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Extension for residents’ survey on world’s largest ambulance trust

A survey asking local people for their views on the controversial plans to merge Coventry and Warwickshire Ambulance Trust into one super trust has been given an extension until 6 March.

Warwickshire County Council and Coventry City Council joined forces to urge local people to make their views known during the consultation period.  With nearly 200 responses already, the decision was made to extend the period of consultation.
Comments will be sent to the Strategic Health Authority who will be responding to the government on the proposals. 

Copies of the health authority’s proposal document can be viewed on-line at http://www.wmssha.nhs.uk/Corporate/SHAConsultation/ConsultationPapers.htm.  The   council’s questionnaire can be accessed on the home page of Warwickshire County Council’s website in the Have Your Say section.

Cllr Jerry Roodhouse, Chair of Warwickshire’s Health Committee, said:
“We would ask local people to read the government’s proposals for our Ambulance Trust.  You can either go to the web site or get a copy of the consultation document at your local library.

“Warwickshire County Council has joined with Coventry City Council to ask the public two critical things:  Firstly we’d urge local people to tell us about any benefits or concerns they have about merging the ambulance trust in the West Midlands region.

“We also want to know if people actually know that this consultation is being conducted by the Department of Health.  This is a big decision and we want to be sure that local opinion is being seriously considered; that is why we are extending our own period of consultation.  If the only way the public knows about this merger is through the media or through our web site then that issue needs to be scrutinised.

“Under the proposals the ambulance trusts in Coventry and Warwickshire, West Midlands and Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Hereford and Worcester’ would merge into the world’s largest ambulance trust serving a population of 5.5 million people.

“The new trust would stretch from East of Rugby in Warwickshire, to the Welsh borders, and from just north of Monmouth almost to Greater Manchester, in all covering a mammoth 5,766 square miles, nearly ten times the geographical size of London Ambulance Service which is presently the largest in the world.”