Jul 2 2004
Ambulance drivers will no longer be issued with speeding fines when en-route to emergency 999 calls, reducing bureacracy and freeing up staff to deal with more pressing patient issues, Health Minister Rosie Winterton announced today.
The current system has resulted in some Ambulance Trusts having to employ dedicated staff dealing exclusively with the paperwork involved to prove that ambulance vehicles are responding to emergencies. The Ambulance Service Association (ASA) estimate that this costs Trusts up to £1million a year.
Now, after the Government listened to ambulance staff and the ASA, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) road division are sending a letter out to all police forces today. The letter contains a new protocol for forces to follow when dealing with speeding tickets issued by safety cameras to ambulances and other emergency services.
In brief, the protocol states that a fixed penalty notice can only be sent out to the offending trust, if, on inspection of the photograph, blue lights cannot be seen flashing.
Speaking at the Ambex Conference, Harrogate, Health Minister Rosie Winterton said:
"In future, fixed penalty tickets for speed and red light offences will not be sent to ambulance trusts if blue emergency lights can be seen in use on the vehicle in the photograph. This will substantially reduce the bureaucracy ambulance staff have to endure by processing speeding tickets.
"After just over a year in post I have visited many ambulance trusts and have seen a service on the move, improving with every step, with dedicated, professional staff who are responsive to change and highly regarded among patients and the public alike.
"Over the last year 75.7 per cent of category A calls resulted in a response arriving within 8 minutes. This means ambulances are reaching more patients with life-threatening conditions faster than ever before – 50,000 more in 2003-04 than the previous year.
"Today's announcement will help ensure that ambulance staff are supported in delivering first class services for patients."
Richard Diment, Chief Executive of the Ambulance Service Association, said:
"We’re delighted that this bureaucratic nightmare has been resolved. It will save the NHS a lot more time and money, freeing up ambulance trust resources."
A spokesperson from ACPO said:
"ACPO, the Home Office and the Health Service have worked together to introduce a simplified system. The guidance issued to all police forces in England and Wales will minimize any administrative burden on the emergency service and standardise the approach in respect of vehicle occurrences involving excess speed and red lights."
Gavin Bryce, Emergency Control Manager at Mersey Regional Ambulance Service said:
“This is a serious issue that is seemingly getting worse rather than better. Any efforts to help reduce the red tape around this issue are very much welcomed. We could certainly free up our resources to deal with other more pressing issues if the bureaucracy was relaxed.”