AMBULANCE crews again been commended, just two weeks after being hailed as heroes by getting a top NHS rating.In today's report by the Commission for Health Improvement, the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust was praised for finding innovative ways to improve.

By Jessica Nicholls

AMBULANCE crews have again been commended, just two weeks after being hailed as heroes by getting a top NHS rating.

In today's report by the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI), the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust was praised for finding innovative ways to improve.

However, communication at the Trust needed to be better, and GPs and paramedics within the new community paramedic scheme were not given enough guidelines.

The report highlighted a new computer system as one of the ways the trust has managed to reach more life-threatening calls within eight minutes.

Staff are able to advise 999 callers by using a computerised priority system, which prompts them to ask questions to assess a patient's needs while crews set off.

Good work with other health organisations was praised, and medical guidelines spearheaded by the trust have been adopted nationally.

Dr Chris Carney, chief executive of the trust, said that it was a very positive report.

He said: "The majority of the areas where improvements are needed had already been identified in our service plan for 2002/3 and a separate CHI action plan has been developed to cover everything in the report.

"We have recently completed additional guidelines for community paramedics which is a pioneering innovation in East Anglia, and these will be issued in the very near future."

All stations have also been fitted with e-mail to improve staff communications.