Strategic Updates

Image: NHS 111 staff to move into new ambulance centre in Gillingham
26 June 2023

NHS 111 staff to move into new ambulance centre in Gillingham

Staff from South East Coast Ambulance’s NHS 111 service will begin to move into a new multi-purpose ambulance and contact centre in Gillingham this week. The staff, who are currently based in Ashford, Kent, are expected to move in to the building from Wednesday, 28 June. They will join their 999 frontline operations colleagues who moved into the building earlier this month with both teams being jo

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Image: Ambulance crews to move into new ambulance centre in Gillingham
6 June 2023

Ambulance crews to move into new ambulance centre in Gillingham

Ambulance crews will begin to move into South East Coast Ambulance Service’s new multi-purpose ambulance centre in Gillingham this week. Operational staff from the Trust’s Medway Operational Unit are expected to begin to move into the new centre from Thursday (8 June). Ambulance crews currently starting and ending their shifts at Medway Ambulance Station in Chatham will instead start and finish at

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Image: Trust extends use of body worn cameras to additional locations
5 June 2023

Trust extends use of body worn cameras to additional locations

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is extending the availability of body worn cameras for its frontline crews to more sites across its region. The cameras, which aim to reduce violence and aggression towards ambulance crews, and which are for voluntary use by staff, will be available across all of the Trust’s reporting sites and a total of 25 Trust locations. The devi

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Image: First SECAmb staff complete Apprentice Paramedic Programme
12 May 2023

First SECAmb staff complete Apprentice Paramedic Programme

The first cohort of South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) staff to undertake the Trust’s Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship Paramedic Programme have been recognised at a special ceremony to celebrate the completion of their journey to becoming a Paramedic. The programme, delivered in partnership with the University of Cumbria, sees staff complete their paramedic education ove

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Image: Board appointments and changes
18 April 2023

Board appointments and changes

South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) is pleased to announce the appointment of a substantive Chief Finance Officer (CFO). Saba Sadiq has held a number of senior finance roles in the NHS and will take up her new role on 3 July. Following Siobhan Melia returning to her substantive role at Sussex Community Trust last month, former interim CFO Martin Sheldon was appointed as Interim Chief Execu

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Image: Surrey pregnancy advice line celebrates five years since launch
6 April 2023

Surrey pregnancy advice line celebrates five years since launch

 A Surrey pregnancy advice line based at South East Coast Ambulance Service’s (SECAmb) Emergency Operations Centre in Crawley is celebrating after handling more than 200,000 calls in the five years since its launch in April 2018. The Call a Midwife Surrey Advice Line, which was established by Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership as part of the national NHS Better Births plan. It available

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Image: Trust appoints new Chief Executive
23 March 2023

Trust appoints new Chief Executive

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Chief Executive. Simon Weldon, currently Group Chief Executive of University Hospitals of Northamptonshire Group, will be joining the Trust on 24 April 2023. He takes up the position from Siobhan Melia who has held the post on an interim basis since July 2022, and is returning to her substantiv

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Image: SECAmb celebrates a decade of 111 service
13 March 2023

SECAmb celebrates a decade of 111 service

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, (SECAmb), is celebrating a decade of running the NHS 111 service across much of its region. The Trust, which now runs the service across Kent, Medway and Sussex, handled its first 111 call 10 years ago as part of a soft launch of the service in the region. The NHS 111 service took over from NHS Direct, a nationally-run service that began in

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Image: Trust publishes cardiac arrest report and urges public to learn to save a life
21 February 2023

Trust publishes cardiac arrest report and urges public to learn to save a life

With more than three-quarters of all resuscitations attempts by South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) crews taking place in the home, this February Heart Month, people are being asked if they would be willing and able to perform CPR on a loved one. The revealing statistic comes from a new report on out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) published by SECAmb. The report, covering April 2021 to

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Image: New ambulance centre to become operational in the summer
9 February 2023

New ambulance centre to become operational in the summer

A new multi-purpose ambulance centre is expected to become operational this summer. The South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, (SECAmb) centre, in Bredgar Road, Gillingham, will consist of a Make Ready Centre, Emergency Operations Centre, (EOC), and NHS 111 contact centre. It will be the first ambulance centre in the country to bring all three functions together under one roof. T

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