Tuesday, March 2, 2010

** Dirty ambulances negatively impacting UK service’s EMS response times

** Police investigation after autistic teen leaps to his death from moving South Carolina ambulance

UNITED KINGDOM NEWS

** Responses to emergency 999 calls in Nottingham are apparently being delayed because some ambulances are too dirty and need sanitizing. That is the word from This is Nottingham (March 1) which quoted from a city report saying new cleaning protocols are also impacting turnaround times at hospitals. According to the newspaper, the revised approaches are aimed at avoiding prosecution for the filthy rigs. Failure to adhere to standards set by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) could see legal penalties or a 50,000 pound fine. EMS brass, meanwhile, are brushing off the report, saying prehospital crews will get faster at cleaning ambulances as they become accustomed to procedures. Two previous inspections by health watchdogs have found units reusing equipment, sporting visibly thick dirt, and offering no hand washing facilities.

UNITED STATES NEWS

** Police in Greenville, South Carolina are investigating, after a teenaged autistic boy leaped to his death from a moving ambulance Sunday. WSPA (February 28) said the youth, identified as Ryan Emory, 16, was being transported to a Columbia psychiatric center under restraint. According to the news site, Emory exited out the EMS unit’s rear door after loosening his bonds. A spokesman for Emory’s family said he had become aggressive in the last few months.