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Great Western Ambulance Service
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Great Western Ambulance Service
The Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust (GWAS) was a National Health Service (NHS) trust which provided emergency and non-emergency patient transport services to Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire, in South West England. It was formed on 1 April 2006 by the merger of the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire ambulance services. The ambulance service was acquired by neighbouring Foundation Trust South Western Ambulance Service (SWASFT) on 1 February 2013.
It was one of the NHS ambulance services trusts providing England with free emergency medical services, receiving government funding for its role.
The trust headquarters was at Jenner House, Chippenham, Wiltshire. The trust had one main call handling emergency operations centre (EOC) and two dispatch centres.
Formed on 1 April 2006 by the merger of the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire ambulance services, the trust had a difficult start, marked by redundancies, closure of its training centre and the threat of ambulance station closures; though in the end, only one station was closed, at Newent, Gloucestershire.
This caused strained industrial relations with its recognised union, UNISON, and criticism in local media. From the date of merger, GWAS struggled to achieve the Department of Health's key performance indicators. In 2007–2008 the trust lost two contracts for non-emergency patient transport services (PTS) to private contractors. Many ambulance shifts were covered by private agencies.
In September 2008, the chief executive, Tim Lynch, resigned. He was replaced by an interim chief executive, Anthony Marsh, from West Midlands Ambulance Service. Marsh identified a lack of operational leadership and a "competition of priorities" within management and removed two directors: the director of operations and director of corporate development.
In February 2009, a ceremony was held to present almost 60 staff, partner agencies and members of the public with Chief Executive Commendations.
In September 2010, a specialist unit, the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), was established and went live after months of preparation and training. This unit of 32 paramedics was trained to respond to complex or large incidents involving fire, chemicals, biological or nuclear risks, collapsed buildings, cliff or heights, confined spaces, water or firearms incidents. The GWAS HART was one of the last parts of the national scheme to be established; a base was built for the unit in Filton, North Bristol.
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Great Western Ambulance Service
The Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust (GWAS) was a National Health Service (NHS) trust which provided emergency and non-emergency patient transport services to Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire, in South West England. It was formed on 1 April 2006 by the merger of the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire ambulance services. The ambulance service was acquired by neighbouring Foundation Trust South Western Ambulance Service (SWASFT) on 1 February 2013.
It was one of the NHS ambulance services trusts providing England with free emergency medical services, receiving government funding for its role.
The trust headquarters was at Jenner House, Chippenham, Wiltshire. The trust had one main call handling emergency operations centre (EOC) and two dispatch centres.
Formed on 1 April 2006 by the merger of the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire ambulance services, the trust had a difficult start, marked by redundancies, closure of its training centre and the threat of ambulance station closures; though in the end, only one station was closed, at Newent, Gloucestershire.
This caused strained industrial relations with its recognised union, UNISON, and criticism in local media. From the date of merger, GWAS struggled to achieve the Department of Health's key performance indicators. In 2007–2008 the trust lost two contracts for non-emergency patient transport services (PTS) to private contractors. Many ambulance shifts were covered by private agencies.
In September 2008, the chief executive, Tim Lynch, resigned. He was replaced by an interim chief executive, Anthony Marsh, from West Midlands Ambulance Service. Marsh identified a lack of operational leadership and a "competition of priorities" within management and removed two directors: the director of operations and director of corporate development.
In February 2009, a ceremony was held to present almost 60 staff, partner agencies and members of the public with Chief Executive Commendations.
In September 2010, a specialist unit, the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), was established and went live after months of preparation and training. This unit of 32 paramedics was trained to respond to complex or large incidents involving fire, chemicals, biological or nuclear risks, collapsed buildings, cliff or heights, confined spaces, water or firearms incidents. The GWAS HART was one of the last parts of the national scheme to be established; a base was built for the unit in Filton, North Bristol.
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