Update from Anthony Marsh - 12th June 2014

I am in my sixth month at the Trust and so far we have made good progress on my six priorities; we have 147 new ambulances on our roads and have ordered 120 more, we have an excellent student paramedic programme in place, our current staff are progressing on career pathways and we have reduced the number of secondments to maximise clinical staff on the frontline. We also have more ambulances on the road, due to the reduction in response cars, which is better for patients.

As a result of these actions and putting out more ambulances instead of RRVs, the average time it takes to get ambulances to scene has reduced, as have back up delays. This has been the right thing to do with patients, but it has impacted on our performance against national targets. As we recruit and train more people it will help ease the pressure on existing frontline, who are already working incredibly hard. As we get more staff we will see our performance improving, but we need to do everything possible now to jump start those improvements as we are not close to the performance that any other ambulance service currently achieves.

As a result I have put several measures in place, including putting together an operational management board, who meet every week to work on improvements to increase capacity, oversee progress with each of the six priorities and better support staff. This last objective is extremely important – our recruitment drive for student and graduate paramedics will bolster our frontline strength to help us meet our targets.  

Our commissioners have given us their support by investing money into the service and we must now urgently improve patient safety, quality and performance for the benefit of our patents and the people we serve.

I want EEAST to be one of the best ambulance services in the country employing the best staff who are able to provide our patients with the best care – and this remains at the heart of everything I do.