Ambulance bosses deny staff could be disciplined for breaking speed limit (From The Northern Echo)

Ambulance bosses deny staff could be disciplined for breaking speed limit

4:56pm Wednesday 3rd February 2010

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AMBULANCE bosses in North Yorkshire have hit back at claims that paramedics who drive too fast while responding to emergency calls will face automatic disciplinary action.

Reports in national newspapers alleged the Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) was one of 12 ambulance trusts across the UK that could bring proceedings against drivers if they broke the speed limit.

A spokesman for YAS said that while the trust asks staff to respect the rules of the road, they had leeway to use "training and common sense" to decide how fast they should travel when dealing with an emergency.

Police forces have already ruled that ambulance drivers will be spared prosecution if they exceed the speed limit in such situations, but the reports claimed NHS heads wanted to prevent this happening with the threat of disciplinary proceedings.

The spokeswoman said: "As part of our driver training programme, we encourage our staff to follow police guidelines in relation to what speed they travel in an emergency situation.

"However, our staff are trusted to use their training and common sense to make the best decision based on road safety and the condition of any patient on board."

Unions representing paramedics have agreed that the speed ambulances travel in emergency situations should be left at the discretion of drivers and take account of the time factor involved and the road conditions.

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