Yorkshire Ambulance Service Old Vehicles Pose A Risk To The Safety Of The Crew, To Patients And To General Public Says G
Wednesday 10th March 2010
YORKSHIRE AMBULANCE
SERVICE OLD VEHICLES POSE A RISK TO THE SAFETY OF THE CREW, TO
PATIENTS AND TO GENERAL PUBLIC SAYS GMB
Many of the Ambulance chassis are worn out and unreliable with
250,000 miles being a low mileage with many in excess of this
GMB has asked Yorkshire Ambulance Service to review a policy,
started in 2002, under which ambulances used in the accident and
emergency service are leased in two ways. The chassis are leased
for 6 years. The patient saloon box is leased for 12 years.
GMB members employed as drivers and paramedics by Yorkshire
Ambulance Service are seeking a change in policy to get the
vehicles used in the service upgraded. Yorkshire Ambulance Service
employs 3,900 staff to provide an emergency service to over 5
million people in an area covering 6,000 square miles from 80
locations across Yorkshire.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service has a mixed fleet of approximately
1,400 vehicles, ranging from ambulances, high performance response
cars, various types of patient transport vehicles and motorcycles
and covers both urban and rural areas operating over vastly
differing terrain ranging from isolated moors and dales to city
centres, large urban areas and coastal stretches. The fleet on
average covers twelve million miles per annum. This review sought
by GMB relates to ambulances.
Jon Smith GMB Regional officers for drivers and paramedics in
Yorkshire Ambulance Services said “Many of the ambulances
used are now noisy, uncomfortable and can be dangerous with
incidents of doors falling off whilst on the road, heaters commonly
failing and ill-fitting doors letting in water and road
spray.
Many of the chassis are worn out and unreliable with
250,000 miles being a low mileage with many in excess of this. The
boxes on these vehicles have been modified a number of times to try
to make them fit for purpose. As the boxes are leased for 12 years
they are taken to Ireland, removed, refurbished and refitted onto
new chassis. When they come back they still are noisy and
uncomfortable and will very soon show their age again.
Vehicles have been in such short supply as old ones are
not being replaced by new ones. Vehicles in need of repair or
maintenance are often out of service for weeks, if not months,
while being refurbished. The record is worst in the north of the
trust area.
Vehicles with faults have been, and are being moved out
of service for repair but are put back into service at other
stations before the repairs are carried out with the staff on these
stations being unaware of the faults. This has meant that vehicles
en route to emergencies have failed and have had to have a second
vehicle sent to carry out the detail thus causing a delay and
potential fatal risk to the patient. This has also created a
potential risk to the safety of the crew, the patient on board and
the public in general.”
End
Contact: Jon Smith, GMB Organiser on 07918
905615 or Neil Derrick, GMB Senior Organiser on 07958 156832 or GMB
Press Office: Steve Pryle 07921 289880 or Rose Conroy 07974
251823.
Notes to Editors:
Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust was formed on 1 July
2006 bringing together South Yorkshire Ambulance
Service, West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service
and the North and East Yorkshire parts of Tees, East and North
Yorkshire Ambulance Service.