New 'state-of-the-art' ambulance hub set for Bury St Edmunds

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) has drawn up plans for a revamped ambulance station to be built on the Moreton Hall estate, which neighbours the A14.

The modern building would provide improved facilities for staff, including an outside gym, quiet spaces, a wellbeing garden and fishpond, kitchen and dining area and training rooms.

It would also include a 'make-ready' zone, where a dedicated team clean and restock all vehicles to enable crews to deliver care to patients faster.

Jackie Nugent, infrastructure and estates transformation programme lead at EEAST, said: "We are investing significantly in our estates so that we can provide modern fit-for-purpose facilities for our staff while improving the response we are able to provide to the public.

"The hub in Bury will be first of a number of new stations we develop across the region. It will include an on-site vehicle workshop, which will allow us to bring maintenance in-house and keep more ambulances on the road."

Ms Nugent added: "The hub will also have 24/7 make-ready facilities so that we can make sure our vehicles are prepared to a consistently high standard.

"This will free up frontline clinicians from doing this prep work so that they can focus on what they do best - caring for patients.

"Importantly, the hub will also provide a vastly improved working environment for our staff and new facilities, such as gym and dedicated welfare spaces where crews can relax between calls, in turn boosting their wellbeing."

The plans have been designed to minimise environmental impact - it will be powered by photovoltaic cells on the roof and constructed using "greener" materials and construction methods.

If approved, this flagship development will form the blueprint which will then be rolled out across the East of England.

Construction will begin in early 2023 if planning permission is granted, with the target for the building being operational set for summer 2024.