SCAS, which provides the ambulance service for Winchester & Chandler’s Ford, is looking for comments and feedback during the consultation process, which lasts until 28th February 2011.
SCAS covers the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire, and was formed on 1st July 2006, following a merger of the former Hampshire, Royal Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire element of the Two Shires ambulance services. It operates over an area of approximately 3,550 square miles, and processes around 1,000 emergency 999 calls a day.
Chief Executive Will Hancock said: “Along with our healthcare partners, we are committed to providing the very best care and services to our patients. We have progressed to become the national leader in helping to support patients in the community and avoid unnecessary transfer to hospital. We are also top performing against the national clinical performance indicators in the areas of stroke, asthma, hypoglycemia, heart attack and cardiac arrest.
“Becoming a Foundation Trust is the next step in our development providing us with greater autonomy and financial freedoms, which will enable us to develop further enhanced services for our patients. As a Foundation Trust our public, staff and stakeholders will have a real say in our future direction and rightly we will be held to account by our members through our Council of Governors.”
The service is currently recruiting members, and anyone over the age of 14 in the region can apply.
Local MP Steve Brine said: “I am delighted SCAS is seeking Foundation Trust status, and encourage anyone with an interest to take a look at the consultation and have their say.”
South Central Ambulance Service will be holding a public meeting in Winchester on 27 January 2011 when local people can hear more about the plans. See PDF link below for full details.
More information…
You can visit the SCAS website via www.southcentralambulance.nhs.uk
You can download the Foundation Trust public consultation document (opens as a PDF) here.
You can download the membership form here which allows local people to become a part of the SCAS FT team (opens as a PDF).
You can download details of the Winchester Public Meeting on 27 January 2011 here (opens as a PDF).