Councillors slam ambulance service trust for pressing ahead with plans to close Bedford's Emergency Operations Centre

Bedford borough councillors have slammed the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) for pressing ahead with plans to close the town’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) without a fully costed business case or stress testing, and said the process was done “on the hoof.”

During last night’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Monday, June 2) EEAST, chief executive Neill Moloney confirmed that the Trust’s board had decided to shut Bedford and Chelmsford’s EOC sites despite not yet knowing the full cost of the move.

When pressed on whether the closures were conditional on a finalised business case, Mr Moloney said: “That is correct,” adding that the board based its decision on a “rough order of magnitude” of likely savings and property costs.

But committee members from across the political spectrum expressed disbelief that such a major change, affecting more than 100 jobs in Bedford, could be taken without a detailed business plan.

Councillor Doug McMurdo (Independent, Sharnbrook) said: “So you’ve persuaded a board of non-execs and executive directors to cause, my words, upheaval without giving me, my colleagues, and the wider residents of Bedford Borough any confidence of actually understanding the full financial implications.”

Councillor Dylan Simmons (Conservative, Bromham) echoed the frustration: “So on what grounds have you made the decision if you’re lacking the stress test, if you’re lacking the business case, if you’re lacking any understanding of the potential savings you’re going to make,” he asked.

Councillor Dean Crofts (Lib Dems, Kingsbrook) was particularly scathing about the lack of supporting information.

“It’s two pages of A4, that’s all we’ve got,” he said.

“Yet within those two pages, it states that an extensive review was undertaken – well, give us details.

“So we can actually decide if this decision is correct or not.

“When you’re looking at what sites you’re looking at purchasing, how much it’s going to cost – that’s taxpayers’ money and we should be able to know from an extensive review why Essex has been preferred over Bedfordshire.

“There is a lack of transparency about reassuring the public that this is the right decision,” he said.

Mr Moloney said staff had been consulted, and some of the criteria raised by MP and Bedford’s mayor had been factored into the assessment.

He added that more detailed information had been shared privately with its board and some elements were commercially sensitive.

However, the Trust concluded that Bedford site was not fit for a modern EOC and that retaining Norwich and relocating in Essex would offer the best mix of cost, resilience, and staffing.

Mr Moloney said: “We are clear on the financial savings that we will be able to deliver from moving to two sites.

“What we’re seeking to do is to finalize the costs of a new site, which we can’t do until we have actually gone out and looked at all the sites that are available within the Chelmsford area.

“Which we’re anticipating will be completed in the next month or two,” he said.

Councillor McMurdo said the decision had been made “on the hoof” and the committee needed more information.

The Committee agreed to ask the Trust to reconsider its position and facilitate a meeting with the Trust’s chair, Mrunal Sisodia, and the scrutiny committee to explain the rationale of the decision.