London Ambulance Service (LAS) is updating its ambulance fleet with help from MAN and has been listening to its staff to make sure they meet all their needs, and meet London’s stringent emission standards.
The service announced the delivery of the first nine bespoke ambulances and revealed that their design had been the result of of a survey where over 400 clinicians submitted ideas for how to make the fleet work for them, caring for patients in the capital.
Rob Macintosh, Head of Fleet at LAS explained, “We worked with our ambulance crews to design a vehicle that is safe and reliable for both our patients and our people.” He said the ambulance are more accessible, more energy efficient and have an asset management system that tracks equipment and notifies staff if anything is lost or missing.
The fully equipped ambulances cost £156,000 and will be paid for by internal capital and money LAS secured from commissioners.
A further 11 MAN ambulances and 112 ambulances have been ordered. All the new ambulances are lightweight, greener and more efficient than the Service’s current ambulances and meet the clean air zone targets in London, which are the most stringent in the country.
The MAN ambulances are the first of their kind in England, and have undergone a rigorous evaluation by academics and ambulance experts. Rob Macintosh inspected the vehicle against a 950 point check-list, then a team of professors from Loughborough University conducted an ergonomic evaluation to ensure the ambulances are safe, reliable and easy to use.
They will also contribute to the Service’s efforts to comply with the ultra-low emission zone in London and to reach its zero emission goal by 2030. Four fully electric ambulances are expected to be delivered to LAS later this year.
Photo credit: London Ambulance Service
