East of England Ambulance Service to get 29 new ambulances

The East of England will receive 29 new ambulances as part of a nationwide rollout of almost 500 new vehicles.

The new ambulances will replace ageing vehicles in the organisation’s fleet by March 2026.

More than £4.5m will be invested in the new vehicles for the East of England Ambulance Trust.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the vehicles would “make a real difference to patients in the East of England”.

The rollout comes as the government sets out a new package of investment and reforms to improve patients’ experiences of urgent and emergency care this year. This includes caring for more patients in the community, rather than in hospital.

Backed by about £450m of funding, the plan aims to deliver about 40 new same day emergency care and urgent treatment centres.

It also aimed to create up to 15 mental health crisis assessment centres so patients can avoid waiting in A&E for hours for care.

Mr Streeting said: “These 29 new ambulances will make a real difference to patients in the East of England, replacing old and tired vehicles and getting to patients in minutes, rather than hours.

“We can’t fix more than a decade of underinvestment and neglect overnight. But through the measures we're setting out today, we will deliver faster and more convenient care for patients in emergencies.”