Health Minister Lord Howe opens new ambulance station in Melbourn

Health Minister Lord Howe yesterday (Thursday, September 9) visited the East of England Ambulance Service to open their new ambulance station in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire.

The purpose built station will be the home for the Trust's hazardous area response team (HART) and the regional operations training department. The HART paramedics have the skills and equipment to get to a patient in a dangerous environment, such as a patient trapped in a confined space or at height, allowing them to deliver life saving treatment at the point of harm, even in very difficult circumstances.

Visiting the centre to talk to staff about how the services are working, Health Minister Lord Howe said:"I'm delighted to see first hand how the HART paramedics operate and the excellent services they provide to patients, often under very difficult circumstances."

"As set out in the White Paper we want the health service to focus on improving patient outcomes. The East of England's Ambulance Service is a great example of this. In an emergency situation it is of utmost importance that paramedics have the right skills and equipment to provide the best possible care for patients, and ultimately save lives."

Hayden Newton, Chief Executive said: "This development has only been made possible by the significant investment made by the Department of Health in new premises, state of the art vehicles and equipment, extensive training and selection, and the appointment of 42 paramedics who form the dedicated HART team. The Trust is extremely grateful to Health Minister Lord Howe who attended the ceremony yesterday and officially opened this excellent facility."

EEAST HART are on-call 24/7, 365 days a year to respond to major incidents anywhere in the East of England. The team consists of 44 highly skilled paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians who previously operated in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.