Sussex Ambulance Service

Sussex Ambulance Service was the ambulance service for the County of Sussex in England from 1 April 1995[1] until 1 July 2006, when it was succeeded by a South East Coast Ambulance Service also covering Surrey and Kent.[2]

Sussex Ambulance Service
Established1 April 1995 (1995-04-01)
Disbanded1 July 2006 (2006-07-01)
HeadquartersAmbulance Headquarters, Southfields Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 1BZ
Region servedSussex

The trust provided ambulance services to a population of 1.5 million people,[3] and was formed by the merger of the East and West Sussex ambulance services.[4] In 2001, plans were announced for a merger with Kent Ambulance Service, but these were shelved six months later after local resistance was encountered.[5]

A Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) began a clinical governance review of the trust in 2002.[6] Its report in 2003 criticised managerial staff at the trust for having inadequate systems to communicate with staff.[7] In 2005, it emerged that the trust’s despatch system had suffered computer failure four times over a period of a few months.[8]

The service started to use thrombolysis for suspected heart attacks in October 2003; by 2005 they had treated their 50th patient with this.[9]

The service had established a community first responder scheme by 2006.[10]

In 2000, the trust had an agreement with the Gambian Government to provide training to some African emergency service workers. Over a period of a few years, a small number of students travelled from The Gambia to Sussex to be trained to the level of ambulance technician.[11]

See also

References

  1. "The Sussex Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust (Establishment) Order 1994". legislation.gov.uk.
  2. "BBC NEWS - UK - England - Better ambulance service promised". bbc.co.uk.
  3. "Election Stalls ambulance merger talks". Mid Sussex Times. Johnston Press. 21 May 2001. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  4. Hewitt, Phil (1 May 2014). "Retired paramedic compiles history of West Sussex ambulances". Shoreham Herald. Johnston Press. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  5. "Ambulance merger off". Mid Sussex Times. Johnston Press. 18 January 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  6. "Ambulance service review". Mid Sussex Times. Johnston Press. 31 October 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  7. "Ambulance staff 'not kept informed'". BBC News. BBC. 19 February 2003.
  8. "Ageing ambulance computers crash". BBC News. BBC. 3 March 2005.
  9. "Life saver". Shoreham Herald. Johnston Press. 31 March 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  10. "First responders undergo training". Shoreham Herald. Johnston Press. 23 May 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  11. "Back to Africa". Mid Sussex Times. Johnston Press. 23 September 2003. Retrieved 24 February 2015.


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