This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Minister visits ambulance service training college
18/02/2002
Better trained paramedic staff have a major role to play in improving ambulance response times and effectiveness, was the message from Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm today as he visited the Scottish Ambulance Service College at Barony Castle near Peebles.
Mr Chisholm was visiting the college to find out more about planned service developments and examine the training programme for paramedic staff.
Mr Chisholm said:
"Each year, there are around 75 ambulance technicians in Scotland being trained at Eddleston to be paramedics. These new paramedics will be deployed throughout Scotland. This represents a major commitment in the future of the ambulance service and its ability to help those in Scotland who are most in need.
"The Ambulance Service stands to benefit from further record funding from the Executive. More than £108 million has been pledged for 2002, an increase of nearly seven per cent. Already, there are 200 more ambulance staff on frontline vehicles than there were 10 years ago. These latest increases will enable the service to recruit a further 100 staff over the coming years.
"I want to put on record my thanks to ambulance staff across the country for their hard work, especially over these busy winter months and to the staff at Barony Castle for their work in training frontline staff.
The Scottish Executive is to give the Ambulance Service £108.3million of funding for the financial year 2002/3.