999 staff to be offered bonuses NOT to send ambulances.

[RichardCoulter]

Emergency services staff are highly trained to weed out bogus or unnecessary requests anyway.

However, human nature being what it is, it is feared that the lure of money may tempt call centre staff not to send an ambulance inappropriately.

Where will this madness end?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/he...mbulances.html

Does seem to be encouraging the wrong behaviour. When the staff get a borderline call you don't want them to be weighed towards not sending an ambulance because of the prospect of a bonus.

[TheDaddy]

Think it's due to them erring on the side of caution to often and sending an ambulance. I'm a member of the London ambulance trust and the future provision for ambulance service is genuinely frightening, this is how screwed our priorities are ambulance service costs 1.8 billion a year or between 2 & 5% of the nhs budget yet is responsible for 20% of the out put. The legal department sucks up 900 million for claims against the nhs

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Think it's due to them erring on the side of caution to often and sending an ambulance. I'm a member of the London ambulance trust and the future provision for ambulance service is genuinely frightening, this is how screwed our priorities are ambulance service costs 1.8 billion a year or between 2 & 5% of the nhs budget yet is responsible for 20% of the out put. The legal department sucks up 900 million for claims against the nhs

The thing is you're never going to hit 100% right. It would be better to err on the side of caution than cost-effectiveness. I would rather more funding was given to the ambulance service really, although I guess we all do.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Damien

The thing is you're never going to hit 100% right. It would be better to err on the side of caution than cost-effectiveness. I would rather more funding was given to the ambulance service really, although I guess we all do.

Of course, now if you collapse in the city pretty much the best you can hope for is a paramedic on a Boris bike turning up.

[Gary L]

Just means someone will have to die.

It's just another step in the plan of not caring for each other anymore.
we all hate each other. and we will hate each other even more soon.
the government will have to step in and say we've noticed that you plebs don't get on with each other lately. we are going to introduce some new rules. think of us as Germans. it's going to be strict. but you've brought it on yourselves for this sudden dislike for one another.

I expect that if you do get through the net and an ambulance is sent out to you and they deem that it should have counted as a bonus one instead. then you have to pay a fine that will be deducted from your benefits.

no weekly payment options. it'll all be taken out in one lump sum.
to teach people that calling for ambulances will no longer be tolerated in this country.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Of course, now if you collapse in the city pretty much the best you can hope for is a paramedic on a Boris bike turning up.

Not an Ambulance Technician then?

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Osem

Not an Ambulance Technician then?

Hilarious, see how funny you think it is in years to come.

[Gary L]

They only qualify for the bonus if on average they don't send 30 ambulances out of every 100.

if this includes a time limit like say 3 months where it resets back to zero, then that is bad news for the ill and dying.

Gary, you appear to have misread/misunderstood that - it is not 30 out of every 100, it is 30 out of every 100 minor cases....

A spokesman said control room staff would receive the bonus if, on average, they referred 30 per cent of callers deemed to have minor health problems to other health providers, such as out-of-hours GPs, NHS Direct or pharmacists.

btw, I think there has to be a better way of triaging than a cash bonus.

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Gary, you appear to have misread/misunderstood that - it is not 30 out of every 100, it is 30 out of every 100 minor cases....

Oh minor cases!
deemed before or after?
does the dying one (touch wood) not count when totting up the winnings?
that makes it so much better then.

how?

[RichardCoulter]

Originally Posted by Hugh

btw, I think there has to be a better way of triaging than a cash bonus.

Absolutely...

[Osem]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Hilarious, see how funny you think it is in years to come.

Take a chill pill man. Given my youngest son's medical needs and the fact that he requires a LAS PSP, I have more reason than most to be concerned about the service and whether we get a paramedic or AT. That doesn't however render me unable to inject some levity from time to time.

[Qtx]