About the conference
This conference, Opportunities and challenges in urgent reform, took place on Wednesday 13 October 2010 at the Business Design Centre, London.
Delegates considered how staff can be involved, the need to move from target to outcome measures and the key issues which need to be addressed when integrating urgent and emergency care. Tony Dell, Chief Executive, North East Ambulance Service, chaired the morning plenary session, highlighting the 'ambulance services as the ‘gate keeper’ to the urgent and emergency care system and can provide value in this capacity. They can play an integral part in joining up the system. They can manage growth and demand and are keen to be a significant partner with the rest of the NHS.'
A key note speech by Rt Hon Simon Burn MP, Minister of State (Health), opened by saying 'The ambulance services are doing a great job in difficult circumstances.'
Mr Burn's went on to say the 'lack of ‘out of hours’ services and a political, bureaucratic centralised system all contributed to an inefficient incoherent service. The White paper had come about as a result of this.'
Mr Burns also said that the speed of ambulances reaching a patient can mean life and death but this wasn’t true in every case.' Then stating that ministers were looking at the target indicators to see what could be done differently and would develop new clinical indicators to improve patient outcomes. The idea was to mesh the ambulance targets with A&E indicators.
Ambulance services are currently working with the Department of Health and the framework would be published in December 2010.
Mr Burn's positively stated '111' was part of the system change that would give patients the right care at the right time in the right place.
Speaking of the commissioning changes and the NHS white paper, he said that 'these changes would empower services to work with all of the system i.e. primary, secondary and community care thereby providing high quality services to patients.'
Mr Burn's speech set the direction for discussions through the day as delegates participated in a range of workshop sessions, along with lively panel debates and motivational and inspiring keynote presentations, relevant to many of the points addressed by the Minister.
To view presentations from the day, please download them from the 'Related documents' section of this page.