This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/wales/5378974.stm

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Ambulance chief's 999 call reform Ambulance chief's 999 call reform
(about 2 hours later)
The Welsh Ambulance Service's way of dealing with 999 calls is "poorly designed", according to the organisation's new chief executive.The Welsh Ambulance Service's way of dealing with 999 calls is "poorly designed", according to the organisation's new chief executive.
Emergency patients have been left waiting too long, said Alan Murray - the fourth person to take charge of the service in the past six months. Alan Murray, the fourth person to take charge of the service since March, said £140m needed to be invested over 10 years to achieve reform.
He is due to set out his plans for modernisation at a board meeting.He is due to set out his plans for modernisation at a board meeting.
An inquiry into the service led by the Auditor General for Wales is ongoing, and is due to report later this year. An public inquiry into the beleaguered service is ongoing, and is due to report later this year.
Seven weeks into the job, Mr Murray will give more detail of how he thinks the beleaguered service can be put back on track. Seven weeks into the job, Mr Murray will give more detail of how he thinks the service can be put back on track and will deliver an early draft of his plan to the NHS trust's annual meeting on Tuesday.
The service's target response time of eight minutes to a call is still not being met by enough crews, and the NHS trust is still overspending. He said parts of the organisation are poorly designed, leaving patients waiting for too long in emergencies and that the emergency response time of eight minutes still not being met by enough crews.
There is no disguising the fact that the past year has been difficult but it is important to remember that we have also had a lot of successes Alan Murray Mr Murray said £20m needed to be invested in the service up front
Mr Murray said this could be turned around by working "smarter" - putting paramedics where there is traditionally a higher level of need, and improving the basic 999 system. "We're developing plans at the moment which look like something of the order of £140m over 10 years, with a lot of that up at the front end - over £20m," he said.
He said he recognised that the assembly government would not issue blank cheques but the changes he seeks would cost money. "We need a lot of new ambulances, for example. We need new information and communication technology systems so that we know where our ambulances are when we need them, so we can get them quickly and so we can help them to navigate to where they are needed."
Mr Murray, who said he did his "homework" before taking on the top job, is to deliver an early draft of his plan to the NHS trust's annual meeting on Tuesday. But Mr Murray said he recognised that the assembly government would not issue blank cheques.
He said: "Our 999 job-cycle processes, from the time we receive a call to being available for the next job, are poorly designed." He added: "There is no disguising the fact that the past year has been difficult but it is important to remember that we have also had a lot of successes."
"As a result, it takes us too long to get the 999 call to the responders, leaving little time for a clinically-effective response. AMBULANCE TIMELINE 25 May: Roger Thayne quits as ambulance trust chief exec; deputy Dr Anton van Dellen remains6 June: Mr Thayne warns service is in "crisis"20 June: Welsh assembly votes for public inquiry27 June: Dr van Dellen warns cuts in staff could put public at risk28 June: Figures show worries over sickness levels in service24 July: Dr van Dellen resigns as interim chief exec7 August: Alan Murray appointed as chief executive
"We will be developing our people and redesigning and managing our processes."
He added that the Welsh Ambulance Service was in "an extremely important period" in its history.
Mr Murray said he did his "homework" before taking the job
He said: "There is no disguising the fact that the past year has been difficult but it is important to remember that we have also had a lot of successes."
"This year we attended some 12,996 more emergency calls and we have some of the most highly qualified clinical staff in the UK.""This year we attended some 12,996 more emergency calls and we have some of the most highly qualified clinical staff in the UK."
Alwyn Roberts, a paramedic based in Llangefni, north Wales, said morale had been low among paramedic crews but that was beginning to change. His appointment in August came after months of turmoil for the service.
He said: "It's been quite stressful seeing vacant shifts not covered due to costs and finance. Acting chief executive Roger Thayne resigned in May after just two months in the post, claiming the organisation was in "crisis".
"It got quite stressful for all the staff, having to do what they can and going out on a solo shift. It's moving slowly and the shifts, I must say, are being covered now." He wrote a damning report calling for £35m investment, cataloguing outdated equipment, a history of poor management and delays in getting ambulances to patients, which he said contributed to a "dangerous" service.
His successor Anton van Dellen also resigned as the service's interim chief executive after two months, saying he was unable to commit long-term to the role.