Increase in subscriptions for ambulance services
- Subscription numbers rose by 20% during the Ambulance and Rescue Service’s annual campaign.
- Approximately 400 new subscribers opted for the service.
- The annual subscription fee is £71, which covers over £15,000 worth of medical care.
- Chief Ambulance Officer Mark Mapp emphasised the importance of having a subscription.
- Subscriptions can be taken online, at Guernsey Post, or at the ambulance headquarters.
The Ambulance and Rescue Service has reported a 20% increase in subscription numbers during this year's annual campaign, translating to roughly 400 new subscribers.
An annual subscription costs £71 and provides coverage equivalent to over £15,000 in medical care.
Chief Ambulance Officer Mark Mapp said: “This single subscription of £71 represents extraordinary value as it covers over £15,000 worth of medical care cover.”
The service responds to around 10,000 emergency and transportation call outs each year.
An emergency ambulance costs £585 and if hospitalised in Sark, the cost of a service like the Flying Christine can reach £2,420.
“Please have a conversation in your house about whether you can afford to not have a subscription. It is worth having this conversation with friends and relatives too,”he said.
Data from the previous year indicates that one in four individuals who required an ambulance did not have a subscription.
Subscriptions can be acquired online, in person at Guernsey Post, or at the ambulance headquarters located at Blanchford House, Rohais.
The St John ambulance service has been operational in Guernsey since 1936.
Managed by St John on behalf of the States, it operates through a grant from Health & Social Care, which partially covers operating costs.
The remainder is funded through various means, including the subscription scheme.
Each year, the ambulance service responds to approximately 7,000 emergency calls and 3,000 non-emergency patient transfers.
The St John Ambulance and Rescue Service also operates the Flying Christine III marine ambulance.
It also provides ambulance services for Alderney, where delivery is cost-free due to taxation.
Comments ()