Bedford ambulance call centre gets reprieve after months of speculation over its future

After months of speculation, it looks like the Hammond Road centre will remain open for now, with the East of England Ambulance Trust Board rejecting plans for its closure.

But the East of England Ambulance Service has insisted no decisions have been made yet.

Bedford MP Mohammad Yasin had raised the issue in the House of Commons, met with the East of England Ambulance Service Trust’s (EEAST) CEO as well as health secretary Wes Streeting.

And it was safe to say in a post on social media, he was cockahoop at the decision.

Mr Yasin said: “I have fought against these plans since I first heard about them in September when I held an emergency meeting with the CEO calling for the trust to think again over their proposals to close the emergency call handling centre in Bedford.

“Thank you so much to the workers at the Bedford site who I met in Parliament recently to fight against the trust’s plans. Thank you too, to the GMB and Unite unions who worked so hard to support the staff whose jobs were at risk.

“In September, out of the blue, 200, trained and qualified staff were told they would have to relocate to other sites in the Eastern region in Chelmsford or Norwich – or be made redundant.

“A recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) report found that urgent action was needed to improve insufficient staffing in EOCs, drive down waiting times to pick up 999 calls, and respond to category 2 emergency calls within the 30-minute national standard.

“Despite accepting the CQC’s findings, EEAST’s CEO is reported by the GMB to still be looking to close Bedford. I hope to have a meeting with the CEO in the near future to establish the longer term future of the Bedford site.

“I welcome the board’s decision against closure, and I hope it means a renewed commitment to Bedford’s emergency control centre and much-needed investment.

“Bedford is a busiest hub in the EEAST and its closure would have had a significant impact on emergency responses in the region. Given how overstretched the ambulance service is, losing a control room risks compromising the safety of patients.

“This news will be an enormous relief for Bedford’s dedicated staff. Their roles are demanding enough without the added stress of worrying about their job security and I will continue to work with staff, other MPs and the Unions to put an end to the closure plans once and for all.”

Donna Thomas, GMB regional organiser, said: “We welcome the announcement that EEAST’s board has reconsidered the reckless proposal to close Bedford EOC.

“The proposed closure would have had a serious knock-on effect on ambulance cover across the region and threatened public safety. GMB is enormously grateful to Clive Lewis MP and Mohammad Yasin MP for their tireless support.

“Despite this good news there are still serious problems in the trust, and they need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.”

However, Unison has warned that, despite the reprieve, the Bedford call centre could still be under threat if improvements aren’t made.

Unison Eastern regional organiser Lucas Bertholdi-Saad said: “This is great news for staff and the public. Thousands of people fought against the closure and the campaign enjoyed the support of MPs.

“But staff are not out of the woods yet. EEAST must improve the Bedford call centre so staff can continue to provide local people with vital, often life-saving assistance, when they need it.”

An East of England Ambulance Services spokesman said: “No decisions have been made on the future of our EOCs.

“Our board considered a paper on the number of EOCs we need to provide a safe and efficient service to our patients across the East of England at this month’s meeting. A further report has been commissioned to explore a two-site proposal in more detail.

“This report will include a full review of our three current sites in Bedford, Chelmsford, and Norwich and will consider other viable sites in these locations.”