§ Mr. Corbynasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average cost of each ambulance per patient mile in the London Ambulance Service for each year since 1983.
§ Mr. NewtonThe average cost of each ambulance per patient mile since 1983 is as follows: 467W
£ 1983–84 12.72 1984–85 12.76 1985–86 12.97 1 Cost per mile (based on total LAS expenditure).
§ Mr. Corbynasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many patients have been carried per division (a) as emergencies and (b) as hospital transport per division of the London Ambulance Service for each year since 1979.
§ Mr. NewtonThe figures requested are:
Emergency patient journeys ('000s) Year North East North West South East South West Total 1979 89 90 60 94 333 1980 117 118 79 122 436 1981 119 120 79 123 441 1982 121 122 91 114 448 1983 127 133 88 101 449 1984 131 140 85 106 462 1985 134 145 90 107 476
Non emergency patient journeys ('000s) Year North East North West South East South West Indirect1 Total 1979 415 334 329 407 195 1,680 1980 538 445 440 540 274 2,237 1981 586 483 471 538 235 2,313 1982 593 482 507 468 239 2,289 1983 592 487 526 469 228 2,302 1984 579 491 513 473 212 2,268 1985 548 453 497 455 252 2,205 1 Includes Ambulance Car Service, Car Hire, Vehicles on loan.
§ Mr. Corbynasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what training is given to drivers in the London Ambulance Service.
§ Mr. NewtonThere are two grades of ambulance staff—ambulance persons and qualified ambulance persons—the training for which is as follows:
Ambulance Persons
These are staff who are normally engaged in conveying out-patients to and from hospital. These patients normally require the assistance of two members of staff to get them to and from the vehicle.The training period is of four weeks during which time staff are trained in the lifting and handling of patients, radio procedures, vehicle familiarisation and given sufficient first-aid training in basic life support to enable them to care for a patient until the arrival of an emergency vehicle. Both members of crew are trained to the same level; no one is employed solely as a driver.Qualified Ambulance Persons
These members of staff would normally undertake emergency ambulance work and be engaged on 24-hour rotas. Prior to being selected for training they must have completed at least one year in the ambulance person grade.The training takes the form prescribed in the Millar report of 1966 and is of six weeks, consisting of the following subjects:
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NHS Ambulance Services: Ambulance vehicles (all types) Regional Health Authority 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 Northern 548 549 566 546 546 470 Yorkshire 615 590 590 660 597 636 Advanced first aid
Gynaecological emergencies
Sudden illnesses
Major accident procedures
Administration of analgesic gases
Accident approach.
This is followed by a two-week course in the driving techniques required for a smooth, safe drive in emergency situations.
Staff are then posted to the operational training station at Bloomsbury where they work under the supervision of an instructor whilst carrying out emergency duties for a period of four weeks.
§ Mr. Corbynasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many hospital car drivers have been used by the London Ambulance Service by division in (a) 1983, (b) 1984, (c) 1985 and (d) the current year.
§ Mr. NewtonThe number of hospital car service drivers used by the London Ambulance Service since 1983 is as follows:
1983 1984 1985 19861 North East 30 34 40 47 North West 51 51 51 73 South East 42 45 47 47 South west 39 52 62 61 Total 162 182 200 228 1 As at 1 December 1986.
§ Mr. Corbynasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much money has been paid to hospital car drivers in each of the London Ambulance Service areas for each year since 1983.
§ Mr. NewtonThere was no divisional breakdown of figures in 1983 when the amount spent on the hospital car service was £326,600. Since 1984 the amounts are as follows:
Hospital Car Service North West £ North East £ South West £ South East £ Total £ 1984–85 75,829 76,540 97,494 100,731 350,594 1985–86 110,243 136,370 151,351 138,724 536,688 1 1986–87 120,000 155,000 158,000 171,180 604,180 1 Budget.