New dispatch system for LAS
Tuesday, 06 January, 2009
The London Ambulance Service has signed a contract for a new system to handle 999 emergency calls and send ambulance staff and vehicles to patients.
Northrop Grumman has been appointed to design, develop and implement the new computer aided dispatch system, which will be introduced in 2010.
Director of Information Management and Technology, Peter Suter, said, "Ever-increasing demand on our ambulance service and a growing population in the capital means that we need an enhanced system to meet future needs and help us improve patient care.
"We're moving away from a one-size fits all service to one where all our patients should get care tailored to their needs, and the new system will play a vital role in helping us to achieve this goal.
"It will enable 999 calls to be handled more efficiently and will make it easier to send the right response to patients as quickly as possible."
The system will be designed to deliver a number of other benefits. It will have an improved capability for managing large-scale events or major incidents, will be more resilient, and will have greater flexibility to be developed as new requirements are identified.
Peter added, "Northrop Grumman has a proven track record in providing computer aided dispatch systems and we look forward to working with them during the next two years to introduce a system that will enable us to continue providing Londoners with high quality care for years to come."
