Extra ambulances for Sunderland and South Tyneside - and why less is more

Figures from regional operator the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) have shown five ‘double-crew ambulances’ have been added to its pool for Wearside, with a further three added in South Tyneside.

However, Sunderland has also seen a decrease in the number of the smaller ‘rapid response cars’ and ‘intermediate tier vehicles’ available for the city.

“For the vast majority of patients who require a response the resource is directed to the double-crewed ambulances,” said Helen Ray, chief executive at NEAS.

“If we put the cars on the road and send them to a patient who still requires conveyance to hospital we have to then double that resource.

“It’s about pitching the right resource for the biggest number of patients, but where the rapid response vehicles work really well are for the really low acuity patients in category three and four.”

NEAS boss Ray was speaking at a meeting of Sunderland City Council’s Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee.

She added NEAS had received an extra £1million before the start of winter which had helped it ‘respond in the way we should to all patients’.

Although Sunderland has seen its number of double-crew ambulances increase to nine covering the city, this is reduced to eight between midnight and 8am when demand is lowest.

Across the city’s southern border, in County Durham, the total number of double-crew ambulances has risen by 14, to a new total of 31.