Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Encyclopedia
The Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) is the NHS
ambulance
service covering most of Yorkshire
in England. It covers the whole of the East Riding of Yorkshire
(including Kingston upon Hull
), South Yorkshire
and West Yorkshire
along with the majority of the ceremonial county
of North Yorkshire
(including the City of York). Excluded are Middlesbrough
, Redcar and Cleveland
and the southern part of Stockton-on-Tees
which are all covered by the North East Ambulance Service
.
It is one of 12 Ambulance Trusts providing England with Emergency medical services, and is part of the National Health Service
, receiving direct government funding for its role. There is no charge to patients for use of the service, and under the Patient's charter
, every person in the United Kingdom has the right to the attendance of an ambulance in an emergency.
Responses are controlled from two communication centres - one of which is located at the Service's headquarters at Wakefield 41 Business Park, located at the M1 motorway junction 41
, north-west of Wakefield
. This control room covers West Yorkshire (the former WYMAS area) and South Yorkshire (the former SYAS area). The other communication centre is in Skelton
on the outskirts of York
, covering East and North Yorkshire. There used to be a Communication Centre in Rotherham which closed in June 2008.
The service's activities are centred around the two core ones of Accident & Emergency (A&E) and Patient Transport Services (PTS).
, Hull
, Leeds
, Ripon
, Sheffield
, Wakefield
and York
, and the principal towns of Barnsley
, Beverley
, Doncaster
, Harrogate
, Huddersfield
, Skipton
and Scarborough. The region includes parts of the M1
, A1(M)
, M18, M180
, M62
, M621
and M606
motorways and the Yorkshire Dales
.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service was formed on 1 July 2006 after the merger of the Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service (TENYAS), South Yorkshire Ambulance Service
(SYAS) and the West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service
(WYMAS).
district of North Yorkshire. It brought together some of the individual city ambulance services which existed across the area. In 1992, it became an NHS Trust
, providing 24-hour emergency and healthcare services to more than 2.1 million people across the region. 21 ambulance stations were situated across the WYMAS operating area.
, Humberside
and North Yorkshire ambulance services. TENYAS served the urban areas of Middlesbrough, York and Hull, and the rural areas of the Yorkshire Dales, Wolds, covering an area of approximately 4500 square miles (11,654.9 km²). The trust had 37 ambulance stations.
Ambulances were deployed from the two control rooms which were situated at Middlesbrough and York. The TENYAS area was broken up on 1 July 2006, with the former Cleveland area now covered by the North East Ambulance Service
(NEAS). Humberside Ambulance Service had lost the A&E cover contract for the North Lincolnshire
and North East Lincolnshire
to Lincolnshire Ambulance Service prior to the existence of TENYAS.
On 23 June 2010, the BBC announced that Yorkshire Ambulance Service call response was 'England's Worst'. The Service was given until 31 October 2010 to meet targets adequately, which it stated it was doing, however, it was once again awarded "England's Worst" status in June 2011.
The current Chief Executive, David Whiting, joined the service on 1 February 2011. He is the third Chief Executive for the Trust in five years. He was previously Chief Executive of Great Western Ambulance Service between April 2009 and January 2011 and left that service as Unison balloted it's members for strike action following changes to terms and conditions for staff - most notably pay and rota arrangements. David is a qualified paramedic and started his career as a cadet with South Yorkshire Ambulance 28 years ago.
The former Chief Executives were Jayne Barnes OBE (1 July 2006-14 January 2008) and Martyn Pritchard (15 January 2008-June 2010. Jayne emigrated to Australia to take up the post of Assistant Commissioner of Queensland Ambulance Service (South East region), and Martyn went to work at the Strategic Health Authority.
Rod Barnes is expected to take up the post of Finance Director in September 2011. Rod is currently the Finance Director at Great Western Ambulance Service.
