London Ambulance Service boosts its fleet with upgraded ambulances to better care for patients

Upgraded ambulances with new design features to improve patient comfort and to help clinicians move people more easily during treatment are joining London Ambulance Service’s fleet ahead of winter.

The 60 upgraded light-weight Ford ambulances are going out on the road in the coming weeks and were designed with feedback from frontline crews in mind as London Ambulance Service replaces older vehicles and bolsters its fleet.

They have a range of new features to improve the comfort of patients and specialised equipment which will help staff when moving and lifting patients. The new vehicles are part of a fleet of 460 ambulances out on the road to care for Londoners this winter.

Pauline Cranmer, Chief Paramedic at London Ambulance Service, said:

“We are strengthening our fleet to provide the best possible care for Londoners as the colder months begin to bite.

“Our crews need a robust, modern fleet that is adapted to care for the needs of the nine million people living in the capital. That’s why we’re focusing on replacing our older fleet with cleaner and more reliable alternatives.

“The ambulances have been designed to treat patients in the capital – lower emissions vehicles that are lightweight, more accessible and digitally enabled for the future so they can harness the latest technology.”

The new vehicles feature an automatic trolley bed and a powered chair to make conveying patients to hospital easier for crews and reduce musculoskeletal injuries.

Paramedic Rob Mullin and Assistant Ambulance Practitioner Michael Mulryan were one of the first crews to use the new ambulances on a morning shift from Edmonton Ambulance Station helping patients around Tottenham, Walthamstow and Chingford.

Rob said: “These new ambulances allow us to treat patients quickly by using advanced equipment that is better for our own health and safety and more comfortable for our patients.”

Among the many people they cared for in the lightweight vehicle was an elderly patient who had fallen, a patient with breathing problems and a patient suffering from abdominal pain.