London Ambulance Service to host NHS Resilience Interoperable Capabilities Team

NHS England have announced today (Wednesday 31 January) that London Ambulance Service has been awarded the contract to host the NHS Resilience Interoperable Capabilities Team for the next five years, following a competitive tendering process.

Staring from April 2024, London Ambulance Service will work with NHS England and specialist resilience teams across the country to ensure the ambulance service can respond to a range of hazardous and demanding occurrences in the safest and most efficient manner possible.

Chief Executive of London Ambulance Service, Daniel Elkeles, said: “I am very proud that London Ambulance Service will now take on the responsibility of hosting the NHS Resilience Interoperable Capabilities Team contract for the next five years.

“Staff from ambulance services across the country are united in our commitment to providing care for people when it matters most, including life-saving help in the nation’s darkest moments – from terror attacks to significant incidents, such as a building collapse or large fires. It takes a profound level of training, skill and planning to do this well, which is at the heart of what this service is all about.

“We’ll build on the great work that the current host West Midlands Ambulance Service and the team have done over the last 13 years. We commit to working seamlessly together to meet the known and emerging needs of the NHS as we deal with complex and major incidents, and helping to keep the people of this country safe and well cared for – no matter the circumstance.”

Stephen Groves, NHS England national director of Emergency Preparedness Resilience and Response (EPRR), said: “NHS ambulance services play a vital role in saving lives in communities across the country, and the National Ambulance Resilience Unit ensures our specialist staff have the right tools and training to safely respond to the most challenging and hazardous situations.

“I want to thank the West Midlands Ambulance Service for their outstanding contribution and the incredible difference they have made for patients while they have hosted this Unit over the past 13 years.

“Following a tender process it is the intention of NHS England to award the contract to its preferred bidder, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, to provide these services from April 1 and we look forward to working with them to further enhance the service, including widening the scope beyond ambulance services so that even more NHS clinical staff will have access to the best training and equipment to help save as many lives as possible during high-risk, complex and major incidents.”