South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) are progessing the development of a brand new c. 700 square metre 999 Emergency Centre in Crawley. Equivalent to around three tennis courts, it’s designed to eventually handle some 50% of all Emergency 999 Ambulance calls in Surrey, Kent, East Sussex and West Sussex.
Call centre’s have come along way in recent years. Gone is the ‘boiler room’ tucked away at the back of the building, today many organisations are seeing their call centre as one of their most important assets.
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SECAmb’s Acting Assistant Director of Clinical Operations, Sue Skelton said: “The public should be reassured that our plans will not have an impact on the way we deliver the service other than improving the service we offer. Staff will also have new, fit-for-purpose facilities they can be proud to work in.
The plans will provide us with the additional capacity we need to match the rising 999 demand and allow more clinicians to be on hand to help direct patients to the right healthcare. With 999 calls having increased by about 25 per cent since 2007 and with demand forecast to increase by five per cent year-on-year, we can’t afford to do nothing.”
Chawton Hill have been involved in this vital 999 Emergency Centre project from the very start. Our team of specialist Surveyors advised SECAmb on the building Lease agreement with Surrey County Council and are now heavily involved in the internal design and fit out of the new Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) and SECAmb Headquarters.
This fit-for-purpose facility is not only a showcase for SECAmb’s image but our imaginatively designed and pleasant environment helps EOC staff to provide the very best, most efficient public service and by incorporating many multiple redundancy features, we can ensure the centre remains operational at all times.
For example;
- Dual power supply with two on-site generators
- Dual cabling offering continuous data and power supply should one circuit fail
- Pipe within pipe water supply, minimising internal water damage in the event of a leak
- Active workstation space is limited to 60% of the floor leaving plenty of room for hallways, training areas, break rooms, meeting spaces, server rooms and administrative space. In fact the training area can quickly convert to an emergency overflow or interim call handling space.
- Maximum natural lighting supplemented with minimal glare lighting
- Optimised acoustics using sound-absorbing ceiling tiles, carpeting, and wall coverings; strategically located plants
- Standing desk options to help alleviate fatigue and posture issues
If you are planning a new call centre or a 999 Emergency Centre and would like to benefit from our extensive design, planning approval, build & fit out experience please Contact Us