Health Minister opens Melrose Ambulance Service

Scotland's Health Minister Shona Robison formally opened a new £1.9 million ambulance station in Melrose today.

The facility, situated in the grounds of Borders General Hospital, replaces the old station in Roxburgh Street, built in 1976.

Scottish Ambulance Service say it provides significantly improved, modern operational facilities for the thirty-four staff that are based there.

Two emergency ambulances and three patient transport vehicles will operate from the new station.

Each year, the service respond to around 4,000 emergency incidents.

Alongside these they also carry out requests from doctors, routine calls, and the transportation of over 5,000 patients to and from their hospital outpatient appointments.

Borders General Hospital's ambulance station is the first Scottish Ambulance Service project delivered through the Hub initiative.

The building is fully compliant with all the latest standards for control of infection with improved sluice and vehicle cleaning facilities.

It was designed with the latest environmentally friendly heating and lighting systems to increase energy efficiency.

The new site includes a dedicated area for training and a purpose built vehicle workshop that will service and maintain all of the fleet that operates across the Borders region.

It also provides quicker access to the wider region, which those involved hope will improve response times in the area.