Zarah ChoudharyGMB Union has reported seeing a letter from the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) confirming it has axed 21 emergency ambulances from the front line, with no plans to replace them.
The union claimed that patient safety has been put at risk following a decision by EEAST to scale back its contract with Medicare EMS – a provider of ambulances and ambulance staff – due to cost.
As a result, 41 members of frontline ambulance staff were made redundant on 1st April 2025 with EEAST only giving Medicare EMS six weeks to comply and inform the staff affected.
This decision came after EEAST was issued a notice by the CQC for failing to meet its Category 2 targets, which relate to 999 calls for incidents such as strokes, chest pains, and suspected sepsis.
Donna Thomas, regional organiser at GMB, said: “EEAST has demonstrated once again a blatant disregard for patient safety.
“Their decision to remove ambulances and staff from the frontline could put lives at risk.
“These specially trained ambulance staff have been responding to over 2000 calls every month on EEAST behalf for the last two years.
“They should have been offered the opportunity to transfer elsewhere in the Trust, without the delay of having to apply externally for vacancies which can take a significant amount of time.”
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “The Trust has made the decision to reduce its use of private ambulance providers as part of our planning processes for 2025/26.
“We have been in contact with Medicare and its recognised union, GMB, to provide information about how their staff may wish to join EEAST as NHS employees in the future.”
