MP Calls For New “Blue Light” Ambulance Protocol  

Pendle MP, Gordon Prentice has called for urgent action over ambulance performance figures released by the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS). In a recent meeting with the Chief Executive of NHS East Lancashire, Steve Spoerry, the MP raised serious concerns over the continued poor performance of NWAS, particularly in the Pendle area.Speaking from his Nelson office, the MP commented: “NHS guidelines set out that 75% of category A callouts – those for serious and life threatening should have a response time of 8 minutes. But in October last year the figure for Burnley, Hyndburn, Rossendale, Ribble Valley and Pendle was just 70%. NWAS also missed the performance target in East Lancs for less serious category B cases, which have a 19-minute response time.” Statistics from the NWAS showing the response times for the postcodes BB8, BB9, BB10 and BB18 show major variations.The...