A significant multi-million-pound investment is set to put up to 40 new double-crewed ambulances on the region’s roads over the next three years. This move, spearheaded by the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), aims to bolster frontline capacity and drastically reduce the trust’s costly dependence on private providers. The service, which covers Rutland, Leicestershire, and the wider East Midlands, has faced a grueling period of operational strain. Recent data highlights a service stretched to its limits, primarily due to severe handover delays at hospital emergency departments, which keep crews tied up at hospitals rather than responding to new emergencies.
To manage fluctuating demand and mitigate the impact of hospital delays, EMAS has increasingly turned to private ambulance firms. These services provide their own paramedics and equipment but come with a heavy price tag for the taxpayer. Data from recent board meetings reveals the scale of this reliance, showing that in February 2026, EMAS utilized an average of 56 private crews per day. Spending on these private services has surged by over 40 percent in just three years, climbing from £13.3 million in 2023/24 to over £18.7 million in the 2025/26 financial year. Despite the pressure, there are signs of improvement as pre-handover delays—the time spent waiting outside A&E peaked at over 19,500 lost hours in January 2026 but fell to roughly 10,300 hours by March.
The new funding, provided by the region’s integrated care boards, will be rolled out in phases through the 2028/29 financial year. The primary focus is the introduction of the 40 additional ambulances, supported by a recruitment drive for new frontline clinicians. Stuart Poynor, Director of Finance at EMAS NHS Trust, characterized the investment as a positive development for local people and noted that the secured NHS funding is a vital step in increasing capacity across the East Midlands.
As the phased rollout begins this financial year, the focus remains on whether these additional resources can successfully decouple the service from private reliance and ensure that patients in Rutland and the surrounding counties receive help faster when they need it most.
