The chair of the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) has defended plans to close its Bedford control centre, insisting the move will not affect emergency services in the area and will allow the trust to invest more in frontline care.
Speaking at Monday’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (7 July), chair Mrunal Sisodia said “doing nothing is not an option,” citing outdated infrastructure, rising call volumes, and inefficiencies in running three separate operational control centres in Bedford, Chelmsford, and Norwich.
Read: Ambulance trust confirms 103 Bedford jobs under threat in call centre shake-up
“Our current configuration is not fit for purpose,” he said.
“We have significant issues in our Bedford and our Chelmsford centres, [ranging] from the quality of the accommodation to some of the infrastructure, to some of the technology, to some of the simple things, such as we just physically don’t have enough car parking spaces.”
The committee was told a full refurbishment of the Bedford site would cost between £3.5m and £4m.
“[This] would still not make it fit for purpose, there still some issues that would remain with that centre.
“In the future, we’ll probably have to do the same and spend a similar amount of money, if not more, on Chelmsford.
Instead, the trust is proposing to consolidate operations into two centres, not three, a move projected to save £1.2 million a year, the equivalent of funding “five or six extra ambulances” that could serve up to 10,000 more patients annually.
The trust had to choose between keeping either Bedford or Chelmsford open (Norwich, a newer site, was never in question). Three key factors tipped the balance in Chelmsford’s favour:
- Staff numbers: 196 staff would be impacted in Chelmsford, compared to 103 in Bedford
- Independent reports: Two studies – on workforce and building availability – favoured Chelmsford
- Operational capacity: Chelmsford offers greater potential for long-term expansion
Acknowledging concerns raised by unions, Mr Sisodia emphasised that staff welfare was “explicitly discussed” by the board.
He outlined a three-pronged plan:
- Internal redeployment within the trust
- Collaboration with other emergency services to place staff elsewhere in the NHS or “blue light” services
- Support packages for any staff facing redundancy
“We will continue to invest in Bedford”
Mr Sisodia emphasized that staff welfare was not taken lightly by the trust.
He also told the committee that this change will not reduce ambulance coverage in Bedfordshire.
“We have 328 A&E staff, that’s our frontline ambulance staff who respond directly to patients in Bedfordshire,” he said.
“There’s no intention to cut that. In fact, we’re very much anticipating some of the population growth.
“I haven’t got my crystal ball, I don’t know exactly what that will be, but I can say unequivocally that it will be increasing.
“We run 38 vehicles out of Bedfordshire, that will be increasing over the coming years.
“We are not withdrawing from Bedford, we are not withdrawing from Bedfordshire.
“We have a further 217 people who are based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, whose functions range from finance procurement to the patient transport services.
“We will continue to invest in Bedford.
“The message to leave you with is no impact on services and continued commitment to Bedfordshire.
“And we’re looking to actually expand our footprint here simply because we know we’re going to need more road staff here,” he said.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
