PLANS to build a new ambulance station in Basingstoke have been announced as part of a radical proposal to completely reorganise the way the Hampshire service works.

In an attempt to save money and improve response times, Hampshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust plans to close 19 ambulance stations across the county by 2008, including those at Basingstoke and Whitchurch.

But whereas the Whitchurch station is set to close for good, Basingstoke is to get a new depot - potentially in the Kempshott area.

This will replace the current ambulance station on the edge of town, near Basingstoke hospital on Aldermaston Road.

Under the proposed structure for the county, there will be just three divisional depots - in Basingstoke, Southampton and Portsmouth.

Instead of being tied to stations, crews and their vehicles will be on standby at selected points around the county. There are 16 potential standby sites in the borough of Basingstoke and Deane.

The ambulance stations will be sold off to raise money for the cash-strapped service, which has been slated with two zero efficiency ratings in Government audits in 2003 and 2004. It is £2.5million in the red and bosses hope to save £1.3m by next April.

The service's response times have improved of late and, in 2004/2005, it met the NHS target of meeting 75 per cent of life-threatening call-outs within eight minutes.

About £10m is expected to come from the sale of 16 stations owned by the ambulance service and this money will be used to fund the building of the new depots. The other three stations are leased.

Ambulance chiefs are working with the county council to find a site in Basingstoke. Kempshott is the favoured location because of its proximity to the M3.

Phil Trevorrow, director of finance at Hampshire Ambulance Service, said the overhaul should lead to improvements. He said: "The service should not be compromised. We are trying to maintain and indeed improve our rural coverage."

But unions say they will not back the changes. Jim Barnett, chairman of the Joint Shop Stewards Committee, which represents ambulance service employees, said: "The committee is not in favour of the plan because of the geography of the area and the size of the county. There are not enough vehicles and crews."

Formal public consultation for the plans is not required by law, as the trust is not changing the service, but a public engagement programme is planned for August.

First published: Wednesday, June 8, 2005