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| East of England Ambulance fined over target time failures | East of England Ambulance fined over target time failures |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The East of England Ambulance Service has been fined £1.2m over failures to reach 75% of life-threatening emergencies within eight minutes. | The East of England Ambulance Service has been fined £1.2m over failures to reach 75% of life-threatening emergencies within eight minutes. |
| The trust handles more than 900,000 emergency 999 calls a year in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. | The trust handles more than 900,000 emergency 999 calls a year in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. |
| It has also been fined £300,000 over turnaround times at hospitals. | It has also been fined £300,000 over turnaround times at hospitals. |
| The new fines totalling £1.5m have built up over three months from April to July this year. | The new fines totalling £1.5m have built up over three months from April to July this year. |
| The trust was also criticised last year when 29,796 patients were kept waiting more than 30 minutes in ambulances outside hospital accident and emergency departments. | The trust was also criticised last year when 29,796 patients were kept waiting more than 30 minutes in ambulances outside hospital accident and emergency departments. |
| 'Financial consequences' | 'Financial consequences' |
| There were 3,739 cases of waits of more than 60 minutes. | There were 3,739 cases of waits of more than 60 minutes. |
| The trust must pay the £300,000 fine now and the £1.2m at the end of the financial year. | The trust must pay the £300,000 fine now and the £1.2m at the end of the financial year. |
| It serves 19 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), the GP-led organisations in charge of local NHS budgets. | It serves 19 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), the GP-led organisations in charge of local NHS budgets. |
| Wendy Tankard, chief contracts officer at Ipswich and East and West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: "We continue to work with the East of England Ambulance Service in transforming the service where it has failed to meet performance standards. | |
| "This work has included an additional £9.5 million investment from the CCGs over and above the contract price in order to support EEAST in their transformation programme. | |
| "They will continue to incur financial consequences if performance standards are not met," she said. | "They will continue to incur financial consequences if performance standards are not met," she said. |
| The fines will be distributed among the CCGs according to the percentage of their payment to the ambulance service contract. | |
| The trust recruited a new chief executive in January, Dr Anthony Marsh, who spends three days a week looking after the East of England and two days heading the West Midlands Ambulance Service. He is on a salary of £232,000. | The trust recruited a new chief executive in January, Dr Anthony Marsh, who spends three days a week looking after the East of England and two days heading the West Midlands Ambulance Service. He is on a salary of £232,000. |
| Earlier this week it emerged he had claimed up to £30,000 in hotel and transport expenses over the past 16 months. | Earlier this week it emerged he had claimed up to £30,000 in hotel and transport expenses over the past 16 months. |
| "The Commissioning Consortium will continue to work with and monitor the East of England Ambulance Service Trust to address areas of underperformance," Ms Tankard said. | "The Commissioning Consortium will continue to work with and monitor the East of England Ambulance Service Trust to address areas of underperformance," Ms Tankard said. |
| The ambulance trust has been asked to comment. | The ambulance trust has been asked to comment. |