Cycling paramedics plan axed after ‘inconsistent’ trial results

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service, which earlier this year suspended the use of dedicated cycling paramedics in Sheffield, Leeds and Hull with staff returning to ambulance and rapid response vehicles, say they will not be making the pilot permanent owing to inconsistent results.

However, health chiefs have stressed that ambulance service response units in York, which have proved a huge success since being introduced 10 years ago, will remain unchanged by the decision.

Mark Inman, acting head of operations at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, told the Yorkshire Post the specially-equipped top-of-the-range £5,000 mountain bikes would still be used in Harrogate for special events such as The Great Yorkshire Show, but it was not sustainable to keep them on the road on a daily basis.

He said a similar system would also now be operated in Scarborough - where it was hoped a dedicated cycle paramedic service would be set up following the Harrogate scheme.

“From a personal perspective, I know the benefits of using bikes as a straight off,” said Mr Inman, who was the first cycling paramedic in the north.

“But we have to balance that against the needs of a modern ambulance service and the needs of the public.

“We picked Harrogate for the trial because it is a centre of population.

“In terms of interaction with the members of the public, we have had a great response.

“The people of Harrogate have really made us feel welcome and we have written to everybody who has been involved to say thank you for their help.

“The upshot is, the bike is a great tool and promotes a great interaction with the public.

“It gives us a quick and clean method of transport and as a tool we will be keeping it.

“But we will not be having a dedicated cycle paramedic in Harrogate.”

Mr Inman denied the decision to not continue the service was anything to do with cuts and insisted it was due to an inconsistent number of call-outs for paramedics, ranging from none at all on some days to attending seven at their peak.

The paramedics who were occupying the bikes will now be drafted back in to normal service after the pilot officially came to an end earlier this month.

Harrogate was the first town in Yorkshire to be given the cycle paramedic response unit which was operational seven days a week during daylight hours in the centre of the spa town.

It did not have a set base and instead constantly moved around town to ensure it could arrive at the scene of emergencies in between two and three minutes.

The current Yorkshire Ambulance Trust performance standard for arriving at the scene of life threatening emergencies is eight minutes.

The Lifecycle service was first introduced in York 10 years ago before being extended to Sheffield, Hull and Leeds.

During the first 12 months of the York pilot, cycle paramedics covered more than 4,600 miles, responding to 860 emergency calls in the city centre. The unit also reached 98 per cent of all emergency calls inside eight minutes, well above a target of 75 per cent, and frequently beats the ambulance to the scene.

The city is seen as the ideal place for the service due to its historic centre being hard to reach for traffic and the high density of its population.

The bike sports panniers equipped with a defibrillator and other equipment and medication to treat seriously ill patients, as well as a radio and mobile phone.

Ambulance service chiefs say the bikes are able to carry almost as much equipment as rapid response motorbikes and cars.