Welsh Ambulance organises its workforce

Service will be able to more efficiently allocate ambulance crews

The Welsh Ambulance Service is to install a workforce scheduling system to improve the organisation of its emergency medical crews.

The system will allow the service to more effectively plan its resources against demand, and get a more accurate picture of how many ambulance crews are available to go to emergencies.

Don Roxburgh, personnel manager at the Welsh Ambulance Service, says the system will also allow crews to be managed from three regional control centres rather than at its 22 local sites, as is currently the case.

'Essentially, our organisation takes 999 calls from the public and GPs and we are in a situation of constantly fluctuating demand, and not knowing when its coming in or where it is going to be coming from,' he said.

'We have to try and ensure that there are sufficient ambulances and staff available 24 hours a day to meet the expected need.'

The work scheduling system will also save the Welsh ambulance service time by moving planning up from locality level to regional level, Roxburgh says.