Red Cross plugs gaps claims ambulance union
May 24th, 2008 | Published in UK News | 2 Comments
Front line crews working for the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) allege that the charity’s ambulances are covering up for a shortage of full-time vehicles and warn that although trained to administer medical treatment, Red Cross personnel are not qualified to deal with all 999 calls.
The SAS confirmed the Red Cross was sent to incidents but insisted the organisation was providing an additional, not a replacement, service.
David Forbes, Unison’s regional convener for the ambulance service, said the public had a right to know what was happening.
June 15th, 2008at 4:18 pm(#)
If the Red Cross is providing an additional and not a replacement service then I conclude that some calls are getting sent a response from both organisations - if a call only receives a Red Cross response then I think it is fair to call that a ‘replacement’ for a SAS response.
August 10th, 2008at 5:24 pm(#)
I was under the impression that Surrey St John Ambulance have been covering some emergency night calls for the ambulance service for some time