East Lancashire's ‘second rate A&E service’ claim (From This Is Lancashire)

East Lancashire's ‘second rate A&E service’ claim

By Tom Moseley »

AN experienced paramedic has claimed residents in some areas of East Lancashire are receiving a “second class” accident and emergency service.

‘shock’ claims: A paramedic has said in a letter to MPs and councillors that some areas of East Lancashire have a second class accident and emergency service

Campaigners said they were shocked but not surprised by the contents of a letter from the whistleblower.

The man, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal from hospital bosses, also said overworked ambulance drivers were left “trying to fit a square peg into a round hole”.

He claimed:

* None of his colleagues were in favour of the decision to close Burnley General Hospital’s Accident and Emergency department two years ago.

* The Burnley and Pendle areas have been “stripped of ambulance cover” because most of the vehicles are concentrated around Blackburn A&E.

* Some emergency calls are being “held back” for Burnley and Pendle crews to finish their half-hour breaks.

* The problem has been made worse by increased waiting times at Blackburn.

According to the paramedic, the nearest available ambulance is automatically allocated to a 999 call.

This means Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale vehicles on their way back from Blackburn will often get calls diverting them before they can return.

The letter, copied to local MPs and councillors, said: “The computer-aided dispatch system, the queues at Blackburn, and the lack of vehicles in Burnley all combine to ensure the people of Burnley and Pendle receive a second class service whilst those in Blackburn enjoy greater cover as more vehicles from other areas constantly leave the emergency department.

“They also then have to endure a longer journey to hospital than Blackburn residents.

“When they get there, they will then have to join the queue to be seen as the department cannot cope with the number of patients.”

He added: “Over the past two years local ambulance crews have dealt with many patients, relatives, doctors and nurses and the overwhelming feelings are of anger and sorrow at the loss of the emergency department at Burnley General Hospital... overworked nursing and ambulance staff are left trying to fit a square peg into a round hole whilst NHS managers appear to be in a state of denial.”

Burnley Council leader and hospital campaigner Gordon Birtwistle said: “I think it’s horrifying that a paramedic could write something like that, when he has obvious experience.

“Everything they have said has been blown out the water. This has to suggest that lives are being put at risk.

A Spokesman for NWAS said: “NWAS emphasises that numbers and locations of its ambulances and other emergency response vehicles may vary in a particular area at any given time due to emergency demand.

“The Trust closely monitors levels of activity on a minute by minute basis and allocates resources accordingly.

“The Trust routinely monitors the demand for its ambulances and makes adjustments to its operational plans to ensure ambulance resources are appropriately positioned to attend to emergencies.

“NWAS does not ‘hold on’ to any emergency calls in Burnley or indeed across the North West as the Trust’s Emergency Control Centre Operators will always allocate the nearest vehicle to respond to an incident based on priority need.”

Unison rep Tim Ellis said: “We have always had concerns since the closure of blue light A&E at Burnley.

“We are concerned about the coverage in Burnley and Pendle and the issues raised by the ambulance man would seem to confirm that there needs to be a proper consideration of Burnley having a blue light facility.

“It was always the case that if the receiving centre was Blackburn then the geographical dominance was in Blackburn.

“There are supposed to be four ambulances operating out of Burnley but once they start, the geographical centre moves.”

But Mark Walkingshaw, planning and strategic development director at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The time taken for an ambulance crew to hand over its patient at the Royal Blackburn Hospital and return to the road was usually between 15 and 20 minutes, with an average of 18 minutes.

“This places us in the top 25 per cent of all hospital trusts in the North West, meaning paramedics can be available for other emergencies very quickly, even in comparison to other hospitals.

“When emergency care in East Lancashire was reconfigured, three new ambulances were bought and 30 extra ambulance crew staff were trained, providing extra assurance that excellent ambulance services could be maintained in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale.”