Extra £50,000 to repair Alderney's beleaguered ambulance service

Monday 24 January 2022

Alderney's ambulance service is getting an additional £50,000 for improvements after critical reports and the resignation of a key member of staff.

The 70% funding boost from the States of Alderney - which will take the overall budget to £121,000 - will be used to recruit two paramedics and provide "suitable medical and pharmaceutical governance".

Earlier this week, Express reported on the challenges faced by the ambulance service over several years.

Two independent reports have been critical of equipment and the way in which the service operates. And Al McLean, the highly regarded Clinical Support Officer, said recently that he would leave his post soon. He is currently the only trained paramedic at the service.

In response, the States of Alderney's General Services Committee made the £50,000 investment pledge last week - but said that it had not yet identified how it would fund it.

Pictured: Boyd Kelly is the Chairman of the General Services Committee, which is trying to put Alderney's ambulance service on a more stable and sustainable footing after years of difficulties. 

It said it would now be necessary to "explore the financing options to pay for the upgraded service and...engage with the community to seek the public’s views".

The Committee also reached agreement with St. John Ambulance Guernsey to provide cover in Alderney during February while it tries to recruit two paramedics to replace the existing single paramedic post.

And it says "agreement in principle has been reached with the Island Medical Centre and the island's chemist regarding medical and pharmaceutical governance of the [ambulance] service".

The most-recent independent report into Alderney's ambulance service was carried out by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives.

The Association's recommendations included creating a second paramedic post to provide the island with adequate medical cover at all times without making unreasonable demands on staff. Mr McLean is said to have been on call all day every day for the past two years. He plans to leave his post by the end of January. 

Pictured: “St. John Ambulance Guernsey is providing cover during February following the resignation of paramedic Al McLean,” said the General Services Committee.

The Committee says it accepted all the recommendations in the independent report before announcing its latest plans to stabilise and then improve the service.

"The money is allocated in addition to the existing budget of £71,000 previously agreed to meet the operating costs of running the service and will be used to provide suitable medical and pharmaceutical governance and create two paramedic positions to work with the 11 volunteers," said the Committee.

“A number of UK paramedics have already expressed an interest in coming to Alderney on six-month secondments and the first three of six prospective candidates are scheduled to visit the island in the next few weeks,” said the Committee."