31 Mar 2020
AA and London Ambulance Service announce ground-breaking partnership to keep frontline ambulance crews moving
The AA has partnered with London Ambulance Service to provide additional expert support to help the Service keep clinicians on the road responding to Londoners in need during the coronavirus epidemic.
The partnership includes 24-hour breakdown and incident management services such as roadside assistance and vehicle recovery for London Ambulance Service vehicles.
Working with the team of skilled mechanics from London Ambulance Service, the AA teams will provide immediate technical support for the Service’s fleet of more than 500 ambulances and 70 fast response cars. Forty-one AA patrols have been sent to the twelve London Ambulance Service workshops across the capital to work alongside the Service’s fleet workshop teams providing additional mechanical support and breakdown recovery and keeping vehicles ready to respond.
Garrett Emmerson, London Ambulance Service chief executive said:
“We are very grateful for the support of the AA as the country faces the biggest public health challenge in generations – one that is putting unprecedented strain on our Service.
“Our staff and volunteers are working harder than ever to provide life-saving care to Londoners. This partnership will help our fleet and workshop teams make sure crews can get back out on the road and continue to reach those patients that need us most.”
Edmund King, AA president said:
“We are proud to play our part supporting the vital ambulance services in London during this crisis.
“This is an unprecedented situation and we’ve all got to pull together to ease the pressure on our emergency services and the NHS. We would be delighted to offer a similar service to the other ambulance services across the UK.
“We’re still here to keep key workers and members on the move, but urge motorists to heed government advice and only travel when it’s essential.”
The AA provides breakdown services to several ambulance services across the country and is working to roll out further support schemes to keep the UK’s emergency services moving during COVID-19.
The AA has also secured a deal with its parts supplier, Euro Car Parts, to provide mechanical parts for ambulance service at cost. This supplier will not profit from any sales to the ambulance service throughout the crisis.
To read about the AA’s actions during COVID-19 see theaa.com/about-us/coronavirus-covid-19
Contact Information
London Ambulance Service Media Team
020 7783 2117
londamb.press.office@nhs.net
Notes to editors
Notes to editors:
London Ambulance Service is inviting media to their Fulham workshop on Monday (30 March) at 11:15am. There will be opportunities to speak with staff there and spokespeople. Please note, we are also encouraging media to interview spokespeople remotely via Skype or FaceTime where possible.
To attend or arrange an interview via Skype or FaceTime and for more details please contact: ellie.meakin@londonambulance.nhs.uk, 07557480097
AA Media contact: Jack Cousens on 07738 799396
London Ambulance Service:
- London Ambulance Service has 12 workshops operating across London.
- The workshop teams service, repair and maintain a diverse fleet of vehicles and specialist ambulance equipment.
- The new partnership will help London Ambulance deliver a 24/7 operation working to maintain vehicles and make sure they can get back out on the road as quickly and efficiently as possible responding to Londoners in need.
- Mobile AA vans will soon be at ambulance stations – ready to deal with minor defects that can be quickly fixed without taking vehicles off the road
- There will also be AA recovery trucks in operation across London to make sure LAS vehicles can get back to station and get fixed by the 24/7 workshop team.
Coronavirus:
- We are seeing unprecedented demand for both our 999 and 111 services at the moment. We have been taking nearly 8,000 calls a day in our two 999 control rooms.
- Huge volumes of 111 calls we are receiving from people who could potentially use uk/coronavirus means that more vulnerable Londoners who may not have the ability to access the internet, for instance older people, are struggling to get through.
- If you are concerned about Coronavirus symptoms, please go to uk/coronavirus if you possibly can to leave phone lines freer for those without access to the internet. Only call 999 for the most serious emergencies.
The AA:
The AA are the UK’s leading provider of roadside assistance through personal membership and business partnerships. Our Roadside division includes many other services, which enrich membership, including driving lessons and training within the Driving Services division and such services as AA Cars.
The AA’s insurance broker focuses primarily on motor and home policies, operating a diverse panel of underwriters including our in-house underwriter. Our Insurance division includes our Financial Services partnership with the Bank of Ireland on a range of financial services products including, savings, loans and mortgages.
About London Ambulance Service
London Ambulance Service answers more 999 and 111 calls than any other ambulance service in the UK. Our ambulance crews go to more than 1 million patients and our call handlers answer more than 1.9 million 999 calls a year.*
Our 24-hour 111 integrated urgent care services help more than 2.2 million patients a year and cover most of London.
We have a core fleet of nearly 600 ambulances. Paramedics also respond in fast response cars, on motorcycles, on bicycles and by helicopter, working with our partners at London’s Air Ambulance.
We have more than 10,000 people who work for us, caring for the nine million people who live or work in the city and all those who visit us.
Our partnerships with the Metropolitan Police Service, London Fire Brigade and London’s Resilience Forums mean we are ready and prepared to respond to major incidents; and ensure we keep Londoners safe.
*All the statistics used are correct for the year 2023/24 and have been published in our latest annual report which you can find here: https://www.londonambulance.nhs.uk/about-us/our-publications/
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