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More on KentOnline
An ambulance call centre is the latest service to leave the County Town, taking nearly 300 members of staff with it.
The South East Coast Ambulance Service's (SECAmb) East Emergency Operation Centre in Coxheath, which holds its 999 control centre, is moving to a brand new building in Gillingham.
The move has been put down to the fact the site in Heath Road is old and no longer fit for purpose
Instead work has started on the state of the art £6.5 million ambulance station where all 270 members of staff, across a variety of clinical and non-clinical roles, will be relocated.
Ambulance service executive director of operations, Emma Williams, said: “It’s really great that building work is under way on this important development.
"Our current building at Coxheath is outdated and not adequate for our requirements. Having operations centres for 999 and 111 under one roof will ensure we further optimise functions between the services.
“Not only is our Make Ready system more efficient but the new building will also provide staff with access to modern facilities for training.
"We understand any change has an impact on staff and we will continue to fully engage with everyone affected ahead of the move next year.”
Coxheath was for many years the previous HQ of Kent Ambulance Service which merged with Surrey and Sussex Ambulance Services when SECAmb launched in 2006.
It then served as a regional office until the HQ moved from Banstead in Surrey to Crawley in 2017.
It will now be sold and SECAmb says the money made will be reinvested into its estate.
The move is another blow to Maidstone's title as the County Town, a name it earned after being declared the administrative capital of Kent, as it is not the first service to announce its departure.
The Invicta Barracks will close in 2027 and Kent Police is slowly moving teams out of its HQ in Sutton Road.
The force has been based at the site since 1940 but bosses say it is no longer providing the “best possible value for money”.
The chief officer team relocated in September last year to the North Kent Police Station in Northfleet but it’s not yet known where remaining staff will be placed.
In March 2020 it was revealed Kent County Council was also considering quitting Sessions House, after more than a century.
One of the suggestions on the table involved moving to a joint office with Maidstone Borough Council near Maidstone East but this was scrapped last week.
KCC is still considering its options but says it would like to maintain its presence in Maidstone.
The operations centre in Coxheath takes calls from across Kent, Surrey and Sussex alongside the West Emergency Operation Centre in Crawley.
Because of this, the public should not notice any difference when they dial 999 for the ambulance service.
The move to Gillingham will provide staff with a modern fit-for-purpose facility in line with the company's other moves from control rooms in Lewes and Banstead to Crawley.
The development will include a 999 and 111 call centre alongside a vehicle preparation system known as Make Ready – the only one of its kind to bring all three functions together under one roof.
Contractor Westridge Construction is now on the site in Bredgar Road, Gillingham, carrying out ground works ahead of construction.
It's expected to become fully operational in autumn next year.
The vehicle preparation and maintenance system will occupy the two lower floors.
The open-plan office above these will be occupied by the medical staff currently based in Coxheath and in Ashford.
Integrating 999 and 111 services is a part of a strategy to deliver more joined-up care and to increase efficiency.
'We will continue to fully engage with everyone affected ahead of the move next year'
Make Ready, which is already in place across much of its region, will see specialist teams employed to clean, restock and maintain the fleet.
It minimises the risk of cross-infection, frees up front-line staff – who traditionally cleaned and re-stocked ambulances – to spend more time treating patients, and keeps vehicles on the road for longer.
Crews continue to respond from the same towns under the system but begin and end their shifts at staggered times with a vehicle that is fully prepared for them.
Ambulance crews currently starting and ending their shifts at Medway Ambulance Station in Star Mill Lane, Chatham, will start and finish at the new centre.
They will then respond from ambulance community response posts across the region with suitable rest facilities for crews between calls and when on a break.
Staff based in Sheppey will continue to start and end their shifts from the ambulance station on the Island, which has undergone a major refurbishment and upgrade to provide educational and training facilities.
