Ambulance service told to improve

Rebecca Wedd was hit as she walked along the A433

An NHS trust has been told to improve its service after it took 42 minutes to dispatch an ambulance to a woman who had been hit by a car and later died.

Rebecca Wedd, 23, was hit as she walked along the A433, near Coates, in Gloucestershire, on 25 May 2007.

But it took four times the national target of eight minutes before she was flown to hospital by air ambulance.

The Healthcare Commission launched a review into the conduct of Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

'Improvements made'

The commission said it was aware at the time of the accident that concerns had already been raised that the trust had not been meeting national targets on emergency response times.

The review looked at the way Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust (GWAS) handled calls, dispatched ambulances and looked after patients.

In its findings, the commission said the trust had responded to concerns and made improvements to its service.

Changes such as the introduction of a new ambulance dispatch system and a review of its vehicle fleet have reduced the risk of a similar tragic incident recurring, the commission said.

But it did identify areas where the trust still needed to improve its current practice.

'Challenges ahead'

The report said: "This includes the way in which it responds to concerns from the public and how it documents its action taken in response to incidents.

"We have also made recommendations to ensure that staff are clear about their roles in a work environment that has seen many changes over the past few years."

Nigel Ellis, commission spokesman, said: "We are satisfied that lessons have been learned and the trust is addressing the main concerns by making changes to its systems to reduce the risk of an incident like this being repeated."

Dr Ossie Rawstorne, clinical director at GWAS, said the service still had "challenges ahead but we have made significant improvements in the last 17 months".

The commission has made five recommendations to improve the service and will review progress early next year.