Ambulance Sat Nav bungles are putting patients' lives at risk
A Courier investigation into the problem has revealed the lives of 329 patients in Kent were put at risk because the devices gave out the wrong directions.
In Sussex, there were 175 incidents in the same time period since January 2009.
This was when the driver or paramedic entered the wrong postcode, the accuracy of the global positioning software was inaccurate, or the address simply did not exist on the map.
Our findings have worried Wealden MP, Charles Hendry.
He said: "Clearly, it's a matter of concern if any ambulances are delayed in getting to help people because of problems with their Sat Navs.
"I have therefore raised this issue with Paul Sutton, chief executive of the local ambulance service, who has done an outstanding job in improving the service in recent years.
"He assures me they are very much aware of the problems and are taking steps to reduce the number of times it happens.
"He is also ensuring that ambulance drivers don't simply rely on Sat Nav directions to find people's homes."
The South East Coast Ambulance Service, which covers Kent, Sussex and Surrey, would not tell us precisely what happened in each of the incidents.
Information governance officer Elizabeth McCann said: "Any problems relating to satellite navigation are coded as Operations or Crew State Sat Nav issues.
"This refers to location difficulties which can be caused by many things."
But it defended the number of times it happened by saying it was a tiny proportion of the 458,838 call-outs it attended during the period.
She added: "Satellite navigation systems have proved to be very useful to emergency services in recent years.
"On occasions when there are issues with these systems, staff are able to use map books which are provided on vehicles.
"If it is clear to control staff that there is an issue with locating where an emergency is precisely, we will always ask the informer to either provide further information, such as local landmarks, or make themselves visible to the approaching ambulance.
"It must also be noted that some addresses may not be on the Ordnance Survey map.
"As a result, these addresses may not be on the satellite navigation mapping systems, which are updated yearly."
In the remaining parts of the South East Coast Ambulance Service area of Surrey and Hampshire, a further 96 patients were put in jeopardy by Sat Nav problems.
Mr Hendry was also keen to pay tribute to the difficult job with which the ambulance crews were often faced.
He added: "So far this year these problems have affected less than one in every 1,000 call-outs.
"So we should also pay tribute to the excellent service we usually receive and the outstanding dedication of the paramedics who serve the county."
The Courier asked leading Sat Nav firm TomTom, one of several manufacturers whose devices are used in ambulances, for their view on the problem.
The firm's Rosie Tickner said: "TomTom states that Sat Navs should be used as an aid to navigation and we suggest that all units should be updated with the latest maps to ensure their accuracy.
"In addition, we suggest that all drivers ensure they use their common sense whilst driving and adhere to road signs.
"From our point of view, I think it's important to focus on the usefulness of Sat Navs.
"This is admitted by the ambulance authority on the other 458,238 journeys made by the ambulances, rather than the 600 where problems were reported."
ON THE RIGHT ROAD: Sat Nav errors are admitted by the ambulance authorities but they prefer to emphasise the journeys that pass off uneventfully than the ones where lives are put in jeopardy by bad directions
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