Rayleigh and Wickford MP, Mark Francois, met yesterday with Anthony Marsh, the Chief Executive of the East of England Ambulance Service, to discuss plans to improve ambulance services across Essex.
Mark had a constructive meeting with Mr Marsh and several other Essex MPs, during which he raised issues such as the recruitment of paramedics, ambulance response times and the number of ambulances available to attend to his constituents when they call 999. Mark was heartened to hear of plans to improve the service by reinvesting internally, through the purchase of new ambulances and increased training of current staff, as well as the recruitment of further student paramedics.
Prior to his appointment as CEO of the east of England Ambulance Service, Mr Marsh was Chief Executive of Essex Ambulance Service where he led the organisation from being zero rated to a top performing three star Trust, as well as being responsible for organising and running the ambulance cover for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
Commenting on the meeting Mark said:
“I am very encouraged by my meeting with Mr Marsh and I pleased to hear of his plans to turn the East of England Ambulance Service around, by implementing key priorities such as the recruitment of 400 student paramedics, replacing 47 old ambulances with brand new models by the end of this summer, and investing in further training for current staff. Mr Marsh has a good track record of improving Ambulance Services and I wish him the best of luck in his new leadership of the East of England Ambulance Service.”