999 valley area calls ‘challenging’
AMBULANCE CHIEFS OFFER REASSURANCES AS THEY ADMIT PROBLEMS WITH RESPONSES TO OUTLYING COMMUNITIES
AMBULANCE chiefs have admitted that outlying valley communities around Huddersfield are “challenging areas” when it comes to responding to 999 calls.
But they have sought to offer reassurances following concerns that rural residents are “under the radar.”
Almost a year after campaigners called for a faster and more proactive presence on the fringes of Kirklees senior managers with Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) addressed their concerns.
Last February Clr Charles Greaves, leader of the Independent group on Kirklees Council and ward member for Holme Valley North, raised concerns about response times.
And he urged YAS to base some staff and vehicles at Honley Ambulance Station rather than distribute them to urban centres.
The national standard sets out that all ambulance trusts must respond to Category 1 calls (for people with life-threatening injuries or illnesses) in seven minutes on average, and respond to 90% of Category 1 calls in 15 minutes.
Response times in Kirklees revealed “hotspots” where ambulances were found to have taken almost 13 minutes to attend.
Speaking to members of Kirklees Council’s Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Panel John McSorley, head of operations for West Yorkshire Division, said YAS was generally hitting the average response target.
But he added: “We do see that the valleys provide a bit more of a challenge because of the longer journey times.
“In terms of resources [ambulances] obviously start at stations and they do get pulled slightly to areas of demand but they are returned where possible back into locality.”
Figures showed between 12 and 15 Category 1 calls in Kirklees every day, with between 70 and 80 Category 2 calls.
Unusually the longest response times were seen in the HD8 postcode – covering Lepton and Fenay Bridge – and not further afield.
Mr McSorley said it was standard for ambulances to start at stations but to be pulled to “areas of demand” but where possible they are returned to the locality.
His colleague Nick Smith, YAS director of operations, said ambulances generally became available at a hospital. During quiet periods they are placed strategically at a station. During busy periods that is not always possible.
“The activation is usually from the hospital,” he said. “Seven minutes to get to those [outlying] areas is a challenge.”
It was stressed that sometimes the nearest hospital was not necessarily the most appropriate place for a patient to be treated.
Martin Pursey, Head of Contract & Procurement, Greater Huddersfield and Calderdale CCGs, said: “Depending on the appropriateness of the treatment required, then that might determine the receiving hospital.
“God forbid you get knocked over in Calderdale, then they’ll drive past the hospital to get you to HRI, because that’s where the trauma department is. So you’re being taken to the most appropriate place, not the nearest hospital.”
Clr Alison Munro (Lib Dem, Almondbury), who lives in the HD8 area, said she was surprised an urban area three miles from Huddersfield town centre was a response hotspot.
She called it “a cause for concern” and questioned whether operational models used by YAS were effective.
“In practice do models work in an emergency or are they effectively theoretical and not addressing emergencies as they occur?”
Clr Greaves, who brought his concerns to the scrutiny panel, said he and ward colleagues had had “a positive meeting” with YAS district managers .
“We made the request to put some extra resources into our area – just one extra paramedic during peak periods could make a big difference as they could help deal with lower category calls.
“We could then keep the existing capacity for higher category calls by holding vehicles in our area and deploying from neighbouring locations where it is safe to do so.
“They already do this to some effect, but it all falls down at busy times and that is when we need the cover.
“If a Honley unit is nearest, Honley will be sent – our point is that if a Huddersfield unit is just one minute further away, if they were sent instead they will still arrive in time but the service in the rural area can be maintained.”
He added that he had received a commitment from YAS to keep Honley Station fully operational.