John Whittingdale MP visited the Ambulance Operations Centre in Chelmsford to meet Tom Abell, Chief Executive of the East of England Ambulance Service Trust and to talk to staff.
John discussed the pressures on the Service which were caused by Covid and was briefed on the measures being taken to improve performance and to reduce response times, particularly in more remote areas like the Dengie Peninsula. John then went on to visit Maldon Ambulance Station and talked with one of the crews based there.
Maldon and the Dengie peninsula are part of central Essex area and falls under the Mid and South Essex NHS Integrated Care region .There are 16 ambulance stations across Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System with three across the Maldon and Dengie area, Maldon, Burnham on Crouch and South Woodham Ferrers,
Chief Executive of East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST), Tom Abell, said:
“I very much enjoyed the opportunity to meet Mr Whittingdale, and to take him around our Ambulance Operations Centre here in Chelmsford. There has been considerable media interest in long waits for ambulances and hospital handover delays recently, and Mr Whittingdale related the concerns of his constituents to me very clearly.
“Mr Whittingdale met our call handlers and was able to hear 999 calls being taken at first hand and to see the pressures our staff face on a daily basis. I hope the visit gave him an insight into the systemic causes of the challenges we face and an understanding of how EEAST is committed to working with NHS colleagues to improve the care we provide patients.”
