Your Ambulance Service

Foundation Trust Consultation

About North West Ambulance Service

• Largest ambulance service in the country• Provides the following services:

– 24 hour emergency service– Patient Transport Services – Major incident management– Event Support

• 7 million population over 5,400 square miles• Employ over 5,100 staff • Annual income of £250 million• 1.1 million 999 calls a year and over 900,000 responses

(09/10)• 2 million patient transport journeys• 3 Emergency Control Centres • 114 Ambulance Stations, 1000 vehicles• 1 HQ in Bolton• 4 area offices - Carlisle, Liverpool, Manchester and Preston• Central emergency service support centre

About North West Ambulance Service

Our Vision Our Aims

The Wheel

Our Values• Patient Focus• Treating people with honesty and respect• Listening organisation• Professional • Protect confidentiality• Treat staff fairly and consistently• Learn and share knowledge• Challenge our own views• Accept responsibility for successes and shortcomings• Promote self awareness and feedback

Where are we now?Our Challenges

• Continual increasing demand for services • Ensuring our buildings and their locations are fit for purpose

to meet our staff, patient and communities’ needs • Challenging financial environment• Addressing the implications of changes to the wider NHS e.g.

Commissioning arrangements• Implementation of eligibility criteria for patient transport

services• New performance criteria from April 2011

Where are we now?Well prepared

We are:• A patient centred and clinically focused organisation• An organisation with strong community links• An organisation with a clear vision • Well managed with a record of sound financial

management• Resilient with robust technology and business continuity

plans• We have dedicated and skilled staff We believe we are fit for purpose to become a

Foundation Trust

What is a Foundation Trust?

• Part of the NHS• Freedom from central control• Membership organisation• Directly accountable to local people and staff

What will change when NWAS becomes a Foundation Trust?

• Greater local accountability – through members & Council of Governors

• Greater organisational planning & financial freedoms

• Greater clarity about the future • Trust will be regulated by an independent

organisation - Monitor

How will our staff benefit?• Membership• Longer term planning enables greater stability • Greater involvement• Help deliver high quality services that are locally

relevant to patients and the public

Our Future Plans

• Monitoring and achieving high standards and outcomes of clinical care

• Ensuring our staff have the right skills to treat all our patients needs

• Ensuring our response time and type meets the patient’s clinical needs

• Providing more flexible and timely patient transport services• Working in partnership with others to ensure seamless

emergency care for patients • Strengthen our major incident management even further

How we will be run as an FT

• Membership• Council of Governors• Board of Directors

Membership

• Helps shape the services for the future• Vote in the Council of Governor elections• Stand for election to the Council of Governors• Reflect public opinion on Trust services• Participate in surveys, consultations and discussions• Raise awareness of the Trust and its services• Be a volunteer

Sign up• We aim to develop a representative membership

with initial aim to recruit 8,000 members• We want as many people as possible to sign up• Membership forms are in the consultation document

and can be returned by FREEPOST or handed over today

• Online at www.nwas.nhs.uk• Email: membership@nwas.nhs.uk

Council of Governors

Council of Governors - role• Appoint the Chairman and Non-Executive Directors• Approve the appointment of the Chief Executive• Represent members’ interests• Promote public involvement and plan membership

activities• Hold the Board of Directors to account for Trust

performance• Be consulted on the Trust’s annual plan and receive

the annual report and accounts

Board of Directors– 1 non-executive Chairman– 5 executive directors– 5 non-executive directors

• Responsible for the leadership and management of the Trust

• Set strategy, plans and budget• Hold financial and legal responsibilities• Ensure clinical quality is maintained

How to have your say• Comprehensive consultation document has all

the information, feedback form and address details

• Today in person• By letter at FREEPOST address• Email: communications@nwas.nhs.uk• Telephone no: 0845 112 0 999• Online at www.nwas.nhs.uk

Any Questions?

Community Involvement• The Trust is very active in the community

through– Community First Responders– Volunteer Car Drivers– Critical Friends Network– Public health initiatives such as Heart Start, Chain

of Survival, Defibrillator schemes– Community events and presence

Chain of Survival

Community Resuscitation Team demonstration