Councillors are hopeful about the future of the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) following a significant improvement in recent months.

£23 million investment planned for 2022/23 will further enhance the service, a health scrutiny meeting of Lincolnshire County Council was told.

Previous months had seen an "almost exponential rise" in category one calls, with response times for the most severe incidents increasing by nine minutes since May 2021 and nearly an hour for category two (C2) incidents.

However, a recent report indicated a noticeable improvement in performance from April 2023.

This was down to increased resources, reduced sickness/absence, shorter pre-hospital handover times, and an increase in private ambulance provision.

Despite concerns about the high attrition rate among staff, councillors acknowledged the significant strides made by EMAS, particularly in response times since December 2022.

The positive impact of the Clinical Navigant Data Initiative at Lincoln County and Pilgrim Hospital Boston was also noted.

Sue Cousland from EMAS highlighted their recruitment strategy, saying: "We have an open advert for both paramedics and technicians on a rolling programme for most of the year."

She also acknowledged the unique challenges faced by the county, adding, "Lincolnshire will always be a challenge to be a high-speed performance team on, but you can really see the improvements we've had in hospital handover position."

Councillor Charmaine Morgan praised the staff, saying: "They are on the frontline. And they have no idea what they're going into every single time they receive a call. So I do think we did an absolutely incredible job."

Councillor Sarah Parkin also commended the EMAS staff for their response to yesterday's attack in Nottingham in which three people were killed.

"It takes a special kind of person to go towards that kind of incident rather than run away from it," she said.

With the planned £23 million investment and the Clinical Navigant Data Initiative, EMAS is poised for further improvements, particularly for Category two calls, which involve potentially serious conditions requiring rapid assessment and urgent transport.