SECAmb to officially open Ashford Make Ready Centre

26 July 2012

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust will officially mark the opening of it its new purpose-built Make Ready Centre in Ashford, Kent, with a special event on Tuesday 31 July.

Mayor and Mayoress of Ashford, Councillor Robert Davidson and his wife Daphne will be joined by SECAmb staff and guests including colleagues from the NHS and fellow emergency services.

Guests will have the opportunity to meet staff and be given the opportunity to learn more about the award-winning vehicle preparation system, which significantly enhances and improves the service SECAmb provides to the community.

SECAmb’s East Hazardous Area Response Team, (HART), which is also based at the depot will put on a demonstration to highlight their additional skills and the specialist equipment they use and the Mayor and Mayoress will unveil a plaque.

SECAmb’s Make Ready system minimises the risk of cross-infection; frees up front-line staff, who historically have cleaned and re-stocked ambulances, to spend more time treating patients; and keeps vehicles on the road for longer.

The system ensures that specially-trained operatives regularly deep-clean, restock and check vehicles for mechanical faults.

The centre is supported by a network of strategically-placed Ambulance Community Responses Posts (ACRPs) across South East Kent.

Ambulance clinicians begin and end their shifts at the Make Ready Centre and respond from the ACRPs, where there are facilities for staff. Staff can also return and pick up a ‘Made Ready’ vehicle during their shift should they need to, thus ensuring they can begin to respond to emergencies more quickly than in the past when they would have to clean and restock their vehicles themselves.

SECAmb’s Programme Director of Estates, Geoff Catling said: “We’re delighted to be officially marking the opening of our Ashford Make Ready Centre. A great deal of work has gone on to introduce the system across our region and most recently in Kent. I’d like to thank everyone involved.

“Make Ready ensures we have a system in place where our staff are spending more time doing the job they are trained to do – treating patients. You would not expect to see the pilot of an aircraft cleaning the plane before every flight and that is what we are looking to achieve with the Make Ready system.”