CEO Paul Sutton and Trust Board of NHS SECAmb are developing emergency services

NHS SECAmb with a new Make Ready Centre plans

A press release form this Monday (14 Jan) announced the plans of NHS Foundation Trust SECAmb (South East Coast Ambulance Service) to create a purpose build Make Ready Centre in Polegate.

The Trust submitted the application to create the centre on a site at Cophall Farm to Wealden District Council on Wednesday (8 Jan).

If approved, the new centre will become the third purpose-build Make ready centre after the first two in Ashford and Paddock Wood, Kent.

It is hoped the new centre, if given approval by the Trust’s board, will be operational by early 2015.
New Make Ready Centre will reduce the current responsibilities of the clinical staff and help them focus on saving lives. At the moment ambulance crews are responsible for cleaning and restocking ambulances before and after shift. Within the Make Ready system, specialist teams of staff are employed to clean, restock and maintain vehicles.
SECAmb’s Programme Director for Estates, Geoff Catling, said: ” These facilities will not only ensure that our clinical staff are freed up to do the job they are trained to do – treat patients, there will be prospect of job opportunities as our Make Ready contractors look to recruit make ready operatives.”

It is expected that staff from Eastbourne, Hailsham, Heathfield, Newhaven and Uckfield will relocate to the new centre.
The staff will begin and end their shifts in the centre, but during their shift will respond from a network of Ambulance Community Response Posts. They will be located based on patient demand but it is expected that posts will be found in towns currently served by ambulance stations.

There might be closures of some ambulance stations, but they will only take place once a response post is operational- thus protecting and enhancing the service provided to patients.

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Words: Savina Radeva