Harriett Baldwin has joined forces with fellow Conservatives from across the two counties propose an alternative proposal for the reconfiguration of Emergency Operations Centres to improve patient care, resilience and efficiency for the taxpayer.

On Friday at noon, she joins Sir Michael Spicer, MP for West Worcestershire, and Robin Walker, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Worcester at Bransford, to present their proposal to the West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

The proposal is also supported by Peter Luff, MP for mid Worcestershire, Bill Wiggin, MP for Leominster and Karen Lumley, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Redditch.

The key features of this proposal are:

• 5 emergency call centres to be maintained in the West Midlands region to maximise resilience and local knowledge
• Expansion of Bransford and Stafford to balance Brierley Hill and create a resilient "three-legged stool" of call centres - protecting local jobs and local knowledge
• New virtual call centre technology implemented, ending current unsafe fallback arrangements and bring better technology to local centres
• Cost neutral to current proposals (as far as can be determined with the limited financial information provided by the Trust)
• A call for the proposal to enhance links with neighbouring Trusts, not just in the West Midlands region but across regional boundaries

Commenting on the proposal Harriett Baldwin said,

"Local campaigners all agree that the Trust's one and only proposal raises serious concerns for residents of Worcestershire and Herefordshire, because of the gradual attrition of local knowledge needed for call-taking and the regional approach to dispatch. The Trust's proposal also omits many hidden costs, which has meant that we have been able to put forward an alternative proposal that will be actually be better value for the taxpayer as well as safer for people in rural parts of the County. It is also more resilient. We urge the West Midlands Ambulance Trust Board to give serious consideration to the extensive amount of work that has been done to show that there is an alternative way that recognises the need for change but offers a solution that keeps all the centres open."

 

Photo: Harriett Baldwin with West Worcestershire MP, Sir Michael Spicer and and Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Worcester, Robin Walker at Bransford.