West Dorset MP Chris Loder has hailed the announcement on the 1st August that St John Ambulance has been successful in obtaining a commission from NHS England to provide significant help to our ambulance service after rigorous campaigning for months.
Mr Loder said: “This announcement is a great step forward to address the problems we face in West Dorset of unacceptably long wait times and stretched capacity, for which I have been lobbying hard in Parliament since covid.
In July 2022, following a competitive tender process, St John Ambulance was commissioned by NHS England to provide an auxiliary ambulance service to the NHS, through a £27.5 million contract over the next four years which will help our ambulance service here in Dorset.
The ambulance auxiliary contract commencing on August 1st, will see St John people provide:
• 500 ambulance shifts per month, equivalent to 5,000 ambulance hours to support 10 NHS ambulance trusts.
• 800 emergency ambulance crew to support surge activity, alongside a fleet of 250 vehicles.
• Emergency support to the NHS during periods of winter pressures and at times of crisis.
St John has always supported the NHS in periods of high demand through emergency ambulance provision, volunteering in hospitals, administering vaccinations, as well as providing community-based activities that reduce pressure on NHS services. Their ambulance operations provide specialist services including pediatric transport services, neonatal transport, bariatric transfers, end of life transport, renal dialysis transport and surge NHS support.
Mr Loder continued; “I have always been a major supporter of St John Ambulance, thanking them for stepping up during the pandemic and getting us through an incredibly difficult period in history. St John Ambulance have shown their capability and proven time and time again of their readiness to play an even greater role in our healthcare system, and I look forward to supporting them through these encouraging developments”
