The NHS has agreed to fund the expansion of the East of England Ambulance Service Trust’s operations centre in Hellesdon, as part of its urgent and emergency care recovery plan. The plan involves the reconfiguration of the Hospital Lane site to accommodate a major recruitment drive for 999 call handlers. The expansion will include increasing the emergency call handling areas, emergency response areas, and creating a space for live emergency call training. Works are expected to begin in mid-December, with temporary modular buildings being used to house non-emergency staff during the project.
If planning is approved, the trust will move the modular buildings to the emergency operations centre in Hellesdon while the reconfiguration takes place. This will enable them to create more space for the call handlers they are recruiting. Once the work is completed, the number of call handlers working in Hellesdon will increase to 330, which will help to answer the increasing number of 999 calls promptly. Staff who work in the emergency operations centre but not directly with 999 calls will be relocated to the modular buildings during this time.
The expansion project comes as Norfolk’s ambulance service continues to face heavy pressure. Earlier this year, statistics revealed that ambulance crews were spending a considerable amount of time waiting outside the county’s hospitals, with wait times ranked among the worst in the country. Between November 12 and April 2, paramedics spent a total of 31,423 combined hours waiting in Norfolk hospital car parks for their patients to be admitted. The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital was particularly affected, with ambulance crews spending almost two years waiting, and half of all patients arriving by ambulance spending at least an hour waiting.
The funding for the expansion of the operations centre in Hellesdon is a significant step towards improving the capabilities and efficiency of the East of England Ambulance Service. The reconfigured site will provide more space for call handlers, allowing for an increased number of staff to handle 999 calls promptly. This is crucial in a region that has been facing long wait times and heavy pressure on the ambulance service. The temporary modular buildings will provide a solution for housing non-emergency staff during the construction period, ensuring that operations can continue without disruption. By addressing the capacity issues and expanding the operations centre, the trust hopes to improve the overall performance of the ambulance service in Norfolk and provide better care to patients in emergency situations.
