§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 17 May,Official Report, column 407, if he will list the ways in which trust status will allow the Scottish ambulance service to make much faster progress towards the achievement of its four main objectives listed in his answer.
§ Mr. StewartFaster progress is expected because:
- a. the trust board will be dedicated full-time to the running of an ambulance service, facilitating faster decision making;
457 - b. the trust will have freedom to negotiate with staff and their local representatives on terms and conditions of service which encourage and reward performance;
- c. local accountability will improve the responsiveness of the service; and
- d. the trust will have freedom to optimise the use of its assets and resources to enhance patient care.