West Midlands Ambulance Trust puts equality ahead of local knowledge of Worcestershire

Harriett Baldwin, Parliamentary Candidate West Worcestershire, learned today that West Midlands Ambulance Trust is obliged to consider equality issues over local knowledge when hiring ambulance call takers.

West Midlands Ambulance Trust is consulting on proposals to close the Bransford and Shrewsbury Ambulance Emergency Call Centres and move activities to Brierley Hill and Stafford.

Harriett Baldwin and other campaigners are concerned that local knowledge of Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire will be lost in the move. Local knowledge is considered "useful, but not essential" by the WMAS Trust. Although staff will be offered jobs, the distances involved and normal staff attrition mean that over time local knowledge of Worcestershire and Herefordshire will decline.

Harriett Baldwin asked in a letter to Anthony Marsh, Chief Executive, West Midlands Ambulance Trust, whether there are any plans to ensure that "people who know Herefordshire and Worcestershire well are brought in to maintain useful local knowledge." In his reply, Mr Marsh states that "such a policy is almost certainly discriminatory and unlikely to fulfil our equality commitments. Given the low percentage of BME residents in the rural counties, insisting on local knowledge will discriminate against applicants from ethnic minorities."

Harriett Baldwin said today, "I am outraged that residents in West Worcestershire may have their lives endangered by a policy that puts diversity targets ahead of local knowledge. No-one could be a bigger supporter than me of equal opportunities, but the most vital thing is to ensure that local people have a safe and effective ambulance service. I call on the government to provide the funding to upgrade the technology at Bransford and let's make sure we have as good an ambulance service in Worcestershire as we possibly can."