MEP welcomes decision of Peterborough's ambulance chief to quit role after 'chaotic' three years

A Labour MEP has welcomed the decision of Peterborough's ambulance chief to quit his role after "three chaotic years at the helm".
Robert MortonRobert Morton
Robert Morton

East of England MEP Alex Mayer said the region's ambulance service "can and must do better" after it was revealed Robert Morton was leaving as chief executive.

It was revealed in May that ambulance delays last winter had caused five people in the East of England a degree of harm, while three people were caused “severe” harm.

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In addition, the ambulance service was rated as 'Requires Improvement' a couple of months following an inspection.

And just last week the BBC revealed that a patient had had to wait more than 24 hours for an ambulance to arrive, the longest wait for an ambulance in the whole of England between June 2017 and June 2018.

The Peterborough Telegraph has also revealed the long waits some patients in Peterborough have experienced, including an 84-year-old who had to wait 11 hours for an ambulance after being advised by his GP to call for one.

The Labour MEP said Mr Morton had overseen "three chaotic years" at the helm of the East of England Ambulance Service. She added : “I welcome the resignation and hope that a new chief executive can be found swiftly who will put the concerns of staff and patients at the heart of every decision.

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“Our ambulance service can and must do better. Patients deserve it and so do our hardworking paramedics.

"We also mustn’t let the Government off the hook. The whole of our NHS is under pressure. Queues at A&E and the crisis that is social care all impact on the ambulance service. We need a holistic approach and proper funding across our NHS.”

The East of England Ambulance Service tweeted about Mr Morton: "The achievements & progression made in the past three years have been a #team effort with his and Exec leadership, & we thank Robert for his commitment and focus #leadership #patientcare."