Greedy Ingerlund, got the Olympics and now want the World Cup!
Who pays for it all??
The whole country of course! Even though London and the South get 90% of the profits
Liverpool paramedics to cover London 2012 Olympics with costs falling on North West NHS Nov 9 2010 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Daily Post
PARAMEDICS from Merseyside will be diverted to cover the London Olympics – with costs falling on the region’s NHS, the Daily Post can reveal.
Up to 50 paramedics from North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) which covers Merseyside will be sent to London in 2012 for more than two months.
That is despite concern at ambulance board level about the effect on patient care if frontline staff are drawn away from the region.
An ambulance trust spokeswoman last night said the total number to leave Merseyside had yet to be decided and negotiations were ongoing.
But Board minutes from the NWAS seen by the Daily Post said: “The chief executive briefed the board on preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games and noted the likelihood that the Trust would be requested to release approximately 50 staff over a 72-day period to support the event. He advised that costs incurred would need to be met locally and noted that the Trust would be unable to compel staff to support the event.
“He advised that the matter had been discussed with the Trust’s commissioners who were supportive of a solution based on national funding provision.†Non-executive director Patricia Corless expressed her concern at the potential loss of 50 frontline staff and “the implications for performance and patient care.â€
Overall, however, members agreed the NHS had a part to play within the Olympics event: “The Board noted the commitment in support of the games bid by the NHS and, consequently, the obligation on trusts in general to provide appropriate support.
“The board endorsed the principle of such support but considered that practical application should reflect an appropriate level of risk sharing.â€
All ambulance trusts have been asked to provide a proportion of skilled staff to help at the much anticipated sporting event, with visitor numbers expected to reach up to 350,000 per day.
A NWAS spokesman said: “The 2012 Olympics is a unique, national event and Trusts throughout the UK are being ask to lend their support to enhance the service currently provided by Greater London trusts.
“Thousands of people from around the world will be located in the capital, as well as attending events which are taking place in other parts of the country, the North West included, and it is vital that these people have access to emergency healthcare. The North West Ambulance Service, along with our ambulance colleagues throughout the country, have been asked to provide some paramedic support to the event and we are currently looking at ways in which we can do this, whilst maintaining the day to day operations of the Trust.
“A final decision has yet to be taken on the numbers of staff involved.â€
The London 2012 Organising Committee was last night unavailable for comment. In total NWAS employs approximately 2,300 emergency paramedic staff across the North West and has had problems with frontline staff numbers in the past.
A year ago the Daily Post reported there were 120 vacancies across the service and shifts could not be fully covered, meaning the trust was failing to get to patients quickly enough. A recruitment drive was launched to tackle the problem.
