The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) is looking to improve its emergency response services in the face of soaring demand. 

The NHS has agreed to fund an expansion of the trust's operations centre in Hellesdon as part of its urgent and emergency care recovery plan.

Plans will see a reconfiguration of the Hospital Lane site to facilitate a major 999 call handler recruitment drive at the trust.

This will include the expansion of emergency call handling areas, emergency response areas and a space for a live environment for emergency call training. 

Norwich Evening News: The East of England Ambulance Service is looking to improve its 999 capabilities The East of England Ambulance Service is looking to improve its 999 capabilities (Image: Newsquest)

Works are expected to start in mid-December - with EEAST applying for temporary modular buildings to house all non-emergency staff throughout the project.

A spokesman for the trust said: “If planning is approved, we will move modular buildings to our emergency operations centre (EOC) in Hellesdon while work takes place to reconfigure the inside of the building to create more space for the call handlers we are recruiting.

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“Once the work is completed, we will be able to increase the number of call handlers that can work in Hellesdon to 330.

"This increased capacity will help us continue to answer increasing numbers of 999 calls promptly.

“We hope to start work mid-December. During this time staff who work in the EOC but not directly with 999 calls will be relocated to the modular buildings."

Norwich Evening News: The East of England Ambulance Service Trust's ambulance station in HellesdonThe East of England Ambulance Service Trust's ambulance station in Hellesdon (Image: Google Maps)

The scheme comes as Norfolk's ambulance service continues to face heavy pressure

Statistics published earlier this year revealed crews were spending the equivalent of three-and-a-half years stranded outside the county's hospitals - ranking the trust's wait times among the worst in the country.

Between November 12 and April 2, paramedics spent a "soul-destroying" 31,423 combined hours waiting in Norfolk hospital car parks for their patients to be admitted.

The region's largest hospital, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, bore the brunt of these waits, with ambulance crews spending the equivalent of 709 days - almost two years - waiting.

Half of all patients arriving by ambulance at the N&N subsequently spent at least an hour waiting.