The East Midlands Ambulance Service is spending millions on private ambulances

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My old friend Phil Knowles, leader of the Liberal Democrat on Harborough District Council, tells me that the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust spent almost £8m on private ambulances since the start of 2017.

The information comes from senior managers at the Trust.

Phil says:

"There need to be questions about the planning that has been in place. What could have been done to avoid this situation? Will the promised investment ensure that the reliance on these private ambulances is a thing of the past? 

"With the winter pressures, the worry must be that there will a need to use private ambulances in even greater numbers. We appreciate the care that ambulance crews,  provide, but it is absolutely correct to ask these questions, seek answers and obtain the assurances and actions required.”