Funding for new Lincolnshire 'falls response' ambulance pilot

Lincolnshire County Council has allocated £300,000 to fund and develop a model of response for people who have fallen and improve the local ambulance service.

The extra funding for East Midlands Ambulance Service includes a model to improve the speed of response to someone who has fallen, allowing the ambulance service to prioritise the most life-threatening calls.

The council is hoping that the pilot project will be up and running before Christmas, with impacts being monitored and any improvements being made in Spring 2019. The funding will be from the additional money from government to help councils deal with winter pressures.

Martin Hill, Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said: “I very much welcome the additional resource that health commissioners and East Midlands Ambulance Service have committed, which will provide 39 new ambulances in the county and their work to provide a more bespoke service in Lincolnshire. To make sure that this investment has the biggest impact on the service our residents get, it is only right that the council and others agree to do all we can to help.”

Richard Henderson, chief executive at East Midlands Ambulance Service, added: “Partner agencies at the meeting agreed that EMAS is in a good position to continue to provide quality services to the people of Lincolnshire. To keep delivering better clinical outcomes, all agencies will work more collaboratively. At EMAS, we are investing in new ambulances and equipment for Lincolnshire, and are progressing well with our recruitment campaign to increase the number of clinicians that we have working on the frontline.”