County Council Elections 2013

I've been chatting to people about what they think about the County Council Elections this May. Quite a few people didn't know who they were going to vote for. Mainly on the basis of 'they're all as bad as each other.' However, I tried to focus conversations on what people were wanting from their council.

One of the main things that people mentioned was pot-holes. It seems like Mayor Giuliani's broken window policy many people feel that a pot hole means that those in power don't care. Mayor Giuliani of New York thought that broken windows left unpaired made people feel that things were going downhill and that those in power did not care so launched a policy of repairing every broken window reported or spotted. Pot holes seem to be classed in the same way by the people I spoke to. St John's road in Buxton and New Mills Newtown traffic lights seemed to feature in peoples evidence of this.

The second thing mentioned was the fear of loosing ambulance cover from the Being the Best proposals from East Midlands Ambulance Service. This seems to get classed as either 'insane or just plain madness' rather across the board from locals who cannot see the sense in the proposals at all. That East Midlands Ambulance Service were solely focusing on ticking the boxes for response times which are easier in the bigger towns and cities and relegating those of us who live in rural areas to second best. Feeling that EMAS have assumed the attitude of we can't hit the response times in the High Peak area so why bother. I'll blog a little more about the current ambulance stations situation this coming week as I think it's an essential service to focus on.

Other things people mentioned were housing, schools and more importantly after school care for the children as most families have both parents working. There was a mixed reception to the welfare reforms, namely some people were worse off and others thought that a cap on benefits was actually a good thing. Then the conversations moved to jobs. Or rather the lack of them. High Peakers do seem to be focusing on local issues, rather than national. However, on a national level one thing seemed to be apparent a 'fear' of immigration. Namely if more people come into the country then services will be reduced just by the increase in people using them. This was apparent on last nights Question Time on the BBC. Us Brit's seem to have developed a 'fear' of immigration?

I'm seeing more signs up regarding the election, mostly Labour with a few Lib Dems and Conservatives. As I previously mentioned, Labour do seem to have got their act together with regard to these elections. A lot of activity on Twitter, and canvasing and the signs in people's gardens. Fiona Sloman is getting a few mentions on Twitter though she doesn't appear to be tweeting much herself.
The High Peak Conservatives seem to have finally going on cyber space too. There were also quite a few placards seen showing support for their candidate Jocelyn Street.

The Greens seemed to not really being up for this round. I saw their leader on Question Time last night, she did seem to live in a Utopian world of her own, to brass tacks I didn't like her. I was toying of voting for the Green Party until then.

Apart from a few placards in High Lane (not our patch) I haven't seen anything of the Lib Dems and a few posters around were all I have seen of UKIP.

I really couldn't say which way this election could/will go. All I hope is that the turn out is high and that everyone who is able to vote  does so.

Snow, snow and more snow and Ambulance Stations.

Snow, snow and more snow and Ambulance Stations.

Well if you haven't been watching the television, listening to the radio or just opening your curtains you may have missed the fact that the High Peak has been in the grip of quite arctic conditions. As usual for a modern western country, everything ground to a halt and everyone with a Facebook page or Twitter account (very guilty of this myself) announced that the snow had come, schools and roads were closed and no one could get anywhere. Just in case any of their Facebook friends didn't have a window to look out of.

I have to admit it's the first time that I have seen the A6 from Buxton to Dove Holes closed for so long.

Sky News did manage to get to Buxton and report on a crash on this part of the road. Sky News

People checked on their neighbours, elderly or otherwise, people emailed the local weather station webpage with traffic reports and local weather conditions Buxton Weather. As well as contacting the local radio station with how they were struggling to get through anywhere. And interesting point was the fact that regardless of how good your 4-wheel drive maybe. If you drive past a 'road closed' sign then you invalidate your insurance. So if you hit anything you pay for it.

A6 Buxton to Dove Holes Sat 23/03/13 around 19:45hrs

The wind seems to have been a problem, no sooner have the ploughing and gritting teams cleared a stretch of road than 15 minutes later the wind has replaced the cleared drifts with brand new ones. I do feel a certain amount of sympathy for the ploughing teams as they have had quite an extensive King Canute battle with the weather over the past few days. As well as having their lives put at risk by people ignoring 'road closed' signs. It has snowed for nearly 72 hours none stop. As the clouds have cleared there is a chance for everyone to get back on top of things, however, the BBC have said that there maybe more snow before the end of the week!
Here's some photos of the weekend.

