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Emergency Ambulance Services

Volume 473: debated on Monday 17 March 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the cost of operating emergency ambulance services in Hemel Hempstead constituency was in each year since 1997; (194795)

(2) what steps he is taking to improve emergency ambulance services in (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency and (b) Hertfordshire.

Information on expenditure is not available in the format requested. Information prior to 2000-01 is not available. Information is held by ambulance trust rather than by constituency. The Hemel Hempstead constituency is served by East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, which was formed in 2006. Prior to that, it was served by Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Paramedic and Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Information for these individual organisations from 2000-01 onwards is shown in the following table.

The emergency patient transport services expenditure for Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Paramedic and Ambulance Service NHS Trust (2000-06) and for East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Name of trust

Emergency patient transport services expenditure (£000)

2000-01

Beds and Herts Ambulance and Paramedic Trust

16,891

2001-02

Beds and Herts Ambulance and Paramedic Trust

20,079

2002-03

Beds and Herts Ambulance and Paramedic Trust

22,609

2003-04

Beds and Herts Ambulance and Paramedic Trust

23,975

2004-05

Beds and Herts Ambulance and Paramedic Trust

28,540

2005-06

Beds and Herts Ambulance and Paramedic Trust

35,550

2006-07

East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust

104,522

Source:

National Health Service Trust Financial Returns TFR6 2000-01 to 2006-07

It is for strategic health authorities, as the local headquarters of the NHS, and primary care trusts, as commissioners, to ensure that national response time standards are delivered and maintained by ambulance trusts.

The hon. Member may wish to raise this with the chief executive of the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust.