YET ANOTHER SPIN ON THE TRUTH........
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE ????
READ THE FOLLOWING LINK TO THE SHROPSHIRE STAR ALONG WITH THE COMMENTS
http://www.shropshirestar.co.uk/2007/08/999-calls-not-hit-by-change/
ALSO NOTE THE EDITORIAL COMMENT FROM THE SHROPSHIRE STAR HERE IT IS IF YOU MISSED IT !
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10th August - STOP THIS SECRECY NOW!!
Any publicity officer worth his salt will tell you that saying ‘no comment’ to the media, or trying to prevent publication of factually accurate information, is not the smartest idea.
It immediately implies that you have something to hide.A dark, damaging secret. So it’s little wonder that county ambulance bosses have found themselves on the wrong end of some rather embarrassing headlines over the past week. It’s bad enough that front-line workers felt compelled to reveal how Shropshire ambulances were being frequently sent out of the county to cover routine work in the West Midlands. It’s worse still that they were then suspended for breaching company policy. But it’s frankly unbelievable that, all the time, there was a perfectly sensible response which would have nipped this controversy in the bud. Having held this back for days, the damage has now been done. Mud sticks in PR terms, and it will take the ambulance service some time to shake off the perception that they’re a closed organisation which prefers to keep its business secret.
When you have highly skilled publicity officers, being funded by the taxpayers, it really should not need front-line ambulance staff, local MPs and a helping hand from the press to bring the true picture into the public domain. Transparency and honesty is always the wisest policy.
Shropshire Star
