Major ambulance station refurbishment completes to increase efficiency of emergency services in Harlow Wednesday, 18th January 2023

A £500,000 refurbishment project to create a ‘Make Ready’ facility for faster ambulance preparation has completed at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow.

The modern hub provides space and facilities for specialist teams to clean, restock and maintain vehicles, allowing frontline staff, who had routinely undertaken these tasks, to spend more time treating patients. By saving thousands of clinician time annually, the hospital has increased capacity to support its local population of around 350,000 people.

Our Billericay office was appointed for this refurbishment project, which included the complete remodelling of the existing ambulance station and adjoining building.

Christopher Mabbutt, Partner said: “Harlow Ambulance Station was identified to be modernised to meet the ‘Make Ready’ requirement.

“This coincided with the expansion of the station into the adjoining part of the building to provide more space and better facilities. The redevelopment has increased efficiency, enabling ambulances to return to the station for essential cleaning, maintenance and safety checks before being dispatched to the next call-out.

“Ingleton Wood takes great pride in being part of this project, helping to improve the service to the community and creating a better environment for the hard-working NHS staff and ambulance crews.”

The Make Ready Hub will ensure that ambulances are always fully stocked, fuelled, cleaned, and checked ready for dispatch. In between patients, the specialist teams also work around the clock cleaning vehicles to Infection Prevention and Control standards and will re-stock any medication or equipment used on the last patient.

Tom Abell, Chief Executive of the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST), which manages Harlow Ambulance Station, said: “The works at Harlow are part of the Trust’s commitment to a region-wide Make Ready Programme and also will help accommodate the additional staff we need to achieve our employment targets and get more crews on the road, caring for patients.”

Claire Nehame, Manager of the new Make Ready Hub, said: “Make Ready crews save at least 15 minutes per shift for crews, which over a year, across the whole organisation, can add up to thousands of hours of clinician time which is released into the community.”

While the existing ambulance station has been remodelled to create the bespoke Make Ready Hub, a new operational area has been created in the adjoining building. EEAST made significant changes to create a modern and fit-for-purpose working environment.

These include the installation of new LED lighting, an improved heating and cooling ventilation system, a dedicated wellbeing area and a new outdoor ambulance washing facility.

Harlow MP Robert Halfon, who officially opened the facility, said: “Not only do they have an improved environment but the creation of a Make Ready facility will provide EEAST clinicians with clean and re-stocked ambulances, allowing them to spend more time doing the thing they do best – taking care of patients, safely and efficiently.”

To learn more about our health sector work, visit: https://www.ingletonwood.co.uk/health.php.