North East Ambulance Service 'failing' Teesside, police chief says
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Barry Coppinger said ambulances had been directed across the Transporter Bridge
An ambulance service has sent emergency vehicles the wrong way because call centre staff do not know the area, a police commissioner has said.
Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Barry Coppinger said North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) was "failing" Teesside.
It was "very rarely taking an interest in this part of the world", he said.
The service said it had shown commitment to the area by opening a clinical hub in Billingham in 2018.
NEAS chief executive Helen Ray said: "We are always working to ensure our services are equitable and our senior team work hard to maintain visibility across our whole area which covers 3,500 square miles."
The police and crime panel discussed whether a new joint emergency call centre could come to Teesside, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
The latest performance report on NEAS said the service was finding meeting target times "challenging".
Barry Coppinger has said he will not stand for re-election this year
"We've got a strong police presence and we've a strong fire service presence here but I think NEAS is failing this area," Mr Coppinger said.
"We know from past experiences where ambulances have been directed across the Transporter [Bridge] - or they're sent to all the wrong places because they're based on Tyneside and don't understand the area."
The NEAS control room had 27 staff from Teesside but these gradually left after it was closed and centralised in Newcastle, he said.
Ms Ray said some board directors lived on Teesside and the service ran a joint-response initiative with Cleveland Police every weekend.
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