Ambulance station could close as lease expires with no new site identified
A petition has been started to save the local service in Paignton
Health bosses say response times will not rise as a Devon ambulance station prepares to close.
The MP for Paignton says he's seeking a meeting with bosses ahead of the lease running out - and no other site being identified.
Former Torbay MP Kevin Foster has also started a petition.
In response the NHS say any changes won't affect response times - as vehicles are only usually based at ambulance stations at the beginning and end of shifts, with crews usually being dispatched from their current positions in the community.
Steve Darling MP said: "I’m deeply concerned about the potential closure of Paignton Ambulance Station, especially with no confirmed plans to relocate within the town.
"The current site, shared with St John Ambulance, won’t be available beyond September, and this raises serious questions about how emergency response times might be affected — particularly during our busy summer season."
Former Torbay MP Kevin Foster said: "Paignton Ambulance Station, on Totnes Road in the heart of Paignton, can house four emergency ambulances, which are regularly crewed and deployed from this location. "
"NHS bosses should at look at other options in Paignton to maintain their presence, including sites owned by Torbay Council, rather than abandon having an ambulance station in the heart of Paignton.”
“This potential closure coming so soon after the dreadful news Torbay Hospital’s much needed rebuild was being delayed by Labour Ministers for a decade, is another blow to local health services.”
Residents, business and all those concerned about the loss of the Ambulance Station can sign a new petition to “Save Paignton Ambulance Station” by following this link."
A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said: “We lease the site where Paignton Ambulance Station is located, and we were recently informed by our landlord that they intend to sell the building.
“We have not been given a confirmed date of when we need to vacate the site, so we are currently looking at alternative arrangements.
“Our ambulance resources respond to patients from within the community, rather than from a station, this means they are better located to help support the needs of all residents across the region.”