The East of England has some of the worst ambulance response times in the country, especially in rural areas like large parts of Suffolk Coastal.
I have been leading the campaign to improve response times and get a better deal for patients. After much hard work the service has undergone a lot of positive change over the last few years and long ambulance delays are becoming increasingly rare. I will continue to press the case to make sure the service continues to improve.
Therese organised the last meeting of this Parliament with the Chief Executive and Chairman of the East of England AmbulanceService, Anthony Marsh and Sarah Boulton, to discuss on progress with the turnaround plan to improve rural response times at a meeting in Parliament last night.
Therese said: "Steady progress continues but I am pushing hard on the local focus, not just the regional statistics. 244 new ambulances have been delivered to replace old ones and by the end of this month there will be no ambulances older than 5 years on the frontline. There are reasons to be cheerful but the board has a clear message that we are impatient for all the changes to be delivered."
Therese added: "Despite a significant recruitment drive of over 400 student paramedics there is still a shortage of paramedics applying from East Suffolk so please consider the student paramedic programme, which could lead to a very fulfilling career."
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E-mail: therese.coffey.mp@parliament.uk
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