Buxton Town Hall

Pavillion Gardens, Buxton

 

A6 Buxton-Dove Holes

Ploughing the A6 Buxton-Dove Holes

The mountain rescue teams from Edale, Buxton and Derby have all been busy, helping where they can. They assisted Derbyshire Police on friday night on the A515 Buxton - Ashbourne road, with many driver stuck due to snowdrifts or jack knifed lorries. On Sunday they assisted EMAS and the police helicopter in getting to a lady who had broken both her wrists in a fall.

Chief Inspector Tracy Harrisson said   “We would like to thank mountain rescue teams and all local volunteers for their valued assistance in helping to clear the roads and keep motorists safe, especially at a time when emergency services are stretched due to the volume of calls.”

They have also rescued farmers who were snowed in and running out of fuel as well as people staying in holiday cottages who had run out of food. Buxton Mountain Rescue Edale Mountain Rescue

A big thank you from me as well.

EMAS East Midlands Ambulance Service

East Midlands Ambulance service have now decided what they are going to do with the stations in the High Peak area. They are going to keep a station in the High Peak. They met stiff opposition to their proposals EMAS 'Being the Best' from people throughout the High Peak area. As well as the wider area of the East Midlands ITV Controversial Ambulance Talks

The details are that they will keep a High Peak ambulance station, where this is or how it will be manned is not revealed.

They have different levels of 'station'.

There are ambulance hubs where ambulances can start and finish their shifts, along with make ready crews, mechanics, deep clean teams if anything needs addressing.

Then there are ambulance stations where ambulances are garaged and start and finish their shifts.

Then there are community ambulance stations which are nothing like they sound, they are just standby points, comments on the Buxton Advertisers web page that there are currently not enough staff or vehicles to cover all the areas throughout the East Midlands Buxton Advertiser

There will be 9 hubs, 19 ambulance stations and 108 community ambulance stations throughout the East Midlands area.

There are three standby points sorry Community Ambulance Stations in the High Peak, one in Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith and one in New Mills. Does this mean that the High Peak ambulance stations will only have three ambulances? EMAS doesn't appear to be saying.

Currently in New Mills there is a patient carrying ambulance (what EMAS refers to as a DCA, I don't know what it stands for) and a 4x4 car. In Buxton there are three ambulances and another 4x4 car. So if we have just three ambulances or perhaps three (and watch the wording here) ambulance vehicles that's half the number we already have. Not quite sure how that is going to improve patient care. If one of the patient carrying ambulances is swapped for a response car I'm sure the response times will improve which will make things look good for EMAS. However, if you need transporting to hospital quick sharp it's not much use.

Before all the campaigners start celebrating the victory of keeping their ambulances in the High Peak area, I think checking out the small print first would be good.

With the recent events I'm sure EMAS have factored into their decision that we need more not less cover in the High Peak area. And if Dove Holes is your choice of location for the ambulance station Mr Milligan EMAS Chief then check out the photo's above and see how the response times may fall even further (currently 73% for Buxton, should be 75%) if positioned there.

Looking at a map in Nottingham all very well and good but it doesn't beat knowing the local geography.

More on the Ambulance Changes

Well I have had a look at the information provided by East Midlands Ambulance Service, obviously it covers the whole of the East Midlands, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leciestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire. The bit I'm interested in is the High Peak area of Derbyshire and there is a not so skillfully placed blob on one of the maps noting a High Peak ambulance station. It appears to have been positioned in the 'pin the tail on the donkey' method of highlighting a location. It does note that there will be community ambulance stations in Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith and New Mills. Whaley Bridge was mentioned in the 1st proposals instead of New Mills, but it would appear EMAS have amended their positioning of these community ambulance stations.

