[Report 1954] / Medical Officer of Health, Coventry County & City.

  • Coventry (England). County and City Council.
Date:
1954
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1954] / Medical Officer of Health, Coventry County & City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    42/158 (page 38)
    On 276 occasions the services of the ambulance, on arrival, were not required, but it is thought that in all but 38 of these the call was made in good intent. On 13, occasions two ambulances were required and on three other occasions three ambulances were required to deal with accidents where a number of patients had been injured- Occasional abuses of the Ambulance Service facilities and a few difficulties which are common in all similar services occur from time to time, but these have dwindled to negligible proportions and are usually dealt with by an officer on duty. One unfortunate serious accident occurred during the year, in which one of our ambulances, conveying two seriously injured patients to hospital, was involved in a collision with a car. This resulted in both these patients dying together with a passenger in the car. The car driver and the ambulance driver and attendant were also injured and received hosipital treatment. At the City Magistrates Court, where the ambulance driver later appeared, the charge of driving without due care and attention was withdrawn. The extended calls placed upon the Ambulance Service by the increasing use by the Hospital Management Committee of their hospitals at Nuneaton, Rugby, Bramcote and Warwick for Coventry patients and the extended facilities for the treatment of tuberculosis in hospitals and sanatoria in various parts of the country have been noted, and it may be of interest to record that 11,975 patients or 9.9% of the total were concerned in these out of town journeys. One ambulance crew was entered for a competition organised by the National Ambulance Officers Association, and I am happy to report that at this first attempt in the Midland Contest the crew took fourth position.