Calls for improvements to '˜deteriorating' Midhurst ambulance service

Gordon McAra told fellow town councillors at a full meeting on Monday he planned to raise the issue with MP Gillian Keegan and also asked county councillor Kate O’Kelly to take up the matter.

He said Midhurst’s ambulance station closed down over a year ago when the ‘Make Ready’ base was opened near Chichester.

“The concept is they get a deep clean which creates more time for crews to deal with medical problems with an ambulance sitting at Midhurst at some unknown location, but we have never found out where it is.”

But there had been at least four cases of ambulances taking more than 50 minutes to get to traffic accidents, he said. “Frankly it’s a deteriorating service and puts the obligation in certain circumstances on other emergency services to hold the baby until the ambulance turns up.”

He said SECamb (South East Coast Ambulances) had had a poor reputation for fours years and issues were not yet resolved. But Midhurst people would prefer to have an ambulance based in the town – deeply cleaned or not.

“If we don’t have a decent ambulance service it could lead to problems for all of us.”

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage at www.midhurstandpetworth.co.uk/

2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MidhurstandPetworthObserver

3) Follow us on Twitter @mid_pet_obs

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

The Midhurst and Petworth Observer - always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.