On 27 July 2010 David Forster, policy and strategy Director, was dismissed for saying on Facebook that: "The NHS has no shame in employing too many who are lazy, unproductive, obstinate, militant, aggressive at every turn and who couldn't secure a job anywhere outside the bloated public sector where mediocrity is shielded by weak and unprincipled HR policies."
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
service covering most of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
in England. It covers the whole of the East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
(including Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
), South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
and West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
along with the majority of the ceremonial county
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
(including the City of York). Excluded are Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough (borough)
-External links:*...
, Redcar and Cleveland
Redcar and Cleveland
The borough of Redcar & Cleveland is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England consisting of Redcar, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Guisborough, and small towns such as Brotton, Eston, Skelton and Loftus. It had a resident population of 139,132 in 2001, and is part of the Tees...
and the southern part of Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees (borough)
Stockton-on-Tees is a unitary authority area and borough in the Tees Valley area of north east England, with a population in 2001 of 178,408, rising to 185,880 in 2005 estimates....
which are all covered by the North East Ambulance Service
North East Ambulance Service
The North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the authority responsible for providing NHS ambulance services in North East England, covering the counties of County Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear and the boroughs of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and...
.
It is one of 12 Ambulance Trusts providing England with Emergency medical services, and is part of the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
, receiving direct government funding for its role. There is no charge to patients for use of the service, and under the Patient's charter
Patient's Charter
The Patient's Charter is a United Kingdom government document, which sets out a number of rights for National Health Service patients. It was originally introduced in 1991, under the then Conservative government, and was revised in 1995 and 1997....
, every person in the United Kingdom has the right to the attendance of an ambulance in an emergency.
Responses are controlled from two communication centres - one of which is located at the Service's headquarters at Wakefield 41 Business Park, located at the M1 motorway junction 41
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
, north-west of Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
. This control room covers West Yorkshire (the former WYMAS area) and South Yorkshire (the former SYAS area). The other communication centre is in Skelton
Skelton, York
Skelton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York, in North Yorkshire England. It is northwest of the city of York, west of Haxby, and on the east bank of the River Ouse. Skelton was in the ancient royal Forest of Galtres and covers 977.3 hectares...
on the outskirts of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, covering East and North Yorkshire. There used to be a Communication Centre in Rotherham which closed in June 2008.
The service's activities are centred around the two core ones of Accident & Emergency (A&E) and Patient Transport Services (PTS).
Geography
The area YAS covers includes the cities of BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Ripon
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, and the principal towns of Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, Beverley
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...
, Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
, Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, Skipton
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
and Scarborough. The region includes parts of the M1
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
, A1(M)
A1(M) motorway
The A1 is a motorway in England that upgrades sections of the A1 road that connects London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom, with Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland...
, M18, M180
M180 motorway
The M180 motorway is a short but major motorway in England from junction 5 on the M18 motorway in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster to a point close to Humberside Airport some from the ports of Immingham and Grimsby and the east coast and provides access for major routes to Cleethorpes,...
, M62
M62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
, M621
M621 motorway
The M621 motorway is a short loop of motorway in England that takes traffic into central Leeds between the M1 and M62 motorways. It is the second longest motorway in the United Kingdom to carry a three digit number although it carries more junctions than any other three digit motorway within the...
and M606
M606 motorway
The M606 Bradford Spur motorway in England leaves the M62 motorway at junction 26, near Cleckheaton, and heads into Bradford, to join the A6177 Bradford Ring Road...
motorways and the Yorkshire Dales
Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...
.
History
South Yorkshire Ambulance Service
South Yorkshire Ambulance Service was the NHS ambulance service covering South Yorkshire, England. On 1 July 2006 it was merged into the new Yorkshire Ambulance Service.-History:...
(SYAS) and the West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service
West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service
West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service, or 'WYMAS', was the NHS ambulance service covering West Yorkshire and the western side of North Yorkshire. On July 1, 2006 it was merged to the single Yorkshire Ambulance Service.-History:...
