£1.2m Shropshire ambulance HQ will open in January
Shropshire's new £1.2 million ambulance station will open in January, it was revealed today.
The news came as ambulance bosses said county response times were improving 'significantly'.
Work on the ambulance station hub at Abella Business Centre, off Longden Road, in Shrewsbury, is under way with offices and service bays being created at the 12,500 sq ft site which will serve the town and county.
Three community ambulance stations have also been set up at Battlefield Enterprise Park, Oxon Business Park and Shrewsbury Business Park, giving a triangle of cover for the county.
A second Shropshire hub went live in Donnington, in Telford, earlier this year.
West Midlands Ambulance Service expect to generate about £1.13 million savings by selling existing stations in Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Craven Arms and Whitchurch, in addition to £2 million in 'staff efficiency' savings across the region.
But as the Trust's £9.8 million regional 'Make Ready' plans come to fruition in Shropshire, ambulance chiefs revealed it is already having a positive effect on the 68 per cent target on response times.
Chris Kowalik, a spokesman for the Trust, said: "In Shropshire county we have a target of 68 per cent for response times and it has notoriously been one of the most demanding areas to cover because of its rural nature.
"But the whole Make Ready system is in place now apart from the physical hub which isn't quite ready yet and the latest figures show we have smashed that target and are achieving over 75 per cent."
He added: "We will be looking to move in during January. The staff from Abbey Foregate will move across and then the former site will be closed and put up for sale."
The new station was due to go live in April but has faced long delays. About £510,000 is being pumped into the site, as well as almost £700,000 for buying the property, which is on a 15-year lease.
