Update from Anthony Marsh - 22nd January 2015

I am sure you will have seen the news last week that a 999 response pilot has been announced to extend the amount of time call handlers are given to find out more about a patient’s condition to up to 120 seconds; you can read the full article on Need to Know. It will enable call handlers to gather more information and determine the exact nature of a patient’s condition, before the most appropriate response is dispatched. This is a change that many of you have supported as you know the benefits – the most important being that it will provide patients with the right level of care so they get the best possible outcome. We will be keeping a close eye on how the pilot progresses, and the subsequent evaluation, and will report back to you via Need to Know.

We continue to see a real improvement in our performance and I am extremely pleased to share with you the figures for Red 1 and A19 last week. As a Trust we hit the target for Red 1 (75%) with 76.77% and just missed out on A19 (95%) with 94.8%. We are getting to our patients who are in the most life-threatening situations much quicker. This is largely due to the increased ambulance cover we now have; on New Year’s Eve this year, we deployed 40 more emergency ambulance crews than the year before. We have advanced so much as an organisation and are making real progress, although I also accept there is more to do – for example there are over 200 new students who will be operational by 31^st March. We have also offered a further 200 contracts of employment to new students for the 2015/16 recruitment and training plan.

As on previous occasions, we have been working closely with unions to prepare for next Thursday’s (29^th January) industrial action. All of the information you need has been published in a separate article, so please take a moment to read and take this on board. Thank you for what you continue to do to protect patients.

Finally, I am very pleased to tell you that Sandy Brown will be joining EEAST on 23^rd February as our Director of Nursing and Clinical Quality. Sandy has a wealth of NHS and ambulance experience and will be an excellent addition to the organisation.

Published 22nd January 2015