South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust,
(SECAmb), will begin responding from a number of new Ambulance
Community Response Posts in North Kent this week.
The Trust has worked with Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) to
locate response posts at fire stations in Sheppey, Rainham,
Rochester and Edenbridge. Crews will begin to use the response
posts from Monday 21 November.
The posts are all additional locations for crews to respond from
and replace a number of roadside cover points currently used. Each
can each accommodate one crew at a time and ensure that staff can
rest, with facilities, between calls.
SECAmb’s ACRPs are located across its Kent, Surrey and Sussex
region to best match patient demand. The Trust is continuing to
explore other potential sites for additional response posts.
Paramedic and Operating Unit Manager Nick Keech said: “We’re
pleased to have agreed this arrangement with our colleagues at Kent
Fire and Rescue which means our crews will more often be able to
rest comfortably between jobs rather than sit in their vehicles at
the roadside. It’s important that we are able to locate our staff
where they are best placed to respond to patients but also be able
to rest in comfort. We will continue to explore other opportunities
for further additional locations based on patient demand.”
KFRS’ Operational & Development Manager, David Escudier
said: “KFRS is delighted to be able to work closely with SECAmb. We
have expanded our co-responding work – where firefighters respond
to life-threatening emergencies such as cardiac arrests, chest
pains and breathing difficulties – on behalf of SECAmb throughout
the county. Having joint response stations is the natural next step
in this common sense collaboration.”