| The Scottish Ambulance Service said today that no decision had been taken, but admitted that three tenders were being considered, none of which proposed to retain the centre in Dundee.
The purpose-built School Road centre was opened just 18 months ago as part of the Scottish Ambulance Service’s much-vaunted £22 million modernisation.
It has the only staff to be trained in the systems of all three emergency services and handles about 3000 missions a year, saving hundreds of lives.
The centre co-ordinates four fixed-wing aircraft and two helicopters, and it is understood that under the new plans, the four aircraft would be replaced by two pressurised planes.
The SAS claims these purpose-built aircraft would actually reduce response times by an average of 15 minutes.
When the centre opened, the then director of operations, Phil Spence, said, “Dundee has an important role in managing our air-wing operations across all of mainland Scotland and the islands.”
But a staff member at the Dundee centre claims employees were told at a meeting that the centre was to be mothballed.
Today, the SAS insisted that no firm decisions would be taken until the end of a three-month consultation period in December.
But it admitted that Gama Aviation, based in Farnborough near London, were the preferred bidders for the contract, which will come into effect from 2006.
It also outlined plans for relocation of the 17 staff based in Dundee should the centre close.
A spokesman for the service said no decision would be taken until the end of the three-month consultation period in December.
“The preferred bidder for the contract is Gama Aviation and if they are successful then the air desk would be relocated to Farnborough,” he said.
“They have a state-of-the-art air desk in Farnborough. This is not a decision we’re doing in isolation. We are taking on board representations from the NHS, health boards and local authorities such as Orkney, Shetland and the Highlands and Islands.
“We haven’t come to this on our own. I would take issue with the suggestion that the air ambulance service will be relocated to England, however. What will be done from England is the activation of aircraft. Control will remain in Scotland.”
But Dundee MSP and SNP health spokesperson Shona Robison said switching the air ambulance control centre to Farnborough would “fragment” services in Scotland.
She has written to Health Minister Andy Kerr asking him to put the review on ice.
“I think they’ve almost admitted how far it’s going to go,” she said. “They seem to have made up their minds already.
“Their thinking is completely wrong. To think that the combined 184 years of experience the staff have there can somehow be provided by a private company in Farnborough is just folly.
“People based in England do not know the geography or weather conditions in Scotland. They should not be putting plans in place to mothball the Dundee desk. They should go back to the drawing board on this and start with the principle that Scotland needs a dedicated air desk.
“This is not just about Dundee, although obviously I would prefer the centre to remain in the city. But to move it outside Scotland is sheer folly.
“I would urge members of the public to register their views by contacting the Scottish Ambulance Service. You can do that by visiting www.scottish
ambulance.com
“People should email their views and also contact the Health Minister and their local MSP about it.”
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