Yorkshire Ambulance

In response to Government guidelines that ambulance crews should respond to all emergency calls within eight minutes, Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust is leading the way by setting up crew emergency stand-by response units around its region. These enable ambulance crews to be located away from central hospitals, helping them to respond rapidly to incidents. The Trust needed to find suitable, quality accommodation for these emergency stand-by response units.

The Trust researched a number of potential building suppliers, looking for a company that could provide the quality of buildings it required, as well as the service levels and capability to get accommodation in place to meet demanding deadlines.

Mark Squires, Assistant Director for Estates and Procurement at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, says: “We were impressed by the quality of buildings available from Portakabin, and the fact that they were backed up by high service standards and a promise to deliver on time. A crucial factor in our decision to choose Portakabin, however, was its accreditation by OGCbuying.solutions, which enabled us to simplify the whole procurement process, thereby saving time and money.”

Portakabin achieved accredited supplier status with OGCbuying.solutions – a leading provider in public-sector procurement – following a rigorous assessment of its products, services and full turn-key packages. Accreditation assures public-sector customers that Portakabin offers excellent quality and value for money, and enables them to place orders with Portakabin without the need for time-consuming and costly compulsory competitive tendering exercises.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust placed an initial order for eight Portakabin Pacemaker buildings to provide its first crew emergency stand-by response units. These were specially adapted by Portakabin to meet the particular requirements of the rapid-response units. They were fitted with a single electricity cut-off button for crews to press as they exit the building, turning off power to all non-essential equipment. The exit door was also fitted with an automatic lock. These adaptations enable crews to leave the building very quickly, knowing that it is electrically safe and secured against break-ins. The buildings also feature a toilet, a kitchenette and a comfortable rest area.

The first of these buildings was installed in Sheffield to a very tight deadline. Portakabin was able to provide the building on the agreed date with just four weeks’ notice. In fact, the Trust was assured of a timely delivery by the unique Portakabin Customer Charter, which promises that all buildings will be delivered on time and on budget. Portakabin even promises that if it ever fails to meet this commitment it will provide an additional 12 months’ product warranty, free of charge.*

Since then, the Trust has ordered 14 more emergency stand-by response units to be located across Yorkshire. The latest buildings ordered are the new Portakabin Solus model, which provides a higher specification environment, with double-glazed windows and improved aesthetics.

Mark Squires adds: “We have been very happy with the service from Portakabin. The new buildings provide the ideal base for our remote ambulance teams. Already they are helping us to improve our emergency response times across the region. This network of specially adapted emergency stand-by response units from Portakabin is greatly enhancing our service to the public.”

* Terms and Conditions apply. A copy is available on request.