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AMBULANCES FORCED OFF ROAD BY CUTS
NHS funding crisis closes emergency station on weeknights
A FLEET of ambulances from Westminster’s main station is sitting idle on weeknights because of NHS cuts.
Westminster Station in Causton Street was last night (Thursday) closed with cash-strapped bosses unable to pay drivers overtime. The London Ambulance Service says its budget has been exhausted because of extra emergencies involving weekend binge drinkers.
The LAS last night admitted cover for Mayfair, Victoria, St James’s and Bayswater had been affected with four rapid response vehicles now at a standstill overnight.
The cuts have been caused by radical reforms to the way the NHS is funded, according to Geoff Martin, campaign director of London Health Emergency, who said it would have a “devastating impact” – potentially leading to dozens of deaths.
He said: “An internal report in 2002 proved that hundreds of Londoners were dying unnecessarily because of the under-funding of the LAS.
“It’s a scandal that lives are lost each year because we haven’t got the capacity to deal with emergency ambulance demand.
“Londoners deserve better than this.”
A spokesman for the Ambulance Service said: “There have been a combination of factors leading to this including overtime.
“There has not been an overtime ban but we are using overtime for extra demand on the weekends.
“We have a policy of using the nearest ambulance to respond to calls.”
Other ambulance stations in Westminster include Waterloo, Bloomsbury, Fulham and St John’s Wood.
Health Minister David Lammy MP opened the Westminster Ambulance Station in June 2002.
The building is the central station for Westminster with 26 staff and four ambulances. It is one of the busiest stations in London and will serve buildings including the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace.
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