Rye Ambulance Station under threat?

More details about the future of the station are due to be revealed on Monday when James Pavey, Senior Operations Manager for South-East Coast Ambulance Service will address Rye Council’s public services committee.

The ambulance station, at Rye Hill, provides cover for the busy A259 trunk road which has been the scene of serious accidents and fatalities in the past.

A paradmedic told the Observer: “This will lose important cover in the mornings and evenings when guaranteed ambulances would be there on change over.

“They will arrange for standby posts, called ambulance community response posts, in the same areas but these are unlikely to get covered much.”

Plans for the centralisation became known late last year. Since then Battle ambulance station has closed but Rye has remained full operational up to now.

Speaking last December, an Ambulance Service spokesman said: “It has always been our intention to make Hastings fully central reporting over time.

“This is now more possible due to the fact we have extended the car park at Hastings Ambulance Station and we are in the process of holding a number of engagement sessions with staff about the plans.”

“It is our intention to maintain our performance with any changes and Trust-wide SECAmb exceeded the national performance target for Category A calls.”

Monday night’s meeting starts at 6.30pm and is open to the public.

Also present will be Julie Fitzgerald, Director of East Sussex Community Voice, to talk about East Sussex Healthwatch, a new independent consumer champion for health and social care.