Hundreds more sign up for ambulance subscriptions

Hundreds more people have subscribed to the Guernsey ambulance service after being urged to at the start of November.

The Ambulance and Rescue Service said 400 more residents had signed up for annual cover to employ the service at a cost of £71 per adult and £33 per child subscription.

Chief ambulance officer Mark Mapp said the subscriptions represented "extraordinary" value as they cover more than £15,000 worth of medical care cover.

He said the deployment of an emergency ambulance costs £585 and the Flying Christine ambulance boat for people in Sark costs £2,420.

The ambulance service is provided on behalf of the States of Guernsey through a grant from the Committee for Health and Social Care.

Its operator, St John, as a charity, has to make up the remainder of the costs through the subscription scheme or charges.

Mr Mapp said: "I know thinking that you're going to need an ambulance is something you don't want to consider, but the truth is we attend 10,000 emergency and transport call outs a year and you could be among them.

"We are in the odd position of recommending something we hope you never need to use but if you do, you really won't regret taking it out."

"No one plans to have an accident, but you can plan to have a subscription," he added.

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