Wales to get 84 new ambulances after £10.9m government investment

The Ambulance Service will receive 84 new vehicles due to a £10.9m investment from the Welsh Government.

Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething, said they had experienced a huge surge in demand for ambulance services due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The funding announced today will allow the service to upgrade its existing fleet, “allowing the service to deliver the best care for people in Wales,” he said.

Chris Turley, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Executive Director of Finance, added that modern ambulances were essential in order to continue to provide the best treatment and patient experience possible

“Our ambulances and response cars in Wales are some of the most modern and well equipped in the UK and this funding will allow us to continue to replace our vehicles as they reach the end of their working life,” he said.

“They’re also important for staff who spend the majority of their working day out and about in the community.

“It’s never been more important than ever to have a fleet which keeps the wheels turning on our ambulance service, and we’re grateful to Welsh Government for its continued support.”

A further £1.6m in funding will also go to the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) to expand the service into a 24/7 operation and establish the Critical Care Transfer Service. This is additional money following the £1.7m already given to the service. This service will support the national transfer of critically ill adults across Wales.

The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) provides consultant and critical care practitioner-delivered pre-hospital critical care across Wales. It was launched at the end of April 2015 and is a partnership between Wales Air Ambulance Charity, Welsh Government and NHS Wales.