Ambulance Times Still Best With New System

26 October 2011, 09:23 | Updated: 26 October 2011, 09:25

A dispatch system, getting ambulance's to patients quicker in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire, that was set up three months ago, is working well.

South Central Ambulance Service introduced the new integrated dispatch system over three years, with the last centre opened in Bicester, Oxfordshire in July. 

There's been no loss of performance since then, with the trust still number one in England for responding to immediately life threatening medical emergencies within 8 minutes.

The new system means centres in Hampshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire are fully integrated on one system, so dispatchers in Hampshire can respond to incident in Oxfordshire, if necessary. 

Luci Stephens, the South Central Ambulance Service's Assistant Director of Operations told Heart other benefits of the system:

"The new system has an enhanced mapping system so we can pinpoint patients as quickly as possible, its a faster response to be with the patients and its the most appropriate response and thats what we can identify far more quickly, with the new system."

It was developed with the help of staff, the operators who use the system. Along with developers they created the system to be suited to their needs, with features such as knowing where a caller is by using their phone signal, even before they have spoken to an operator.

Richard Lions, is one of the operators, answering 999 calls. He told Heart about the new system:

"Now having it in all three divisions it makes the work force easier for us, so we can take calls in Hampshire and Berkshrie divisions for calls up here, so its saving time and getting help to patients a lot quicker"

The system has been up and running in Otterbourne, Hampshire for three years and Wokingham, Berkshire for two years.