FRU = Fast Response Unit. Vauxhall Zafira crewed by a single EMT
(emergency medical technician) or Paramedic. Not as well equipped
as an ambulance & mainly unable to transport patients. Purely used
to meet Guvmint targets.

There is one, marked Paramedic, in our area, but I've never seen it
doing anything other than pottering around. However, I would have
thought it a good idea to be able to get trained help to people more
quickly than if they had to wait for what is effectively a converted
van to arrive.

True enough - to a point. The Guvmint issued targets of 8 mins response
time for a Cat A call, timed from when the details had been obtained from
the caller. Callers are sometimes panicky and stressed so it could take a
few minutes to get the full details. It's now changed to the time the call
is answered so there is even more pressure.

Nobody is quite sure where the Guvmint got this 8 minutes idea from, but
strangely there is no clinical outcome target. So if the ambulance arrives
in 7 minutes & the patient dies, thats a success.

The crews of course are more concerned with clinical outcome.

LAS now has over 100 FRU's purely to try & meet targets. Getting a trained
techie or medic there ASAP is important, but they can't transport patients.
So now instead of two crew + one vehicle attending its three crew & two
vehicles.

They would rather have more ambulances to give greater coverage & therefore
less waiting time.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk