Army drafted in to support North West Ambulance Service
Last updated 11th Jan 2022
The military is being brought in to support the North West Ambulance Service, as it continues to deal with COVID pressures.
The spread of the Omicron variant's causing severe staff shortages on a service bosses say is already over-stretched.
1 in 4 staff members are absent because of the virus and self-isolation.
Around 150 personnel will partner with NWAS clinicians to help respond to non-urgent patients.
Troops start their training today (11th January) and will learn to drive ambulances and provide basic life support - similar to the standards of the trust’s patient transport staff who have also been supporting the emergency service throughout the pandemic.
NWAS says they'll be working together for a number of weeks.
Director of Operations Ged Blezard says, “It is no secret that the ambulance service, along with the NHS as a whole, has been under extreme pressure for several months. Now we are also experiencing high numbers of staff absences due to confirmed COVID-19 cases and isolation, with around 25% of the workforce currently affected. As part of our resilience planning, we can make a request to the military for support and feel now is the right time to put the arrangements in place.
“We worked alongside the military last February and March, and it allows us to have more of our vehicles on the road, getting people the treatment they need sooner. This frees up emergency ambulances to attend to urgent, life-threatening cases.”
The same partnership was formed last winter, when military colleagues were deployed to more than 4,600 non-life-threatening 999 incidents, including assisting with transportation of patients between healthcare sites approximately 1,700 times.
Ged added, “I would like to thank our NWAS team of staff and volunteers for their continued dedication over the last two years. They have been working incredibly hard to deliver the best possible service for our patients. Taking this timely intervention to increase our resources means we can carry on doing that while providing extra support for our staff and patients during another challenging period.
“As always, we are here for you in an emergency, and you can assist us by using 111 online if you need urgent care advice and only dialling 999 in a life-threatening situation.”
It's part of a number of ways NWAS is increasing their resources. Last month, a new system was introduced so more patients could be triaged through 999.