Ambulance fleet boosted thanks to £4.9m cash boost

THIRTY-SEVEN new ambulances will be added to East Midlands Ambulance Service’s fleet thanks to a £4.9 million cash injection.

The funding, from the Department of Health and Social Care, will pay for 27 999 ambulances, 10 urgent care ambulances and four driver training vehicles.

The move was announced as part of a nationwide funding boost for the NHS’s 70th birthday.

Part of the long-term plan for the NHS, the capital investment will increase support for paramedics and ambulance staff.

It is hoped the vehicles will help ease pressure on the service.

Health minister Stephen Barclay said: “We are committed to supporting the hard work of ambulance staff and recognise the challenges that are faced by trusts across the country over the winter.

“This significant funding boost for East Midlands Ambulance Service (Emas) will deliver more than 30 extra vehicles to support their work, which will not only give extra support to staff but ensure patients have a better experience over the season and throughout the year.”

As well as the new vehicles, the trust will also receive an enhanced paramedic education programme.

A total of £36.3 million capital funding is being given through Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs) to six trusts across the country and is set to be spent on 256 vehicles across the six areas.

The Government said the investment will help ambulance services achieve the right mix of vehicles to deliver the new national response time standards and increase the efficiency of the service.

It will also give ambulance trusts more resources to respond to calls which ultimately will mean a better service for patients, better operational resilience for winter and better support for staff.

Backed by the Department of Health and Social Care, STPs are groups of NHS leaders and staff working with councils who arrange joined-up social care and other community health services.

They look at the needs of patients and design service plans bespoke to the area, offering care that is closer to home and meaning fewer trips to the hospital.