County gets new ambulance fleet

The new ambulances will have powered hydraulic tail lifts

A fleet of new ambulances worth £140,000 each will replace 70% of Oxfordshire's older emergency service vehicles, an NHS trust has announced.

South Central Ambulance Service Trust said the fleet would replace some van-based vehicles which, in some cases, are more than seven years old.

The 64 new models can carry heavier loads and provide paramedics with more space inside to treat casualties.

The state-of-the-art facilities include powered hydraulic tail lifts.

All the new ambulances are fully equipped to meet any emergency and to enable patients to receive immediate care South Central Ambulance Service Trust

The new vehicles will also contain chairs and spinal boards, along with electronic diagnostic and monitoring equipment.

Phil Pimlott, of South Central Ambulance Service Trust, said: "In line with many other NHS trusts, we are moving away from using van conversions for our ambulances.

"All the new ambulances are fully equipped to meet any emergency and to enable patients to receive immediate care.

A trust spokesman said South Central Ambulance Service had invested £8.5m in new vehicles.

Thirty-three were funded from the 2007/8 financial year and the remaining 31 will be delivered in September at the rate of about three every week, he added.

In addition to the new ambulances, the rest of the South Central fleet is being upgraded.

This includes rapid response vehicles, predominantly Volvo V70 estate cars, motorcycles and 4x4 vehicles.