Agenda item

                                                                                                                  (Enclosure)

A copy of the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) consultation document ‘Being the Best’ was circulated with the agenda. The Council’s representative on the Joint Lincolnshire Health Scrutiny Committee advised members that EMAS had made a presentation to that committee at its last meeting and summarised their deliberations. She read a list of the public consultation sessions that were being held in Lincolnshire and referred to maps showing proposed changes.

Members of SKDC’s Scrutiny Committee were concerned that a number of the sessions were scheduled during the day, which made attendance difficult for people who worked. There was also concern that interested members of the public could have a distance to travel to attend a meeting, particularly outside working hours. Given the subject, councillors felt that consultation should be as wide as possible. Several councillors suggested that more full information on the proposals should be made available within the consultation document for those people who were unable to attend one of the public meetings.

In principle, councillors expressed their support for the proposals, identifying potential improvements in response times and onward transportation to hospitals. Members also highlighted strategic advantages given the large, rural nature of Lincolnshire and the road networks in the county. Councillors also noted the improved value for money that East Midlands Ambulance Service could achieve by making the proposed changes. The Committee also found the proposal that ambulance maintenance and preparation was carried out by teams of individuals an advantage although some concern was expressed about needing to return an ambulance to a hub for restocking part way through a shift.

Councillors queried whether the name Community Ambulance Point was appropriate and suggested it could be misleading to members of the public, who could interpret the name as meaning a walk-in treatment base.

Some concern was expressed at the five-year time scale; councillors were interested in EMAS’ masterplan for the medium to longer term. Councillors also felt that further detail on the proposals would help people understand and add value to the consultation. Of particular concern was continuing growth particularly in respect of the number of households in the district.

To support consideration of the consultation document, the committee suggested a summary detailing the different types of ambulance and specific quantities of each would prove useful. The geographic differences between Lincolnshire and other counties in the region was highlighted, together with the potential impact of a major incident on the A1, the East Coast mainline or along the east coast.

A resolution summarising the committee key points and concerns was proposed:

“This committee believes that the principle of reorganisation advocated based on a system of dispersal is very sound, however there are a number of errors and problems with presentation, and presentation needs to be much clearer (including the feedback form and the maps) if the public is to understand it. The committee also felt that given the principle of dispersal and fast response more information on the number and types of ambulances and investment in them is required. The committee also stressed concern about catering for major emergencies, for example on the A1 road and east coast mainline railway or the impact of tourism along the east coast in the summer (making seasonal adjustments to arrangements). Additional consultation events should also be scheduled to allow members of the public who work during the day to be involved in the consultation.”

This was to be circulated to councillors for the addition of any further comments and, together with a copy of the action notes would constitute a key part of the council’s initial response. It was further proposed that following the submission of initial comments and concerns, representatives from EMAS be invited to the next meeting of the committee to provide further information.

Action Point

1.    Forward the Committee’s resolution to East Midlands Ambulance Service for initial feedback.

2.    Invite representatives from East Midlands Ambulance Service to the Committee’s next meeting (27 November 2012).