7. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Update on the Amber Review Implementation Programme

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:44 pm on 4 June 2019.

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Photo of Suzy Davies Suzy Davies Conservative 6:44, 4 June 2019

Minister, can I just ask why we're still in this rather ridiculous position of fire service co-responders not being called out to amber incidents, when of course they can prevent those calls escalating into red status calls through delay, or in some cases negate the need for having an ambulance or hospital admission at all? I have to say, this fight about who pays for the calls isn't a good enough reason to deny these constituents a speedy response to get them to safety and out of pain. So, can you tell me what opportunities the implementation programme has found for the effective use of co-responders to—quote—'improve experience and clinical outcomes' for those who are identified as amber call-outs, and why only now is the ambulance service conducting a mapping exercise about where services are and a capacity and demand review, particularly as co-responders, in the whole time I've been an Assembly Member, have been available to plug gaps?