DUP in ambulance cover vow
Thursday, 7 August 2008
DUP councillor Tommy Nicholl has vowed to do all in his power to ensure Ballymena's ambulance cover continues to offer local people top quality care.
The Cullybackey man, who sits on the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Liaison Committee, has already forced the issue onto the agenda of the body's next meeting in September after details emerged which suggested Ballymena was to lose one third of its daily cover.
The claim came from Cllr Nicholl's party colleague Ian Paisley Jnr MLA who said that the apparent cut was a result of efficiency savings being made by the NIAS.
The service have declined to go into detail and Cllr Nicholl intends to find out the truth: "I want to know what is fact and what is rumour.
“This will be an opportune time to raise it at the meeting and, if they think Ballymena is a soft touch, we'll not allow it to happen without a fight."
According to Mr Paisley, who has already made representations to the Minister of Health, there are presently three fully staffed ambulances serving Ballymena every day but that the "drastic cut" of one ambulance will mean that up to 40 hours of cover will be lost.
The difference is proposed to be made up by the use of a Rapid Response Vehicle but Mr Paisley still holds concerns.
He stated: "Under a £1.2 million efficiency drive this service is to be reduced to two ambulances. Two ambulances are the same as the evening skeleton cover for the district.
“NIAS have been told that they can attempt to make up the difference by deploying a Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV) - a 4x4 jeep with a paramedic on board. This vehicle may be able to get to the scene of an emergency quicker but it cannot be used to take a patient to the hospital.
“You can imagine what would happen if the service was stretched with more than two ambulances being in use and a third emergency occurring. This is not unknown given that Ballymena NIAS has to cover remote distances in the Glens of Antrim!"
Mr. Paisley said he understands that nowhere else is being asked to take as big a cut in local services.
