DISCIPLINARY action is being taken against ambulance trust staff involved with a controversial project which led to delayed response times.

Deputy chief executive of South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb), Geraint Davies, made the revelation during a West Sussex health and adult social care select committee yesterday.

Mr Davies did not give any further details of the disciplinary matters but admitted the trust “had let its public down” over the project.

The committee was discussing a report by consultants Deloitte published earlier this year into the unauthorised experiment, which it described as “high risk”.

Up to 20,000 patients had ambulances delayed during the pilot, which ran between December 2014 and January 2015.

Executives ran the project – without approval – to delay sending ambulances until advisers had time to assess some calls coming through the 111 telephone system.

National rules say 75 per cent of Category A Red 2 calls should have an emergency response at the scene within eight minutes.

These calls are for conditions regarded as serious, such as strokes or fits.

Under the scheme, the ambulance trust gave itself up to 10 extra minutes to reassess what type of advice or treatment patients needed.

These minutes were used to determine whether an ambulance was really necessary.

But patients were kept in the dark about the project, as were 111 call handlers and the trust’s board.

Mr Davies said the ambulance service was now being as “open and transparent” about the steps it was taking to win back the confidence of the public, patient groups and commissioners around the county.

He said: “We recognise this is not a good report and we have accepted its findings and recommendations.

“Our intent is to move forward, make the changes and show how we are making those changes.”

A second report into the impact the pilot had on patients is due to be published in June.

The trust has already indicated it believes there was no connection between the pilot and harm to patients.

SERVICE’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE REPLACED IN WAKE OF SCANDAL

GERAINT Davies stepped up to take over the running of South East Coast Ambulance Service after chief executive Paul Sutton went on a mutually agreed leave of absence following the publication of the critical report earlier this year.

That report, carried out by consultants Deloitte, found fundamental failings  over the scheme.

It said Mr Sutton used his powers of persuasion to push through the pilot project and had not been given approval by the trust’s board.

Mr Davies, who is also the trust’s director of commissioning, is among the board members.

No further details have been given about any disciplinary action being taken but Mr Davies said the trust had taken the report very seriously.

The report found executives ran the project – without approval – to delay sending ambulances until advisers had time to assess some calls coming through the 111 telephone system.

Under the scheme, the ambulance trust gave itself up to 10 extra minutes to reassess what type of advice or treatment patients needed and whether an ambulance was really necessary.

Patients, 111 call handlers and commissioners were also not told about the pilot, raising serious questions about the trust’s governance over the whole project.