View report page

70
City of
London
Corporation
The arrangement made with the City of London Corporation, whereby the City
of London Police Ambulance Service continued on an agency basis on behalf of the
Council to provide ambulance services in the City of London for one year after the
introduction of the National Health Service, was terminated on 5th July, 1949,
when the City of London Police Ambulance Station and two ambulances were
absorbed into the London Ambulance Service.
Staff
The continuing increase in the demands upon the Service made it necessary for
the Council to increase the fixed establishment of operative staff by 60 positions (to
a total of 574), and of ambulance clerks by 5 positions (to 58), with effect from 5th
May, 1949. The operative staff were brought within the purview of the London
District Council of the Joint Industrial Council for Local Authorities' NonTrading
Services (Manual Workers) with effect from 31st March, 1949, and, in
consequence, their working week was reduced from 48 to 44 hours. This
necessitated a further increase of 52 positions in the establishment, which was
authorised by the Council to take effect when revised shift rotas, based on the
44-hour week, could be brought into force.
It was decided, at the request of the Trade Unions, to revise the constitution
of the Consultative Committee to which reference was made in the Annual Report
for 1948, and the first meeting of the new Joint Consultative Committee of the
Operative Staff of the London Ambulance Service was held in November, 1949.
The Committee is designed to ensure a regular exchange of views with the operative
staff, to give them a wider interest in, and greater responsibility for, their working
conditions, to ensure the observance of collective agreements and to improve staff
relations. The preliminary meeting and another which followed shortly after gave
every indication that these objects would be realised. The Committee immediately
undertook the consideration of revised shift rotas.
The strength of the service, which was represented at the beginning of the year
by 260 ambulances, 20 ambulance omnibuses, 33 ambulance motor-cars and 2
tenders, operated by a uniformed staff of 570, increased during the year to a total
of 274 ambulances, 22 ambulance omnibuses, 26 ambulance motor-cars and 2
tenders, operated by a uniformed staff of 625, including temporary staff in excess
of establishment employed as reliefs for drivers absent owing to sickness. The
specially designed telephone switchboard, in the Control Room at the Headquarters
of the Service in the County Hall, was kept in continuous commission by supervisory
and clerical staff (men and women) numbering 31, and there were 45 male
clerical staff employed at the six general section ambulance stations.
Vehicles
In 1947 the Council approved a three-year programme for the replacement of
vehicles in the London Ambulance Service fleet but certain modifications of this
scheme were subsequently found to be necessary because of trade conditions and
the demands of the export drive. As stated in the report for 1948, these modifications
included the ordering of 120 ambulances conforming to the prototype ambulance
produced at the Council's Motor Vehicle Repair Depot. The hoped-for rate of
delivery of these vehicles was 100 by the end of 1949, and the full 120 by 31st
March, 1950, but, although the first was taken into commission as early as 18th
February, 1949, it was not until the last few weeks of the year that regular
deliveries came to be made. By 31st December, 1949, there were 39 new ambulances
in commission.
Because of this slow rate of replacement and the ever-increasing demands on
the Service which necessitated the utilisation of every available vehicle, many of
the ambulances in commission during the year were below the high standard which