BOSSES at North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) are to send three members of staff to Seattle for six days on a fact finding mission to try and improve their own service.

NWAS have missed all three government targets for 2014/15, blaming it on an ‘unprecedented increase in 999 activity’, but they will now spend £3,000 on the trip to the USA.

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Amid criticism from other media, Derek Cartwright, the director of operation at North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said the trip would help them deliver a better service in the future.

He said: “Last year (April 2014-March 2015) was particularly challenging for NWAS due to an unprecedented increase in 999 activity. The increase in demand was not only seen during the usual high demand periods, such as winter, but increased throughout the year.

“In total, NWAS received a 9.1 per cent increase in the number of high priority calls, and a 2.3 per cent increase in overall calls. Increases of this scale were also seen by ambulance services nationally.”

The trust missed targets on Red 1 and Red 2 calls, reaching only 69 per cent within eight minutes to a 75 per cent target. They also missed A19 targets, responding to 93 per cent of calls in 19 minutes compared to a target of 95 per cent.

Mr Cartwright said the trust had been looking for a while at ways to work differently, and they are looking into an initiative to work together with the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS), which is why they are heading to Seattle.

He said: “Seattle Fire Department in Washington DC, USA, is one of the world leaders in providing pre-hospital emergency care and responds to around 28,000 Basic Life Support (BLS) and 25,000 Advanced Life Support (ALS) incidents every year in the community.

“To enable both organisations to get a better understanding of how they operate, three representatives from GMFRS,accompanied by three NWAS staff are travelling to Seattle.