THE new boss of struggling East Midlands Ambulance Service said she believes the trust's latest plan to improve its performance will see it back on track in the first three months of next year.
Speaking exclusively to the Derby Telegraph yesterday, chief executive Sue Noyes admitted it was "mathematically possible" but not likely for EMAS to meet its targets for the financial year to April.
But she said the trust's new "quality improvement plan" aimed to get the trust back on target in the first three months of next year.
It was devised last month after EMAS bosses were called to a "risk summit" to discuss its poor response times to emergency calls, patient safety and the handling of patient complaints.
The plan includes increasing staffing levels, introducing more shifts on a voluntary overtime basis and buying more vehicles – including ones which could be used by trained members of the public to attend nearby 999 calls quickly.
About £5 million has been reinvested back into the service to pay for the improvements in the plan. This money was originally taken from EMAS when it was penalised for missing targets.
Ms Noyes, who joined the trust on an interim basis in October, said: "This plan has not been produced in a dark room. We have really listened to what patients and experts have had to say.
"The trust has got some challenges and we all want it to move forward, have some stability and get back to where it is delivering everything it should be."
