New Warminster ambulance station unveiled
16 December 2021
South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust has officially opened its new Warminster Ambulance Station.
The station, on Warminster Business Park, was officially opened at a ceremony led by Sarah Rose Troughton, Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire.
Jane Whichello, SWASFT Deputy County Commander, said: “This has been a key project for the organisation during a period of significant and sustained pressure and we are incredibly proud to be able to showcase this new station. Local colleagues helped to design and equip a modern, professional workplace for staff in Warminster and the surrounding areas.’’
In addition to the Lord-Lieutenant, the event was attended by Sir Charles Hobhouse Bt., High Sheriff of Wiltshire; Councillor Denis Brett, Deputy Mayor of Warminster; Will Warrender, SWASFT Chief Executive; Tony Fox, SWASFT Chairman; Jessica Cunningham, SWASFT Executive Director of Operations, and operational colleagues.
The station has been fully operational since March 2021, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trust has been unable to arrange an official station opening ceremony until now.
The station provides paramedics with the latest facilities to best deliver local emergency care needs. It is the base for two double-crewed ambulances – one of which runs 24 hours a day.
A team of 16 crew members work from the new site, which provides good road access across Wiltshire. It is a well-equipped base for the start and end of crews’ shifts as they spend the vast majority of the day on the road responding to the needs of patients across Wiltshire and beyond.
Will Warrender presented a long-service and good conduct award to Gerald O’Connor as part of the opening event. The local lead paramedic received his 20-year award for ‘making a huge difference to the lives of many’. As part of his committed service to the community of Warminster, Gerald has been a sole paramedic with a rapid response car and has a role in a double-crewed ambulance team.
The new station was created after the former station in the town had to move from a building owned by the police authority, now required for a new use.
