Ambulance service merger approved

Jul 3 2007 By Alison Dayani, Birmingham Mail

AMBULANCE services in Worcestershire are being merged with two other areas.

From this month, the three most westerly counties in the Midlands will come together to form the Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire division.

West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, the umbrella organisation for the region, has rubberstamped the changes at a board meeting.

Bosses say the move is aimed at making it easier to manage emergency calls in rural areas - but they are adamant it will not lead to any job losses.

Derek Laird, the locality director for Hereford and Worcester, will lead the new division.

He said: "Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire are very similar counties in terms of geography, industry, agriculture, population and culture.

"The problems encountered in provincial towns and cities, in rural areas, and on rural roads are quite different to those problems experienced in inner cities and urban areas.

"Bringing these counties together under one umbrella allows us to spend more time concentrating on the special needs of patients in those rural areas.

"The new boundary is also co-terminus with other agencies, the police for example. This is significantly important when planning emergency services for the future.

"This new arrangement will not affect patients in any way, they will still travel to the most appropriate hospital for their condition. Nor do we expect any of our staff to be affected as a result of this management change."

Last July, the three counties plus Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry and Warwickshire were brought together under the new West Midlands Ambulance Service.