£2.1 million investment in Ambulance Vehicle Preparation Service

01 June 2019

Colleagues and distinguished guests attended the Huddersfield AVP opening

Colleagues and distinguished guests attending the Huddersfield AVP opening

A £2.1 million investment at Leeds and Huddersfield ambulance stations has provided new Ambulance Vehicle Preparation (AVP) facilities where a dedicated team now prepares vehicles ready for clinicians when they arrive at work to start their shift.

The AVP service is operated by a team of ancillary staff who work on a 24-hours a day/seven days a week basis to ensure that ambulance crews are able to access fully equipped, re-fuelled and re-stocked ambulances at the beginning of each and every shift. This includes checking medical devices and medical consumables. Previously, ambulance staff were required to carry out these duties at the start of their shift.

The £2.1 million extra investment in Leeds and Huddersfield was secured by Integrated Care Systems and related partnerships in Yorkshire and the Humber. 

This is an exciting development at the Trust and follows on from the successful AVP pilots at the Trust’s Manor Mill Resource Centre in Leeds and Wakefield Ambulance Station and mirrors best practice as recommended by Lord Carter’s recently published report on Operational Productivity and Performance in English NHS Ambulance Trusts.

Commenting on the development of the AVP service, Nick Smith, Executive Director of Operations at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said:

“The new service is already proving beneficial and feedback from frontline colleagues has been overwhelmingly positive.  They are confident in the preparation work carried out by the dedicated AVP team and appreciate having a ‘made ready’ vehicle at the start of their shift.

“We’re very grateful for the funding which has allowed us to progress this development and we’re now looking to roll out the service at additional locations.

Rod Barnes, Chief Executive at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “This is the start of what we hope to be a major investment programme to improve our facilities to support our staff to deliver the best possible care for patients and communities.” 

Rob Webster, Lead CEO for West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership (Integrated Care System), said: “Our Partnership will only succeed if it is supporting the effective delivery of care and this is an example of how we are making a difference. This service will ensure our ambulances are fully equipped for staff when they need them to save people’s lives across our area. I’m delighted that our partners at Yorkshire Ambulance Service have received this much needed funding.”

Produced by: Corporate Communications Department