The East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS) provides emergency medical services, urgent care and patient transport services for the 4.8 million people within the East Midlands region of the UK - covering Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire (except Glossop, Hadfield and Tintwistle in the High Peak district), Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire (including North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire) and Northamptonshire. It was formed in 1999 by amalgamating several county ambulance services,[1] and in July 2006 was dissolved and reformed under the same name as part of a nationwide reorganisation of ambulance service provision.[2][3]
| East Midlands Ambulance Service | |
|---|---|
| EMAS | |
 | |
 Area served by East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust | |
| Type | Ambulance services trust |
| Established | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Nottingham, Nottinghamshire |
| Region served | Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire |
| Area size | 6,425 sq miles |
| Population | 4.8 million |
| Establishments | 70 sites including two control rooms |
| Budget | £158 million (2017/18) |
| Chair | Karen Tomlinson |
| Chief executive | Richard Henderson |
| Website | www |
Performance
editIn 2016–17, EMAS received over 938,837 emergency 999 calls with ambulance clinicians dispatched to 653,215 incidents.[4]
EMAS employs about 3,290 staff at more than 70 locations, including two control rooms at Nottingham and Lincoln - the largest staff group are those who provide accident and emergency responses to 999 calls.[4]
In 2013, EMAS took on 140 new emergency care assistants.[5] In 2014, EMAS announced they were bringing back the ambulance technician role.[6]
In 2010–11, EMAS missed key performance targets after a cold spell brought snow and ice.[7] By June 2015, EMAS had failed to meet their category 1 response times for the fifth successive year.[8]
In December 2019, ambulance staff spent 13,057 hours waiting at hospitals for the pre-handover of patients, more than double the time spend in December 2018.[9]
CQC performance rating
editIn its last inspection of the service in April 2019, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) gave the following ratings on a scale of outstanding (the service is performing exceptionally well), good (the service is performing well and meeting our expectations), requires improvement (the service isn't performing as well as it should) and inadequate (the service is performing badly):
| Area | 2016 Rating[10] | 2017 Rating[11] | 2019 Rating[12] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Are services Safe? | Inadequate | Requires improvement | Good |
| Are services Effective? | Requires improvement | Requires improvement | Good |
| Are services Caring? | Outstanding | N/A | Outstanding |
| Are services Responsive? | Good | N/A | Good |
| Are services Well-led? | Requires improvement | Requires improvement | Good |
| Overall rating | Requires improvement | Requires improvement | Good |
Funding
editEMAS previously provided patient transport services until contracts worth £20 million per year were taken over in 2012 by two private sector companies.[13] In 2012−13, EMAS had a budget of £148M.[14] The trust spent £4.3M on voluntary and private ambulance services in 2013–14 for support in busy periods.[15]
In 2015, the service also faced a drop in annual funding of around £6M.[16]
In October 2014, the trust decided to spend £88,000 on upgrading its computer equipment.[17]
In 2018, the trust said it would need an extra £20M a year to meet the new ambulance performance standards.[18]
Controversy
editIn 2022 "demoralised and downtrodden" staff strike.[19]
In 2023, the service were criticised for quoting a 6 hour wait time for an emergency response for an unwell child who went into cardiac arrest.[20]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The East Midlands Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust (Establishment) Order 1999". gov.uk.
- ^ "The National Health Service Trusts (Dissolution) Order 2006". gov.uk.
- ^ "The East Midlands Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust (Establishment) Order 2006". gov.uk.
- ^ a b East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (30 June 2018). "East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust - Overview". nhs.uk. NHS. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ "East Midlands Ambulance Service fined for third successive year". BBC News. 22 May 2013.
- ^ "East Midlands Ambulance: Increase in paramedic stress". BBC News. 19 December 2014.
- ^ "East Midlands Ambulance Service worst in England". BBC News. 23 June 2011.
- ^ "East Midlands Ambulance Service miss targets for fifth year". BBC News. 16 June 2015.
- ^ "Trust's ambulance crews lose 18 months waiting at hospitals". Health Service Journal. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ "East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Quality Report". Care Quality Commission. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ^ "East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Quality Report". Care Quality Commission. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ^ "Provider: East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust". Care Quality Commission. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ "East Midlands Ambulance Service loses £130m contract". BBC News. 10 December 2011.
- ^ "East Midlands Ambulance Service: Private ambulance surge defended". BBC News. 9 August 2013.
- ^ "Nearly £8 million cost of private ambulances to cope with 999 demand". Leicester Mercury. 30 January 2015. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ^ Crowson, Isaac (31 October 2015). "Nigel Mills MP demands 'urgent action' from East Midlands Ambulance Service over response times". Derby Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ "New computer systems for Nottinghamshire's ambulance service after 42,000 patients' files lost". Nottingham Post. 30 October 2014. Archived from the original on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ "Ambulance trusts demand millions to meet new targets". Health Service Journal. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ Nicholls, Kevin (2022). "Confirmed: EMAS ambulance workers in Northamptonshire to stage two 24-hour strikes in December".
- ^ "Father of severely ill boy told ambulance would be six hours". BBC News. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.