The Care Quality Commission (CQC) report on the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust has rated the service as “Requires Improvement” as to whether its services are safe and effective but says staff are “caring”.

Daniel Zeichner MP said: “It is clear that the paramedics and other health care professionals are doing their best in difficult circumstances. They are caring people who are dedicated to providing the best care for patients. Frontline staff can feel proud. After nine years of Conservative and Liberal Democrat Government, it is astonishing however, that there is still a question-mark over whether our ambulance service is safe and effective.

I appreciate that the buck often stops with the ambulance service. Cuts in social care can mean more call outs and when hospitals are full and ambulances can’t hand patients over, it is the Ambulance Service that is left to pick up the pieces.

However, we had been promised improvements especially after the new ambulances came on stream, so it is disappointing and worrying that the report highlights that there are still not enough staff to care for patients and raises unsafe management of medicines.

What the East of England Ambulance Service needs is a prolonged period of stability and support to bring it up to scratch, so if you call 999 in Cambridge you can be certain of a top-notch experience.”