Weston-super-Mare's ambulance station to close - to be relocated to a 'more suitable site'

Two ambulance stations are set to close in the first raft of planned changes to South Western Ambulance Service’s estate, it can be revealed today.

Stations in Weston-super-Mare and Keynsham have both been earmarked for closure by the service.

The 54-year-old base in Drove Road, Weston, will be relocated to a “more suitable site” and a “new operations hub” will be created at Bristol’s existing station in Croydon Street, Lawrence Hill.

And in response to union claims that stations at Soundwell in Bristol and Almondsbury will also shut, a spokesman for the service said there were “no immediate plans”.

The planned closures are part of a major reshuffle of resources under a programme called Our People Plan and follow a commissioned report into the service by an external firm called Operation Research in Health Ltd aimed at improving the service.

The service has been keen to talk up programme benefits such as the recruitment of more than 240 additional frontline staff but until now not much has been said on the future of its estate of almost 100 stations.

A spokesman said: “Weston-super-Mare ambulance station will be relocated to a more suitable site, as we have outgrown the existing facility.

“We are looking to create a new Bristol operations hub at our existing ambulance station in Croydon Street, subject to planning approval and funding.

"As part of this, we have been consulting with staff about the future of Keynsham ambulance station.”

“There are no immediate plans for any changes to the ambulance stations at Soundwell or Almondsbury.”

He added: “The demand on the ambulance service and the nature of the calls we receive has changed significantly over time, and some of our stations are no longer located where we need them to be.

“Many of our stations are also in need of significant repair and refurbishment.

“Patients are not seen or treated at ambulance stations and our crews are rarely at a station, because they are either treating patients at the scene or are on standby at strategic locations across the region in order to best respond to incidents.”

In Keynsham, despite no official confirmation of the planned closure until now, a petition was started against it closing with 2,062 signatures so far to it.

In Weston the move to relocate the station has been welcomed by North Somerset Council's deputy leader Mike Bell.

He said: "I’m pleased to see Weston Ambulance Station will relocate to more appropriate and better situated premises.

"With Weston’s accident and emergency department closed overnight, the town and surrounding villages have never been more dependent on reliable and swift ambulatory care.

"I hope the ambulance service will explore options for co-location with the fire and rescue service given the need to modernise Weston’s fire station too."

A spokesman for GMB said: “Our members are concerned that the decrease in resources and resulting lack of cover in some rural areas is going to see an increase in risk at certain times throughout the day and especially at night to the public, and additional stress for crews in being moved.”

Jo Fowles, South Western Ambulance Unison branch chairman, said: “We welcome the planned investment and extra resources being proposed by the trust as this is something we’ve been calling for for years.

“But our members are concerned at plans to close ambulance stations and centralise operations in to one or two hubs for the Bristol area in particular.”

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