A PUBLIC inquiry into the proposed merger of Gloucestershire Ambulance Service with Avon and Wiltshire Ambulance services is to be held next month.

Gloucestershire County Council's health overview and scrutiny committee is concerned about Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority's plans to create a single Ambulance Trust to replace the three existing trusts. The new trust would serve approximately 2.2 million people.

The committee believes that consultation plans do not give Gloucestershire's residents a real opportunity to raise concerns and is now holding a public inquiry to give local people a voice.

The inquiry will be fully open to the public, providing an opportunity to speak to local NHS decision-makers and seek answers to questions of concern.

Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority, Gloucestershire Ambulance Service NHS Trust and Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary Care Trust, the local commissioners of ambulance services, will attend the meeting to answer the committee's questions.

A period of time will be set-aside after each witness session to allow members of the public to raise their concerns and have their questions answered.

"It is important that the views of Gloucestershire people are fed into this review," said committee chairman Cllr Andrew Gravells.

"I want to see members of the public given every opportunity to put their questions to the decision makers. The proposed changes could have a dramatic effect on the way Ambulance Services are run in Gloucestershire for many years to come."

The inquiry will open on Wednesday, September 14 at the Civic Suite at Gloucester City Council offices.

The committee is encouraging anyone with an interest in the review to use the opportunity to express their views on the proposed merger.