Ambulance call centres to close

Plans for a shake-up of ambulance control centres could see two sites in the West Midlands close down.

Currently, the West Midlands has five centres which are able to take calls from the public.

The West Midlands and Staffordshire Ambulance Service wants to close two - in Shrewsbury and Worcester.

Centres in Brierley Hill and Stafford will remain open with one in Leamington Spa being kept as a support centre. Unions are unhappy with the proposals.

A spokesman for the ambulance trust said the changes will mean calls are answered quickly.

He also said there would be no redundancies with centre staff transferring to other areas and ambulance staff being kept in their existing operating areas.

Staff 'shocked'

But Ray Salmon, of Unison, said the changes would mean existing staff in either Shropshire or Worcester will have a longer journey to work.

"We have one chap who lives over the border in Wales. How is he going to travel to the Black Country or Stafford?

"When people have done a job such as ours, which can involve difficult shifts, they do not want a longer drive home."

He was also angry as previous news had seemed to indicate only Shropshire would close. The news that the centre in Bransford, Worcester, would close came as a shock.

"We also have a lot of local knowledge from the staff in the control rooms.

"I know we now have the technology to help but what if it breaks down?"

At this stage, industrial action could not be ruled out, he added.

The trust has agreed on the proposals which are now going out for consultation.