Sheffield central ambulance station hub plans moving forward
The new hub will replace three city ambulance stations in Middlewood, Batemoor and Longley
Plans for a new central ambulance station in Sheffield are progressing with a key spending decision to be made by the NHS next month.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) has bought a property in Amberley Road, Attercliffe. Planning permission for the conversion of an empty three-storey office building into an ambulance hub was granted by Sheffield City Council in August.
The new hub will replace three city ambulance stations in Middlewood, Batemoor and Longley.
Next steps in building the new station, set to open mid-2028, include submitting a business plan to the NHS, which will fund £10m of the cost.
YAS chief executive, Peter Reading, told a meeting of the council’s health scrutiny sub-committee on November 5 that response times for emergencies such as such as strokes, chest pain or burns should reduce by one minute, 42 seconds when the new station opens.
YAS deputy head of operations for South Yorkshire, Beth Vernon, said: “This is a dynamic picture. Just because there is not an ambulance station in the locality, it doesn’t mean there won’t be an ambulance somewhere in the streets around it.”
She said that many ambulances are dispatched from static or mobile standby points – some vehicles are sent to patrol areas where they may be needed in readiness.
Councillor Sophie Thornton, who launched a petition against the closures earlier this year, praised the “positive and ongoing dialogue” taking place with YAS.
She said that people in areas affected by station closures still need reassurance.
Ambulances travelling to areas such as Darnall, Ringinglow, Batemoor and Jordanthorpe would have to use London Road and Penistone Road North, which are often busy.
YAS chief operating officer Nick Smith said that work was ongoing to ensure that areas that could potentially experience a slightly slower response time were well served by ambulance dispatch points.
Chair Coun Ruth Milsom asked for reassurance that trade unions were happy. She was told monthly meetings are taking place.
Councillors heard that the aim is to improve welfare and training facilities for staff. They were told in July that stations are overcrowded and no longer fit for purpose but cannot be expanded.