By Carole Dennett
The Isle of Wight Ambulance Service has been awarded £1.5m of additional funding as part of a national programme of fleet investment for ambulance services.
The funds are part of investment by the government to expand urgent and emergency care facilities which are set to include almost 500 new ambulances across the country by March 2026.
Isle of Wight NHS Trust has been allocated £1.5m which, aside from vehicles already on order, will allow them replace six of the current older fleet with new vehicles. The Trust also intends to purchase two fully electric ambulances to pilot the use of them across the Island and explore a more sustainable approach to their vehicle fleet. The two electric ambulances will be in addition to the existing fleet.
Director of Ambulance Victoria White welcomed the news. She said: “This additional funding will allow us to replace some of our older fleet vehicles, helping improve our ability to safely continue responding to the needs of our communities. We are also pleased to have the opportunity to pilot two electric vehicles that are better for the environment and help us contribute towards the Trust’s ambition of becoming net-zero.”
The vehicles are expected to be ready for use by early 2026.
