It appears that the ambulance station based at the Cambrian Medical Centre [in Oswestry] is to close on October 4 without consultation or discussion.
The argument goes that it was only a revictualling station and no permanent staff unlike the old ambulance station on the Morda Road. As such the ambulances tended to hover in the Nesscliffe area, answered a central call system and could be dispatched wherever.
In fact only 5.7 per cent of the approximately 20,000 calls made from the Oswestry area in a year were answered by the Oswestry-based ambulance.
This an argument to increase the system, have more ambulances and not reduce the system. Response times are very poor for Oswestry area calls but are hidden in the data by being included with Birmingham and Dudley.
Response times are critical for certain conditions such as heart attacks and strokes. Thus our poor response times in the Oswestry area have a direct effect on outcomes.
Dr Peter Barling,
via email.
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