Extra ambulance staff training 'could take years' as part of recommendations following Arena attack

• ITV News correspondent Amy Welch has the latest from the Manchester Arena hearing

A recommendation for more training for ambulance staff, made following a public inquiry into the Manchester Arena bombing, is "a big challenge", a hearing has been told.

The response by the emergency services to the attack, which killed 22 people on May 22 2017, was criticised following the inquiry, which heard only three paramedics entered the City Room, where the blast happened.

At a hearing on Monday to monitor progress of recommendations made by chairman Sir John Saunders, the inquiry was told plans to involve non-specialist ambulance personnel in multi-agency training exercises could take years to achieve.

Gerard Blezard, director of operations for North West Ambulance Service, said 6,000 staff will have to undertake the training, which would have a significant cost and infrastructure availability the organisation does not yet have.

Sir John asked: "Is it going to be, in your view, impossible to do?"

Mr Blezard said: "I'd say it's a big challenge for us. I don't think it's something we can deliver in the immediate future. I think we're talking years before we can get to this position."

He also said a recommendation to increase the number of national interagency liaison officers has not yet been possible.

He said: "We're willing to do it, we just don't have the capacity to get people through the courses."

Mr Blezard said he is satisfied the service is making real changes, which could save lives, but said some of the changes are ongoing.

Meanwhile Police in Manchester say the force will be "far better prepared" for a terror attack after the arena bombing - but other forces in the country should be doing more, the Deputy Chief Constable has said.

Terry Woods, of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), spoke at the hearing.

He said a structure put in place by GMP to learn lessons after the attack will remain.

“It will be an assurance to us and I hope the public that if anything happens again we will be far better prepared,” he said.

He added: “This attack happened on our patch. It’s never not going to be in the DNA of GMP. It’s important to us and that’s one of the reasons why this will carry on.”

He told the hearing, the inquiry will have a “legacy” in the force.

Asked by the inquiry chairman, Sir John Saunders, if police in other areas of the country should be doing more, Mr Woods said: “As it stands, at present, yes.

“I do think other forces should be doing more.”

But he said there have been “positive moves” towards more training nationally.

Family members of the 22 people killed in the arena attack attended the hearing.

Steve Goodman lost his grand-daughter Olivia Campbell-Hardy in the attack, her says: "I think they're talking the talk and saying they've implemented things.

"They seem to have done well, if what they're saying is going to be carried through. If it's just going to be lip service then it means nothing."

Mr Woods said police had fulfilled recommendations, including to regularly review its major incident plan and ensure it has guidance on the roles of North West Ambulance Service and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

The public inquiry found a decision to send fire appliances three miles away from the scene led to crews arriving more than two hours later.

Sir John said: “To me, one of the most surprising things of the inquiry is that people didn’t realise the fire service were not there, with all their ability to remove people.”

The inquiry, sitting for three days for evidence about progress on recommendations, also heard from representatives of arena operator SMG and the British Transport Police.

Counsel to the inquiry Paul Greaney KC said: “This week is an opportunity to identify what is being done to drive change that is needed to avoid the repetition of what went so wrong and also to examine whether more still can be done.”

Lapses from SMG, who run the Arena's security, allowed bomber Abedi to slip through the net.

Gary Simpson, Director of Security, Safety and Risk for SMG Europe, said the company gives its full backing to Martyn's Law, a policy being spearheaded by Figen Murray, mother to Martyn Hett who died in the attack.

The law would call for tighter security at all venues which considers the threat of terrorism.

He added that the company has made "significant changes", with risk assessments taking place for every event, staff are medically trained and first aid kits are publicly available including stretchers and bleed kits.

They have, they say, implemented all the recommendations.

The chairman said on Monday he has issued the second part of the third volume of his report, which deals with the security services and counter-terror policing and is not being made public.

He told the hearing it is of “critical importance” the recommendations are monitored and said he hopes it can be done by Parliament’s intelligence and security committee.

He said: “It’s important the public and those who have been closely involved in this inquiry, such as the bereaved families, receive an assurance that recommendations I have made are being carried out.”