AMBULANCE staff in Worcestershire and Herefordshire are to be joined with staff in Shropshire from Sunday to create a single division, it has been announced.
The new division will be known as the Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire division. The merger follows news that the city's call centre at Bransford, along with one at Shrewsbury, could be closed in favour of two regional centres and one support centre covering the entire West Midlands region. Two hundred people have now added their names to the Worcester News' petition against the proposals.
Leading the newly formed division will be Derek Laird, currently the locality director for Hereford and Worcester.
"Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire are very similar counties in terms of geography, industry, agriculture, population and culture," he said. "The problems encountered in provincial towns and cities, in rural areas, and on rural roads are quite different to those problems experienced in inner cities and urban areas.
"Bringing these counties together under one umbrella allows us to spend more time concentrating on the special needs of patients in those rural areas. The new boundary is also co-terminus with other agencies, the police for example. This is significantly important when planning emergency services for the future.
"This new arrangement will not affect patients in any way, they will still travel to the most appropriate hospital for their condition. Nor do we expect any of our staff to be affected as a result of this management change."
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