Geographically, Cornwall is placed in one of the more remote regions of England,having the sea on three sides of the county. Being also a holiday centre the indigenous population of some 500,000 people doubles in the summer months, placing a huge burden on all three emergency services. We have one County Hospital, Treliske Hospital, in Truro, and from where the author ofthis report is sitting that hospital is 27 miles away. To ease the pressure on the hospital's A&E department is something which has been occupying a number of minds for some time.

The Mobile  Treatment  Centre,  which  is  taking  healthcare  to the patient  as recommended  in  the  Bradley Report,  began  operating officially  as  a  pilot project in 2005. It was jointly commissioned by South West Ambulance Service NHS Trust and FLEET.

The bus had spent its life on Heathrow Airport and was then given to London St John who had used it up as a First Aid post.  A lot of  hard  work and effort into refurbishing and equipping the bus before it made its debut at the famous ‘Run to the Sun’ event, where it was operational for 3 nights and treated a total of 74 patients. It was estimated that without the treatment centre some 37 people would have had to be taken to Treliske hospital. Even at two people per ambulance, which does not happen very often, this means 18 ambulance trips were saved; not to mention the time saved at the hospital A&E. This is a fantastic result and represents a potentially huge step forward in patient care. We are not aware of any other ambulance service in England operating such a scheme and perhaps we can claim it as a first. 

The centre  continues  to assist  FLEET in  raising charitable funds and in providing education to the public. Approximately 2000 children passed through the vehicle in June 2007 over a 2 week period, where they were taught basic life saving skills and resuscitation techniques. 

The rationale behind the introduction of the Mobile Treatment Centre was two ­fold. Firstly, it stopped people calling 999 unnecessarily, therefore freeing up resources  for genuine  emergencies.  Secondly,  the on-scene  treatment prevented many  people from heading straight to A&E departments, thus freeing up beds and staff time. 

The  Mobile  Treatment  Centre,  which  operates  predominantly  throughout Newquay  in  Cornwall,  was  highly  commended at the prestigious  Cornwall Partnership  Awards in 2006.  

Quotes from SWAST Press Release, June 2006:

"Unique mobile treatment centre in Cornwall takes healthcare to the patient"

“South West Ambulance Service is dedicated to improving and enhancing patient care wherever possible. Ideally this is a personalised approach most suited to the needs of individuals. This mobile treatment centre not only helps to maintain operational performance but it assists in improving patient care for those with minor injuries. I would like to sincerely thank FLEET for their assistance and hard work, Without them providing funds and working round the clock to refurbish the vehicle, it would not be possible. Special thanks go to Norman Trebilcock and Kevin Simms.”