The graph (inset) provides an accumulated total of the number of Emergency Ambulances sent out with only 1 crew member over the last 3 years in the South West Ambulance Service. As I say, the graph shows an accumulated total, and although there is a marked rise the number of single crews used in 2012 compared to 2011, it will probably by year’s end be no higher than it was in 2010. The purpose of this piece is simply to highlight the scale of single cabin crew usage, and to make the point that it is unsafe.
To leave seriously ill patients unattended in the back of an ambulance is dangerous. You cannot halve the provision of ambulance personnel in these 10,000 instances and not expect it to cost lives. Ambulance Crew are also exposed to a greater risk in their own safety by attempting to answer 999 calls alone. The ambulance trust (SWAS) has lost 100+ staff in 2 years and this can only add to the pressure to use single crews. As well as this 400 staff in the SWAS are now on zero hours contracts which places ambulance services under even greater strain. Steps should be taken to guarantee that 2 person crews will be used in the future and that the second person has adequate training required to maximise the standard of the service offered to patients.
