THE region’s ambulance service has been forced into a U-turn over plans to cut services across parts of Cumbria.
The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) has announced it will not be removing an ambulance from Carlisle or a rapid response vehicle overnight from Penrith, after campaigners gathered 11,500 signatures from local people.
A representative from trade union Unison said the decision to reverse the cuts was made this week - just weeks after NWAS officials said they had to make £2.2m of savings during this financial year.
Mike Oliver, a paramedic and Unison convenor for the service, said: “I’m absolutely delighted. How can you deliver a quality ambulance service when you’re making cuts to the front line?”
Campaigners held a heated public meeting and thousands of people signed a petition, which was delivered to Downing Street.
Mr Oliver said the region’s clinical commissioning groups agreed to give £6m to NWAS so that cuts can be put on hold.
MORE TOP STORIES:
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here