East of England to get 29 new ambulances

The East of England will receive 29 new ambulances to help deliver faster emergency care for patients.

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 as part of a nationwide rollout.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the vehicles would "make a real difference to patients".

The rollout follows the government's new package of investment and reforms to improve patients' experiences of urgent and emergency care this year.

This included caring for more patients in the community, rather than in hospital.

Backed by about £450m of funding, the plan aimed 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.

About 500 new ambulances will be provided to services nationwide.

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."

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