We don't expect an update on the NWL from Norfolk County Council (NCC) until November, as the project is still on pause.
But they have still been busy putting out some baseless claims on how the NWL would affect ambulance
response times.
Duncan Baker MP made a big claim on TV: that the NWL would save "up to 20 minutes" for emergency ambulances.
Various NCC
councillors have claimed time savings would be made, and this gets quoted in the press frequently.
We couldn't find any evidence for these claims anywhere, so we asked the East of England ambulance service whether they anticipated that the NWL would improve
emergency response times. Their response included:
"It is likely that blue light journeys will remain unchanged as there is less impact from traffic congestion."
Also, and perhaps more significantly:
"The main influence on our response times remains
the hospital handover delays in the region's acute hospitals. The Norfolk and Norwich hospital in the last month (May 2023) had an average handover time of one hour and fifteen minutes against a Trust average of thirty-five minutes."
So the NWL
will NOT improve ambulance emergency response times.
It is an emotive argument to use to garner public support for building the road, so this misinformation now needs to be challenged.
We have tried to get this response from E of E ambulances into the Press, but have not yet been successful.
Time's up on these false time-saving claims - we will be making sure that the public knows the facts.
Help us by sharing our social media posts on the topic, and challenging your councillor/MP or the press if you see this
claim anywhere. Thankyou!
Lot's on this Autumn
See below for our wide variety of fabulous events below - something for every interest. We would love to see you.
The Stop the Wensum Link team
