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back to article UK South East Coast Ambulance slammed for creaking emergency dispatch IT

Ambulance service union the GMB has called for an urgent review of the UK's South East Coast Ambulance’s computerised dispatch system for control centre staff handling emergency calls. The union says staff have reported constant loading errors and regular system crashes that leave dispatchers unable to answer calls, contact …

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  1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    "constant loading errors and regular system crashes"

    And the system is regularly maintained and upgraded ?

    How regularly ? Every ten years ?

    It's easy to bash failure, but something in the official statements does not compute. If you are regularly upgrading your system, then an increase in demand should be a short-term problem, not a system-level failure.

    7 0 Reply
    1. BoldMan
      Reply Icon

      Re: "constant loading errors and regular system crashes"

      Well the question has to be asked: why are they having to "regularly upgrade the system"? If you are having to keep "upgrading" (or does he mean "patching") then there is something wrong... no don't give me that "continuous development" bullshit - this is a serious system not some hipster online coffee-shop bollocks!

      1 0 Reply
    2. tmTM
      Reply Icon

      "something in the official statements does not compute"

      Maybe because it's all total bullcrap from a public body desperately trying to cover-up it's failings???

      0 0 Reply
  2. Dan 55 Silver badge
    Facepalm

    Oh FFS

    As it's not happening in the rest of the regions (or we would have heard about it by now), buy in the software from another region. It should be as cheap as chips since the heavy lifting has already been done.

    Where's my consultancy fee?

    7 0 Reply
    1. Flocke Kroes Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Oh FFS

      Demonstrated working by other regions? Double the price! Threats of dire consequences if problems not promptly fixed? Price x10 + monthly service charge! Your consultancy fee is at 50°N, 30°W.

      1 0 Reply
  3. Chris Evans

    Coverage.

    SECAM cover: Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent, Surrey, and North East Hampshire

    0 0 Reply
    1. teebie
      Reply Icon

      Re: Coverage.

      Well, that's ok then. If the ambulance doesn't arrive they can just get a southern rail train to the hospital.

      Oh...oh dear. This doesn't seem like a well provisioned area of the country

      0 0 Reply
  4. Naughtyhorse

    First they came for the trains...

    Now this....

    when i was a lad the tories had a much better targeting strategy, they only fucked up stuff that effected predominantly working class places and people.

    what happened?

    6 3 Reply
  5. Baldy50

    Taxi dispatch software and PDA's

    This software is tried and tested and PDA's can deliver a host of info to the respondent, as usual bespoke software for government controlled infrastructure fails to meet it's specs and wastes a shit load of money.

    0 0 Reply
  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    CAD software

    For what it's worth SECAmb seem to be using TriTech VisiCAD whereas neighbouring SCAS use Intergraph I/CAD

    0 0 Reply
  7. lpcollier
    FAIL

    Wrong Photo

    I should think the East of England Ambulance Service are a bit miffed at having a photo of one of their vehicles attached to this story, which is about an entirely different ambulance service.

    2 0 Reply
  8. Hubert Thrunge Jr.
    IT Angle

    Re: Wrong Photo

    I was just going to say that.

    And one that's very out of date too.

    That's an old East Anglian Ambulance spec ambo, one that was replaced many years ago.

    Please get your images up to date and correct.

    As for their IT issues at SECAMB, that's what happens when you let the wrong people choose the software. They're probably trying to run it on 10yr old Windows XP based hardware...

    They should have gone with M.I.S. as it "just works" and their support is second to none, and included in the price. Other vendors leave support out, so their product is cheaper (what Procurement bods like to see) and then charge the customer for every call to fix the fk ups that they created in the first place.

    0 0 Reply

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