A SERVICE which helps get the most ill patients to hospital as fast as possible has returned for the winter months.
WEST Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS), reinstated its Urgent Referral Tier service on November 5.
Tactical Commander for WMAS, James Williams, said: “Last winter was one of the most challenging we have ever faced.
“One of the ways we helped ensure ambulance crews got to 999 calls quickly was to launch the Urgent Referral Tier.
“The crews are made up of one member of our non-emergency patient transport service and a clinician, usually a paramedic.”
Together they transport patients who have already been assessed by a clinician, often a GP, who has decided they require hospital treatment and to be taken by ambulance.
Equally it will help reduce pressure on hospitals by taking patients home once they have discharged.
By getting these crews to do the transfer, frontline ambulances can concentrate on 999 calls.
