In keeping with the Assembly’s wish for a brisk timetable, Mr Colman will be using his powers under the Government of Wales Act 1998 and the Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004, which give him access to the Trust’s and to Welsh Assembly Government’s records. He will be inviting interested parties ranging from clinicians to trade unions to provide evidence and will hold a number of public hearings throughout Wales.

The Inquiry will be supported by a team of financial and performance experts from the Wales Audit Office and closely integrated with the special review of the trust announced by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales in May.

The Inquiry will also take into account the results of a number of specific reviews that are also under way into the Trust. These include an audit on behalf of the Auditor General of the procurement last year of a fleet of ambulances, and work by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales on the Patient Transport services operated by the Trust, their general Clinical Governance arrangements and specifically on claims that 500 avoidable deaths are occurring as a result of the way the Trust is currently operating.

Auditor General for Wales, Jeremy Colman, said today:

“My Inquiry will look at the evidence on what the ambulance service does well and where it needs to do better. It will test the robustness of the current plans and assess the barriers to improvement. New management at the Ambulance Service have ambitious plans to transform its performance and my findings should help support them in making those plans a reality.”

The Chief Executive of Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, Peter Higson, commented:

“Healthcare Inspectorate Wales is well-placed to collaborate in this inquiry and we will work closely with the Auditor General to identify ways of improving the ambulance service to fully meet the needs of people in Wales. The report we will publish at the end of our review will also form part of the Auditor General’s final report.”

Notes to Editors:

• The Wales Audit Office was created in April 2005 through the Public Audit (Wales) Act, 2004, which expanded the functions of the Auditor General for Wales and enabled the transfer of staffs from the Audit Commission in Wales and National Audit Office in Wales to his employment.
• The Wales Audit Office is independent of government and is responsible for the annual audit of some £19 billion of annual public expenditure.
• Its mission is to promote improvement, so that people in Wales benefit from accountable, well-managed public services that offer the best possible value for money. It is also committed to identify and spreading good practice across the Welsh public sector.
• Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) was established on 1 April 2004 by the National Assembly for Wales, under the terms of Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003. It is an independent unit within the Assembly and has delegated powers of entry and inspection of premises under section 72(1) of the 2003 Act, together with other rights, including the right to inspect and take copies of documents and interview persons as set out in section 73 of the Act.
• HIW’s core responsibility is to provide independent assurance about the quality and safety of Welsh NHS funded care and to support its continuous improvement. In doing so, it carries out reviews into the availability of and access to healthcare; the quality and effectiveness of healthcare and the management of healthcare and the economy and efficiency of its provision: the information provided to the public and patients about healthcare and; the rights and welfare of children.