Ambulance service struggles as 25% of shifts uncovered in Llanfyllin

12.50.51pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 9th Apr 2008

Sixteen shifts at Llanfyllin Ambulance Station will be uncovered this week due to a lack of staff. This equates to around 25% of the total number of weekly shifts and while four shifts out of the sixteen may be covered by overtime workers, twelve shifts will not be staffed, leading to a vital deficit in emergency response cover.

Meanwhile new figures from the Welsh Assembly released last week indicate that Powys has the second worst ambulance response times in Wales. In February 2008, only 48.3% of immediately life threatening emergency calls in Powys received a response at the scene within 8 minutes, languishing well behind the target level of 60%.

Commenting, Lib Dem MP Lembit Öpik said: "When it comes to ambulance response times, minutes can make the difference between life and death.

"So these figures are of particular concern for the people of Powys."

Welsh Liberal Democrat AM Mick Bates: "These statistics are extremely worrying. Powys is a rural area and will inevitably face challenges in providing speedy response times due to poor road infrastructure, dispersed communities and an aging population.

"However it would take only one call to a remote location to delay ambulance response times and clearly there can be no local response at all when the station is unstaffed. I have heard news of recent incident at night where no ambulance could attend as the station was unmanned. This is a dire situation that must be urgently addressed.

"With 25% of shifts unmanned in Llanfyllin this week the station will face an impossible challenge in providing vital emergency care to patients. The Assembly Government must take action now to tackle the issues of understaffing and a lack of resources if we are to ensure that our ambulance service can provide the treatment that our patients deserve."

Notes:

New figures released by the National Assembly for Wales last week, show that Powys has the second worst ambulance response times in Wales in February, second only to Neath Port Talbot. http://new.wales.gov.uk/statsdocs/health/sdr53-2008.pdf?lang=en

End / Diwedd