Dirty ambulances 'infection risk'

An inspection has revealed the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) is putting patients at risk of infection with dirty vehicles and poor training.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) looked at 22 ambulances and found nine were "in a very poor condition with visible dirt". The other 13 were not cleaned to a good standard and one was so unclean it was taken out of service, the CQC said. The ambulance service said it took the report "extremely seriously".

The NWAS covers the Cumbria, Lancashire, Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire areas. Inspectors found most staff were unaware of the ambulance service policy on cleanliness...

Source: BBC