MAINLAND ambulance crews may once again be brought in to help deal with growing pressures on the Isle of Wight.


Since April 2016, there have been more than 10,000 emergency admissions to St Mary’s Hospital, and more than 15,000 calls for an ambulance.

The move is partly the result of Isle of Wight Ambulance Service paramedics having to plug a gap at the Urgent Care Service — formerly the Beacon Centre — because there is a lack of GPs to staff it.

A shortage of GPs being able to visit patients at home has also been highlighted as putting extra pressure on the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service.

An Isle of Wight NHS Trust spokesperson said at times of pressure, ambulance resources from the British Red Cross, St John Ambulance, mainland services such as South Central Ambulance Service, and the private sector may be brought onto the Isle of Wight to assist.

Mainland ambulances have been used on the Isle of Wight before, an NHS spokesman said today (Friday).

Last summer a deal was agreed to base the Air Ambulance on the Isle of Wight more often to help relieve pressure on the service.

Depending on how busy the service expects to be there will, at any particular time, be between four and six 999 emergency ambulances and one or two rapid response vehicles available.

With one ambulance based in Ryde and the rest in Newport, an Isle of Wight councillor has raised concerns over the time taken to reach emergencies in the West Wight. 

Speaking at this months Isle of Wight Council health scrutiny meeting Cllr John Howe, who represents Totland, said the community should have an ambulance based nearby like it had some years ago.

"We are relying on first responders — non-medical professionals — to save peoples' lives.

"It feels like we are going backwards, almost to the point where we will have a voluntary ambulance service like we did years ago," he said

Cllr Howe said paramedics were often stuck at St Mary's Hospital waiting with patients to be admitted, but the process was slowed down because of a lack of available beds — partly because some patients were unable to leave hospital because of a lack of appropriate care in the community.

That prevented paramedics from getting out to other patients who needed an ambulance.

Dr Mark Pugh, executive medical director at the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, said: "Paramedics are waiting with patients because at times there is literally no room inside the hospital.

"We are trying to create capacity and it is safer for patients to have paramedics tending to them on a trolley than just being on a corridor.

"The place is so full it can be absolutely bursting at times."