Fakenham: New ambulance car to help reduce waiting times

An ambulance service has introduced a rapid response vehicle in a trial aimed at reducing waiting times.

The East of England Ambulance Service said the smaller vehicle would allow teams to more easily navigate the narrow roads around Fakenham, Norfolk.

The area "historically" has longer response times than other places, the service said.

Chief executive Tom Abell said he hoped the trial would be a "real success".

Rapid Response Vehicles (RRVs) are "more likely" to stay in the area where they are based compared to ambulances, which would be moved around the county depending on patient need, Mr Abell said.

"With the RRVs, we can get a really fast response with qualified staff to take care of immediate life-saving needs," he said.

Mr Abell said Fakenham and the surrounding area had the "longest response times", which could be up to 15 minutes longer

Paramedic Jake Kerry said traffic in the area could be "pretty horrendous so having a small, more nimble vehicle" enables them to get to places quicker..

The trial is due to last until mid-February and if response times are reduced, the service plans to roll out more RRVs across the region.

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