The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) has reconfirmed its intention to close the Bedford Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), placing nearly 200 jobs at risk and prompting concerns about patient safety across the region.
Despite a possible reprieve in February, it has now confirmed it will close both Bedford and Chelmsford EOCs in favour of a new operations centre in Essex. The Norwich EOC will remain operational.
Read: Future of Bedford emergency call centre still hangs in the balance
In a statement, EEAST said: “The Trust Board has taken the decision to reduce the number of Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) from three to two at their meeting on 7 May.
“The Board agreed in principle to retain the EOC at Norwich, to close the EOCs at Bedford and Chelmsford and to invest in a new operations centre in Essex, subject to a full business case. This is the best option for our future resilience and for the service for our patients.”
EEAST added that the new centre would take between 18 months to two years to become operational and that all current EOCs would remain in use until then. The Trust said it would support affected staff with options including relocation or retraining.
Staff face difficult choices
Around 200 staff currently working at Bedford’s Hammond Road EOC have been told to either relocate to Chelmsford or Norwich, secure another role within the Trust, or risk redundancy. GMB union officials say the decision will seriously affect emergency cover across six counties.
Donna Thomas, GMB Regional Organiser, said: “This closure would have a serious knock-on effect for ambulance cover across the region. It represents a potential threat to public safety, particularly as the Trust is already failing on call wait times.
“We are deeply concerned about the impact it could have on our members, who will be faced with the difficult choice to either relocate, redeploy, or find themselves out of work.”
MP warns over patient safety
Bedford and Kempston MP, Mohammad Yasin (Labour), criticised the decision, saying: “I am deeply disappointed to learn that the Trust Board has now confirmed the planned closure of Bedford’s 999 Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) within the next 12–18 months—putting around 200 local jobs at risk.
“Bedford is the best-performing hub within EEAST, and its dedicated staff have endured months of uncertainty while continuing to deliver vital, life-saving services to our community under immense pressure.
“While I understand the Trust is under pressure to make financial savings, we must ask: at what cost to patient safety?”
Mr Yasin also raised concerns over the timing of the decision, noting that it follows closely behind a formal warning issued to the Trust by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) over failures, including staffing levels and long call wait times.
The MP added: “I urge the Trust to consider a more balanced and regionally fair solution—such as identifying a new, central location between Bedford and Chelmsford to preserve as many jobs and services as possible.”
Cllr Dean Crofts (Kingsbrook), Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats’ health spokesperson, has expressed anger at the move.
“We are outraged by this decision. Shutting down the Bedford Emergency Operations Centre is not only short-sighted—it’s reckless,” he said.
“Bedford Borough is growing rapidly, and with Universal’s arrival just around the corner, our ambulance services will face even greater strain. This is precisely the moment to invest in our emergency infrastructure, not dismantle it.
“The human cost is just as severe. Highly skilled, dedicated professionals are being uprooted, forced to leave their community and relocate to Chelmsford or Norwich. Their knowledge of our area, their commitment to local lives—it’s being discarded without a second thought.
“We utterly condemn this dangerous move. It must be reversed—for the safety of Bedford’s residents, and for the future of our local health services.”
EEAST says it will now begin a detailed planning process and continue engagement with staff throughout the transition period.
Lack of transparency is unacceptable
Mayor for Bedford Borough, Tom Wootton (Conservative), has also condemned the move and demanded answers.
“I am deeply disappointed by the decision to close the Bedford Emergency Operations Centre.
“Throughout this process, we have offered to work collaboratively with the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) to find local office space to safeguard jobs and keep this critical service in Bedford.
“However, despite our best efforts to engage constructively with EEAST and their promises to keep us informed, they have made this disappointing decision behind closed doors.
“Without any consultation with myself as Mayor and as far as I know, Councillors or MPs, the lack of transparency is unacceptable and a disservice to our community.
“While I understand there are financial pressures facing the NHS and the need for efficiencies, these savings must not come at the expense of patient safety. Sadly, this decision is a cost-cutting exercise, pure and simple, one that, in my opinion, risks lives.
“We will be monitoring the situation closely and hope a full and thorough risk assessment has been conducted to ensure that there is no threat to patient safety as a result of losing local dispatch knowledge.
“As a matter of urgency, I will be seeking a meeting with the EEAST CEO to fully understand the logic behind this decision and why we were not informed of the decision prior to the closure.”
Update: This article was updated at 15:33 on 9 May 2025 to clarify the situation with how the decision was discussed in February 2025 and a link to a previous story for background.
Update: This article was updated at 16:21 on 9 May 2025 to add a comment from Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats
Update: This article was updated at 20:48 on 9 May 2025 to add a comment from the Mayor of Bedford Borough
