In a statement issued to MPs today (Tuesday 24th July), the NHS West
Midlands has confirmed that the merger of the Staffordshire Ambulance
Service into the West Midlands Ambulance Service will take place on 1st
October. The statement (reproduced below) says that this comes about
because the "convergence criteria" set by the Government have been met.
But Michael Fabricant says "the key criterion, whether paramedics can
revive a patient, still shows a huge difference between the West
Midlands and Staffordshire Ambulance Services. This criterion,
surprisingly, was not regarded as one that mattered.

"The return of spontaneous circulation criterion (ROSC) shows a huge
disparity between that achieved in Staffordshire and that in the West
Midlands. In March, I told the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, that if
your heart stops in Staffordshire you stand you have a 65% chance or
recovery while in the West Midlands it is only 35%. On that criterion,
there should not be a merger.

"So I shall be keeping a very close eye to ensure Staffordshire’s
standards do not fall. I hope for the sake of people living in the West
Midlands, that the standards of the Ambulance Service rise. It’s a fat
lot of good an ambulance arriving more quickly on the scene in the West
Midlands if they are still unable to save you!"

The report of Michael Fabricant’s questions to Tony Blair can be found
here:

The statement issued to MPs today is reproduced here:

NHS West Midlands
Ambulance service merger

The West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust is to merge with the
Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust on 1 October after both Boards
gave formal approval. Both Trusts are the two best performing services
in the country and therefore met the "convergence criteria" set out by
the Secretary of State last year. It is expected that the new Trust will
benefit from the best practice of both former organisations.