(WYMAS).
West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service
WYMAS was formed in 1974 covering the new metropolitan county of West Yorkshire and the CravenCraven
Craven is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England that came into being in 1974, centred on the market town of Skipton. In the changes to British local government of that year this district was formed as the merger of Skipton urban district, Settle Rural District and most of Skipton...
district of North Yorkshire. It brought together some of the individual city ambulance services which existed across the area. In 1992, it became an NHS Trust
NHS Trust
A National Health Service trust provides services on behalf of the National Health Service in England and NHS Wales.The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is...
, providing 24-hour emergency and healthcare services to more than 2.1 million people across the region. 21 ambulance stations were situated across the WYMAS operating area.
Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service
TENYAS was formed on 1 April 1999 as a merger of the former ClevelandCleveland, England
Cleveland is an area in the north east of England. Its name means literally "cliff-land", referring to its hilly southern areas, which rise to nearly...
, Humberside
Humberside
Humberside was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, created from portions of the East and West ridings of Yorkshire and parts of Lindsey, Lincolnshire...
and North Yorkshire ambulance services. TENYAS served the urban areas of Middlesbrough, York and Hull, and the rural areas of the Yorkshire Dales, Wolds, covering an area of approximately 4500 square miles (11,654.9 km²). The trust had 37 ambulance stations.
Ambulances were deployed from the two control rooms which were situated at Middlesbrough and York. The TENYAS area was broken up on 1 July 2006, with the former Cleveland area now covered by the North East Ambulance Service
North East Ambulance Service
The North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the authority responsible for providing NHS ambulance services in North East England, covering the counties of County Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear and the boroughs of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and...
(NEAS). Humberside Ambulance Service had lost the A&E cover contract for the North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. For ceremonial purposes it is part of Lincolnshire....
and North East Lincolnshire
North East Lincolnshire
North East Lincolnshire is a unitary authority in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, bordering the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire and the administrative county of Lincolnshire...
to Lincolnshire Ambulance Service prior to the existence of TENYAS.
South Yorkshire Ambulance Service
SYAS was formed in 1974 as the South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service. On 1 April 1992 it became an NHS Trust. It served over 1.4 million people in an area of over 600 square miles (1,554 km²) and covered the city of Sheffield and the districts of Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham.Call for improvement
On 26 March 2010 the Care Quality Commission announced that the Yorkshire Ambulance Service was consistently failing to meet national response time targets.On 23 June 2010, the BBC announced that Yorkshire Ambulance Service call response was 'England's Worst'. The Service was given until 31 October 2010 to meet targets adequately, which it stated it was doing, however, it was once again awarded "England's Worst" status in June 2011.
The current Chief Executive, David Whiting, joined the service on 1 February 2011. He is the third Chief Executive for the Trust in five years. He was previously Chief Executive of Great Western Ambulance Service between April 2009 and January 2011 and left that service as Unison balloted it's members for strike action following changes to terms and conditions for staff - most notably pay and rota arrangements. David is a qualified paramedic and started his career as a cadet with South Yorkshire Ambulance 28 years ago.
The former Chief Executives were Jayne Barnes OBE (1 July 2006-14 January 2008) and Martyn Pritchard (15 January 2008-June 2010. Jayne emigrated to Australia to take up the post of Assistant Commissioner of Queensland Ambulance Service (South East region), and Martyn went to work at the Strategic Health Authority.
Rod Barnes is expected to take up the post of Finance Director in September 2011. Rod is currently the Finance Director at Great Western Ambulance Service.
On 27 July 2010 David Forster, policy and strategy Director, was dismissed for saying on Facebook that: "The NHS has no shame in employing too many who are lazy, unproductive, obstinate, militant, aggressive at every turn and who couldn't secure a job anywhere outside the bloated public sector where mediocrity is shielded by weak and unprincipled HR policies."