Medical emergencies to be prioritised on the ferry

At the monthly meeting of the Arran Ferry Committee meeting on Monday, Ruth Betley, clinical manager for Arran, presented a draft protocol for prioritising medical emergencies on the ferry.

This would enable patients requiring immediate medical treatment, car access on the ferry, possibly on presentation of an ‘embarkation ticket’ and would be based on clinical priority. A similar system could operate on the return part of their journey. The paper was welcomed by the committee and Simon Richmond, area manager for CalMac, although discussion is still ongoing as to practical logistics of the proposal.

There was some discussion about ‘smart ticketting’ which is yet to be introduced. CalMac advises that ‘print at home’ is the first stage in this, although the committee felt this should be reconsidered, pending a full digital smart ticketing option. An implementation timescale was requested by the committee.

Online booking system and customer call centre issues were also noted. Mr Richmond advised that six new staff would commence work in the call centre, which should improve customer service.

The ferry committee was disappointed to hear of the delays in the terminal opening due to delivery of the passenger access system, but it was noted that George Leslie Ltd’s works would be completed on time. Finally, following queries from foot passengers, the committee requested that CalMac website be amended to state that foot passengers don’t need to book tickets.