South East Coast Ambulance Service

The South East Coast Ambulance Service is the NHS Ambulance Services Trust for south-eastern England, covering Kent (including Medway), Surrey, West Sussex and East Sussex (including Brighton and Hove). It also covers a part of north-eastern Hampshire around Aldershot.

It is one of 13 Ambulance Trusts providing England with Emergency medical services, and is part of the National Health Service, receiving direct government funding for its role. There is no charge to patients for use of the service, and under the Patient's charter, every person in the United Kingdom has the right to the attendance of an ambulance in an emergency.

The service came in to being on 1 July 2006, with the merger of the former Kent Ambulance Service, Surrey Ambulance Service and Sussex Ambulance Service.

About
Paul Sutton previously accountable officer for Kent Ambulance Service, is the first Chief Executive of the Trust. The Chairman of the new trust, Martin Kitchen, was the Chair of East Surrey Primary Care Trust.

The Trust responds to 999 calls from the public, urgent calls from health professionals; and in Kent and Sussex, provides non-emergency patient transport services (pre-booked patient journeys to and from health care facilities).

It serves a population of around 4.5 million in Kent, Surrey, Sussex and NE Hampshire. During the last financial year (2005 / 2006) the three predecessor Trusts responded to about 460, 000 emergency calls.

Ambulance Stations
The Trust currently operates from 63 ambulance stations across Kent, Surrey and Sussex located in:

Surrey
With 21 stations.
 * Ashford
 * Banstead
 * Caterham
 * Chertsey
 * Cranleigh
 * Dorking
 * Epsom
 * Esher
 * Farnborough
 * Godstone
 * Godalming
 * Guildford
 * Haslemere
 * Horley
 * Leatherhead, there are plans to close this site and move in with Leatherhead Fire Station.
 * Knaphill
 * Redhill
 * Tongham
 * Walton-on-Thames
 * Woking

Sussex (East, West, Brighton & Hove)

 * Bognor Regis
 * Arundel
 * Worthing
 * Chichester
 * Horsham
 * Crawley
 * Battle
 * Brighton
 * Bexhill-on-Sea
 * Gatwick
 * Hailsham
 * Crowborough
 * Heathfield
 * Eastbourne
 * Rye
 * Burgess Hill
 * East Grinstead
 * Hastings
 * Haywards Heath
 * Hove
 * Lewes
 * Littlehampton
 * Midhurst
 * Newhaven
 * Pulborough
 * Uckfield
 * Shoreham

Kent & Medway

 * Dover
 * Channel Tunnel
 * Canterbury
 * Folkstone
 * Ashford (Kent)
 * Cranbrook
 * Dartford
 * Deal
 * Herne Bay
 * Lydd
 * Maidstone
 * Medway
 * Sevenoaks
 * Sheppey
 * Sittingbourne
 * Thameside
 * Thanet
 * Tonbridge
 * Tunbridge Wells

Regional Air Ambulance Services
As of June 2007 the South East Coast Ambulance Service area will be partnered and served by these Air Ambulances.
 * Surrey, East & West Sussex, Surrey Air Ambulance Trust and the Sussex Air Ambulance Trust from Dunsfold Aerodrome, with 1 helicopter and another coming soon.
 * East & West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Area, Sussex Police helicopter based in Shoreham-by-Sea.
 * Kent, Surrey, East & West Sussex, Kent Air Ambulance Trust in co-operation with Kent Police.