Patients being taken to hospital by ambulance in the Shrewsbury area could be filmed by CCTV cameras under new proposals planned to combat abuse against staff.
All new vehicles introduced to the West Midlands Ambulance Service fleet have been fitted with one camera inside the back of the ambulance and one monitoring the rear of the vehicle. They have been installed at the request of WMAS health and safety representatives and will become a permanent feature inside every ambulance.
The cameras will not be activated until the result of a ballot of ambulance staff is announced in the next few weeks. They will either be on permanently or activated once a member of staff hits a button during an incident.
Ambulances are replaced on an on-going basis and WMAS officials are working towards having no vehicles older than five years on the fleet. WMAS operates around 60 ambulances throughout the region, 20 of which have been fitted with cameras.
Chris Kowalik, press spokesperson for WMAS, said: “All the new vehicles are being fitted with CCTV cameras at the request of health and safety reps. One is inside the vehicle and there is a reversing camera that picks up what is going on behind the doors.
“We want to find out from staff whether they want the cameras to be on permanently – and whether there would be concerns over privacy – or if they want them to be activated by hitting a button whenever there is trouble.
“What staff choose will decide how the cameras will be used and once the results of the ballot are in the cameras will be activated, which will be in the next few weeks.”
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