'Appalling' Ambulance Service Says Audit Committee

9.06.36am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 7th Mar 2007

The Audit Committee Report on Ambulances today branded the Welsh Ambulance Service as 'appalling'. Jenny Randerson AM for Cardiff Central who sat on the Committee said "The discussion in Audit Committee emphasised the significance of management problems, whilst you cannot turn bad managers into good managers overnight a significant start has been made by the recruitment of senior managers with Ambulance Service related experience."

"The message behind the investigations into the Ambulance Service has been bad management, bad management, and bad management."

"Thanks to the Inquiry that Labour didn't want and the changes resulting from analysis of the service I am more optimistic about having a modern, fit for purpose ambulance service for Wales."

High regional variations in response times, inefficiency and weak management were all cited as evidence of an 'appalling' Welsh Ambulance Service in a report by the Audit Committee of the Welsh Assembly.

Notes:

Jenny Randerson AM substituted in for Mick Bates AM on the Audit Committee for the talks on the Ambulance Service

Ends/diwedd