Air ambulances not doing enough to improve service, says auditor general

VICTORIA – A report from the auditor general suggests the BC Ambulance Service may have its head in the clouds when it comes to monitoring its own services.

John Doyle’s report criticizes the service’s lack of awareness when it comes to assessing itself, defining goals and looking for ways to improve patient care.

Doyle said in the report that he expected to find BC Ambulance Service tracking its performance and finding ways to improve service, only to discover it was not.

His three recommendations are to manage performance, periodically review distribution of staff and aircrafts and to create samples of air ambulance dispatches.

The report notes BC Ambulance Services already deals well with timeliness, patient safety and quality, but must look at ways to improve service.

BC Ambulance Service has accepted Doyle’s three recommendations.