency services across the UK.
“The deployment of 110 personnel to support the ambulance service will ensure WAST can continue to deliver their lifesaving services.”
Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart said: “Once again the UK’S armed forces are playing a key role in the fight against Covid-19 by supporting the critical work of the Welsh Ambulance Service. I am hugely grateful for their commitment and expertise.
“I would like to extend my gratitude to all those who have worked incredibly hard to ensure our public services deliver for the people of Wales throughout the pandemic.”
Chief executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, Jason Killens, said: “We’re proud and grateful to be working alongside the military once again, who did a superb job of assisting us on two occasions previously last year.
“The pandemic has presented a challenge like no other, but the last couple of months in particular have meant significant and sustained pressures on our ambulance service, including high levels of demand and an increase in Covid-19 related activity. Winter is our busiest time, and having military colleagues on board once more will bolster our capacity and put us in the best possible position to provide a safe service to the people of Wales.”
This is the third deployment of the armed forces to support WAST since the pandemic began in March 2020.
Some 68 personnel were deployed in April 2020 and 120 personnel augmented dedicated emergency service staff in December 2020, including defence medics.
They also supported the vaccine rollout in Wales earlier this year and were previously deployed during the pandemic to provide specialist planning advice, deliver PPE and support the community testing programme in Merthyr Tydfil.
Winter is our busiest time, and having military colleagues on board once more will bolster our capacity and put us in the best possible position to provide a safe service to the people of Wales Chief executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, Jason Killens