Before get too happy at these 'community ambulance stations' being located in places that did not have an ambulance station present like Chapel-en-le-Frith a community ambulance station is a standby point. While driving through the High Peak I have seen the ambulances on standby at the Bridgemont roundabout on the A6 as well as the Chapel roundabout near the Fallow Deer pub. As well as at the bottom of Fairfield Road in Buxton, in the car park where the ROSPA chaps hang out and on Long Hill the A5004 between Buxton & Whaley Bridge. These 'community ambulance posts' already exist in the form of laybys around the High Peak area.

The thing that interests and concerns me is that it doesn't, and I'll admit I may have missed it in the 80+ pages of facts and figures, the amount of vehicles we would have. Currently we have three ambulances and a 4x4 car running out of Buxton, and another ambulance and 4x4 car running out of New Mills. If they assume a vehicle at each 'community ambulance point' that would halve the number of vehicles we currently have? Surely that wouldn't improve any response times in the High Peak?

Other issues of note is that the nearest ambulance station to us outside of the High Peak is Bakewell and that is moving to Matlock! So if we need back up in the High Peak it won't becoming from Bakewell as it's disappearing, if the report is to be believed in early April 2013.

Also the paramedics that retire appear to be replaced by ECA's (emergency care assistants), EMAS are no longer using EMT's (emergency medical technicians) . An ECA is someone who can help the paramedic and drive the ambulance. Whereas a EMT can do the same but has also more training and can treat a patient themselves. Most paramedics did several years as an EMT before progressing to paramedic. My feelings is if a paramedic and ECA arrive at a car crash they can treat only one patient (in theory), if a paramedic and EMT arrive then they can treat two. Something pointed out by John Mann MP John Manns concerns posted by the BBC something that the ambulance service in Yorkshire is prepared to strike over Strike action by ambulance staff in Yorkshire. 

Protests are still going on across Derbyshire, focused on the Amber Valley where the proposals have left a gaping hole regarding cover  Amber Valley Council

I agree with EMAS on one point that something needs to be done, they are the worst performing ambulance service in the country, however the staff appear to be under so much pressure that they are reaching breaking point Ambulance staff off with stress.

As I have said before I hope EMAS prioritise the care of patients and staff over hitting targets.

East Midlands Ambulance Service Ambulance Changes.

East Midlands Ambulance Service have finally published their proposals for changes to their ambulance station structure in their 'Being the Best' public consultation. New EMAS proposals can be downloaded here.

I have been watching this from afar and was present at the meeting on Pavillion Gardens in Buxton when the Chief Executive fielded questions from the public. I was at the back as usual keeping a low profile. People were not happy and to be honest you could see why. The changes would have left the High Peak without an ambulance station currently in Buxton and New Mills. They were going to remove these and base everything in Chesterfield the rumour was near Junction 29 on the M1. Needless to say there were plenty of objections and with the Peakland weather the way it is one can see why. Seen mainly as cuts cunningly disguised as efficiency savings. However it looks that High Peak will get an ambulance station. Whether it will be manned with the same amount of vehicles and staff will be another question I guess.

Various petitions in the form of e-petitions, personal ones on peoples websites and the good old signatures in the street were submitted. According to High Peak Radio 870 people from the High Peak wrote to EMAS of which 12 thought the changes were a good idea and the remainder 858 thought not and objected. Also half the population of New Mills and Hayfield signed a paper petition to save their station which is based at the retained fire station in New Mills. A Facebook group was set up which quite quickly gained pace Save High Peak Ambulance Stations with nearly 3000 members.

Not just the locals objected, a strong objection from Andrew Bingham MP Andrew Bingham's website as well as Derbyshire County Council and the more local High Peak Borough Council. Caitlin Bisknell leader of the High Peak council has this to say about the latest proposals Caitlin's Blog. Across the political spectrum councillors and MP's from throughout the East Midlands have objected to the changes. As well as the soon to be disbanded PCT's, GP's and other medics who see the changes as absurd. No doubt the local paper will have some information in it as well this coming Thursday.

One Unison person told Sea Duck that EMAS really hadn't expected the amount of objection from various sectors throughout the East Midlands and were amazed at the degree of opposition.

I do hope that the EMAS executive have got their sensible heads on when it comes to deciding this matter and not get hung up on hitting targets rather than meeting the needs of the people they serve. It's not about hitting targets it's about caring for the patients. We get the final answer Monday 25th March 2013.