§ Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will ascertain and list the number of ambulances available to the various area health authorities of East Anglia.
§ Dr. OwenThe number of ambulances avilable to the three area health authorities of East Anglia is as follows:
Area Ambulances Cambridgeshire 41 Norfolk 52 Suffolk 41 In addition, the following other vehicles are also available:
Cambridgeshire Sitting case vehicles with stretcher facilities 6 Sitting case vehicles 11 Norfolk Sitting case vehicles with stretcher facilities 6 Sitting case vehicles 2 Other operational vehicles 7 Suffolk Sitting case vehicles with stretcher facilities 4 Sitting case vehicles 7
§ Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will ascertain and publish the increase in the number of ambulances made available to the catchment area of Doddington Hospital since the reduction in hours of the casualty ward.
§ Dr. OwenIt has not been found necessary to increase the number of vehicles operating in the Doddington Hospital catchment area since the reduction in hours of the casualty ward, but the situation has been met by increasing the number of staffing hours to cover the longer journeys to Peterborough.