Westhouse Medical Services Opens New AST Ambulance Service Depot in the South of England

LONDON, January 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Worthing Facility to Provide Non-Emergency Capability to Four Sussex Hospitals

Healthcare specialist Westhouse Medical Services Plc today announces the opening of a new ambulance service base in Worthing, West Sussex, England. The new depot will add to Westhouse Medical's growing Surbiton-based AST Ambulance Service (AST) division, who will begin extending its patient transfer services in the south of England.  

The Worthing base, consisting of six vehicles and ten highly-trained staff members, will initially respond to non-emergency calls from four hospitals across both East and West Sussex, including:  St. Richard's; Worthing; Eastbourne District General  and Brighton General Hospital.

With 17-years operational experience AST provides specialist expertise patient transfer services across the UK and mainland Europe, including high dependency and bariatric care, and is one of only five companies ever to be accredited by the London Ambulance Service.

Stewart Lawson, AST's director of operations, comments: "The Worthing base will be a valuable addition, allowing us to extend the reach of the high quality care we are passionate about delivering through our ambulance service."

"In the past year, we have received an increasing number of requests for patient transfers to and from hospitals across the south of England. The Worthing depot therefore makes professional and commercial sense, bringing us closer to the people who need our care, allowing the NHS to maximise its patient transfer capability."

Jack Kaye, Westhouse Medical CEO adds:  "Despite budgets being cut across the NHS and costs rising through inflationary pressure, the general public rightly expect quality healthcare. With the launch of the new depot, AST Ambulance Service takes one step further in helping the NHS to increase the quality of healthcare delivery in the south of the UK."

About Westhouse Medical Services

Westhouse Medical Services, consists of two divisions - devices and services - and is a specialist company creating value for patients, providers and investors through delivering step changes in the effectiveness and quality of primary healthcare delivery. The company listed on the Open Standard Section of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in late October 2011.