Control centre saved a minute

EAST Anglia s new £1.2million ambulance control centre has helped cut response times by an average of almost a minute, according to the latest figures. The new centre at Hellesdon, near Norwich, opened on July 5 last year and has dealt with more than 750,

EAST Anglia's new £1.2million ambulance control centre has helped cut response times by an average of almost a minute, according to the latest figures.

The new centre at Hellesdon, near Norwich, opened on July 5 last year and has dealt with more than 750,000 emergencies and urgent and routine medical cases in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

In its first year of operation the average response to a 999 call was eight minutes and four seconds compared with eight minutes 59 seconds in the previous 12 months.

Director of operations for the East England Ambulance NHS Trust (EEAST) Rob Lawrence paid tribute to the call takers and dispatchers who work around the clock to ensure the smooth running of the service.

"The past year has been the highest performing year ever in the history of the ambulance service in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire," he said.