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Ambulances to answer to local health boards in Wales Ambulances to answer to local health boards in Wales
(about 1 hour later)
Ambulance services will be directly commissioned by local health boards in Wales in a bid to boost performance. The ambulance service in Wales will now be directly responsible to a body made up of the seven health boards, the health minister has said.
Health Minister Mark Drakeford said a new body, made up of the seven boards, would take over responsibility for contracting ambulance services. The move has been made to improve performance of the ambulance service after it missed its eight-minute response targets for the last year.
Dr Drakeford said commissioning would be based on "clearer and more transparent criteria" in future. It means priorities for the ambulance service will be based on "clearer and more transparent criteria" in future said Mark Drakeford.
The ambulance service has missed its eight minute emergency response target time for each of the last 12 months. The service could also be renamed.
Until now ambulance services have been commissioned by the Welsh Health Specialised Service Committee, leading to concerns about accountability. The Welsh Ambulance Service was created in 1999 and has faced regular problems during its lifetime in addition to the continuing current concerns over failing to meet performance targets.
Dr Drakeford said a review by health academic Prof Siobhan McLelland had shown up significant issues with the service, which his announcement would address. Accountability concerns
He said he had considered completely dissolving the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust, but had decided that this would cause too much disruption. Reviews undertaken in 2006, 2007 and 2008 had expressed serious concerns about the ambulance service's performance and leadership.
And emergency response figures of each of the last 12 months showed that the 65% target had not been hit.
The service has recently been scrutinised by health academic Prof Siobhan McLelland which found there were significant issues with the service including concerns about accountability.
Dr Drakeford told AMs: "It [the McLelland review] found that the fundamental problem has been that current accountability and governance arrangements for ambulance services in Wales are multiple, complex and lacking in clarity and sympathy.Dr Drakeford told AMs: "It [the McLelland review] found that the fundamental problem has been that current accountability and governance arrangements for ambulance services in Wales are multiple, complex and lacking in clarity and sympathy.
"Today's statement puts in place a future structure which is simple, clear and aligned primarily to better delivery for patients."Today's statement puts in place a future structure which is simple, clear and aligned primarily to better delivery for patients.
"The National Delivery Organisation will oversee a new, direct financial flow, in which money will move, in a single stage, from the local health boards (LHBs) as purchasers, to the delivery organisation.""The National Delivery Organisation will oversee a new, direct financial flow, in which money will move, in a single stage, from the local health boards (LHBs) as purchasers, to the delivery organisation."
He said he had considered completely dissolving the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust, but had decided that this would cause too much disruption.
Dr Drakeford also announced a consultation exercise to rename the ambulance service.Dr Drakeford also announced a consultation exercise to rename the ambulance service.
His initial suggestion was that it should be called the Welsh Emergency Medical Service.His initial suggestion was that it should be called the Welsh Emergency Medical Service.
The Conservatives' Shadow Health Minister Darren Millar asked Dr Drakeford to reconsider an alternative suggestion in the review if the new structure proved unsuccessful.The Conservatives' Shadow Health Minister Darren Millar asked Dr Drakeford to reconsider an alternative suggestion in the review if the new structure proved unsuccessful.
Mr Millar said a separate ambulance service health board, directly funded by the Welsh government would introduce "some direct accountability to you, as health minister, for the delivery of ambulance services on the ground".Mr Millar said a separate ambulance service health board, directly funded by the Welsh government would introduce "some direct accountability to you, as health minister, for the delivery of ambulance services on the ground".
Lifetime problems Plaid Cymru AM Lindsay Whittle cautiously welcomed the plans, but warned his party wanted to see better results "sooner rather than later".
Previous reviews in 2006, 2007 and 2008 expressed serious concerns about the service's performance and leadership. He told Dr Drakeford he was pleased that the "highly paid chief executives" on health boards would be working together to improve ambulance services, and said they should be told they had a "duty to get it right".
Figures for May showed ambulances responded to 62.5% of the most urgent calls within eight minutes, up from 57.2% in March but still below the 65% target. Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams said later: "Sadly after eight Welsh government reviews in six years the service seemed to be heading in the wrong direction.
The Welsh Ambulance Service was created in 1999 and has faced regular problems during its lifetime, in addition to the continuing current concerns over failing to meet performance targets. "Paramedics are doing the best they can and are working incredibly hard but they are stuck in a system that is failing.
In 2002 the trust returned 200 new £40,000 radios because they operated at the wrong frequency. "The time for reviews is over, this ninth review will, hopefully, be the last and people in Wales will finally get the ambulance service they deserve."
It had three different people in charge in as many months in 2006, with one resigning chief executive, Roger Thayne, warning the service was in crisis.