§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to allow pre-hospital thrombolysis in Herefordshire. [41493]
§ Yvette CooperThe NHS Plan contained a commitment to improve "call-to-needle" times for administering thrombolytic drugs for treating heart attack victims.
I am advised that the Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service National Health Service trust are already meeting targets set for ambulance response times.
The trust, in collaboration with Herefordshire and Worcestershire health authorities, Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, have initiated procedures to train and equip ambulance paramedics to provide thrombolysis safely for appropriate patients.
I understand that in May 2002 the trust will begin to roll out their 18 month programme to safely administer thrombolytic drugs to heart attack patients to the 14 ambulance stations covered by their ambulances.