Armed forces to drive ambulances in the East to help NHS trust during pandemic

  • Anglia

Nearly 200 members of the armed forces are being loaned to NHS ambulance services to support their work during the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Defence has said.

37 military personnel have been deployed to the East of England Ambulance Service, which covers six counties including Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire, to assist with tasks including driving and logistics.

Credit: East of England Ambulance Service

The group all volunteer as emergency responders in their free time and have previously trained with the service.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “Our armed forces always step forward at the appearance of threats to the country and its people.

“Across the United Kingdom, soldiers, sailors, airmen and women have got the backs of our NHS colleagues as they confront coronavirus.”

Credit: East of England Ambulance

Members of the armed forces have helped with the response to the outbreak in a variety of ways.

Military personnel- including soldiers from the Royal Anglian Regiment were involved in the planning and building of the first NHS Nightingale hospital at the ExCel exhibition centre in London.

Armed forces personnel have also been trained to fill and transport oxygen tankers to NHS facilities.

The Ministry of Defence said there are hundreds of personnel delivering supplies of PPE for the NHS based at distribution centres across the country, amid reported shortages of the vital equipment.

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