Recommendation MAI-72: Review NWAS Tactical Advisor rostering coverage
From Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response, published 3 November 2022.
Recommendation
North West Ambulance Service should review how it rosters Tactical Advisors and National Interagency Liaison Officers so as to ensure that there is adequate geographical coverage enabling those on duty to arrive promptly at the scene of any Major Incident.
In brief (written by this site)
The Inquiry asked for a review of ambulance tactical advisor rostering and coverage. In February 2026, the Cabinet Office reported that investment by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) will increase its National Interagency Liaison Officers (NILOs) from 12 to 21, ensuring three are on call to improve geographical coverage (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). It noted that the trust removed the title Tactical Advisors in October 2023, with liaison officers providing the role following discussions with the National Ambulance Resilience Unit (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). Earlier, the UK Government accepted the recommendation in full in November 2025 (Cabinet Office response, Nov 2025).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 5 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
Accepted in full
Delivery
Cabinet Office says completed (27 February 2026)
Investment by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) will increase the number of National Interagency Liaison Officers (NILOs) from 12 to 21. This will see an increase to the rota and geographical coverage so that there will be 3 NILOs on call at any one time. As of 01/10/2023 NWAS has removed the title Tactical Advisors. The NWAS NILO provides the Tactical Advisor role. This decision was taken following dialogue with the National Ambulance Resilience Unit and received NWAS Executive approval.
Earlier statement on delivery (1)
Cabinet Office (14 November 2025)
Investment by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) will increase the number of National Interagency Liaison Officers (NILOs) from 12 to 21. This will see an increase to the rota and geographical coverage so that there will be 3 NILOs on call at any one time. As of 01/10/2023 NWAS has removed the title Tactical Advisors. The NWAS NILO provides the Tactical Advisor role. This decision was taken following dialogue with the National Ambulance Resilience Unit and received NWAS Executive approval.
From: Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, original version (data file)
Published evidence
Published findings referenced by inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether the finding is independent or government self-reported. Each finding is this site's summary of what the source found, with a link to the source; this site does not add its own progress rating.
Summary by this site of the published finding
JESIP Joint Doctrine updated to v3.1 (April 2024) following inquiry findings on interoperability failures. Operation Plato reformed to cover all terrorist attack types, not just firearms. Emphasis extended beyond command-level to frontline responders.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- UK Government
Response - Cabinet Office
Delivery statement