New ambulance station near Gloucester hospital to relieve …

Ambulance crews waiting outside Gloucestershire Royal Hospital will be able to use a new Portakabin which has been installed “to alleviate pressure” on staff. The new “remote welfare facility” on Horton Road is in use already allowing paramedics to “provide a better response in a large sparsely populated region”.

The single storey building has been installed to support three ambulances with parking. The pre-fabrication building will be a permanent feature at the Aspen Medical Practice.

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust (SWAST) applied to Gloucester City Council for retrospective permission for the facility, which was provided. SWAST said the uildings needed to be operational immediately.

In a document submitted to the council as part of the application, SWAST said: “This building is being installed to be used as a remote site welfare facility for Ambulance crews which enables them to provide a better response in a large sparsely populated region.”

SWASFT serves a population of more than 5.5million across the South West and uses 96 ambulance stations to serve that community. The building came after a winter which saw “immense pressure” on the NHS.

The document went on to say: “This application is being made retrospectively because SWAST needed the buildings operational immediately, to alleviate pressures on ambulance staff. The proposed location offers the best utilisable space with all required services; power, network and surfacing being available.”

SWAST added that no car parking spaces will be lost to make way for the two new ambulance bays with EVC points. The existing space on site is currently under development to remove a building and install a new car park for NHS staff.

References

  1. ^ Jeremy Clarkson slams NHS and claims 'nothing in UK works' (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)