Map of the South East Coast Ambulance Service's coverage

The South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) 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 12 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.

[edit] About

Paul Sutton previously Chief Executive Officer of Sussex 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). The Trust also provides the crews and maintains the 3 Ambulances of the Neonatal Transfer Service for Kent, Surrey & Sussex

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.

[edit] Regional Air Ambulance Services

The ambulance region is served by two air ambulances operated by the Kent Air Ambulance Trust, the Kent Air Ambulance, and the Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance, which operate dedicated services.

In Sussex, this is supplemented by the Sussex Police Air Operations Unit, who run a helicopter jointly with SECAmb, called Hotel 900, which responds to both police and ambulance requests for assistance.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom
• Paramedics in the United Kingdom
• Air Ambulances in the United Kingdom

[edit] External links

• South East Coast Ambulance Service, NHS
• Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Air Ambulance Trust

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