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| Anger at ambulance cuts proposal | Anger at ambulance cuts proposal |
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| Front-line ambulance cover in Northern Ireland could be cut by 70,000 hours under new plans. | Front-line ambulance cover in Northern Ireland could be cut by 70,000 hours under new plans. |
| Rural areas, such as those west of the Bann, are expected to be worst hit by the cuts which have been approved by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. | Rural areas, such as those west of the Bann, are expected to be worst hit by the cuts which have been approved by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. |
| The plans have been sent to Health Minister Michael McGimpsey who said he would consider them carefully. | |
| But health service unions are angry. John Kay of Unison said places like Londonderry needed more ambulances. | |
| "We are pushing the limits, we are working on the breadline and we have been for years," he said. | |
| "We are having to leave patients behind in certain circumstances because we do not have enough ambulance cover in this city." | |
| I realise that there has been a high level of public concern in relation to efficiency proposals and in particular around emergency cover in rural areas, Michael McGimpseyHealth Minister | |
| The proposals relate to the delivery of efficiency savings under the Northern Ireland Executive's Comprehensive Spending Review. | |
| The plans seek to improve paramedic response to the most seriously ill patients while minimising "unnecessary and inappropriate" use of emergency ambulances by providing alternatives to ambulance attendance. | |
| Ambulance cover will now be concentrated in the more densely populated areas of Northern Ireland - the larger towns and cities where multiple ambulances are based. | |
| Under the trust's recommendations, the number of rapid response vehicle hours would be increased to improve paramedic response throughout Northern Ireland. | |
| Chief executive of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, Liam McIvor, said: "The ambulance service is already getting to more patients, more quickly than ever before throughout Northern Ireland and providing higher levels of pre-hospital care than in the past. | |
| "The modernisation proposals presented in this paper seek to secure and underpin that improvement and provide the basis for further improvement and clinical service development." | |
| The health minister has said he will carefully consider all the recommendations. | |
| "I realise that there has been a high level of public concern in relation to efficiency proposals and in particular around emergency cover in rural areas," he said. | |
| "Over the next three years, I will be investing some £30m in our ambulance service, enabling it to modernise its estate, refresh its fleet and invest in the latest equipment. | |
| "This investment will also permit further improvement in ambulance response times and patient care." |