The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) recognises that there is increased pressure in the system currently, which comes as a direct consequence of the continued high demand for NHS ambulance services and a substantial increase in the number of 999 calls this year – which has been well above the national annual average.
AACE also recognises that on some occasions it is inevitable that the Police will arrive on-scene before an ambulance response, but would dispute any suggestion that Police staff are being deliberately directed by ambulance services to either, ‘administer rudimentary first aid to patients’ or ‘transport sick patients to hospital’ as has been reported in the Sunday Telegraph today (23-11-14).
Dr Anthony Marsh, Chair of AACE, says:
Ambulance staff are working flat out to get to as many patients as quickly as possible. The additional winter funding we are receiving is much welcomed by Ambulance Trusts and will help reduce delays in reaching patients. However, while Ambulance Trusts are recruiting and training more staff than ever before, it is important to remember that this takes time and there is likely to be continued pressure on both ambulance and police services in the coming months.”
AACE believes that instances of Police transporting a patient to hospital are actually very rare although it has pledged to continue to work closely with ACPO on behalf of ambulance services. AACE has already attended a number of meetings with ACPO and the Home Office to see how we can continue to work together to manage demand more effectively and will continue with this work.
