THE AMBULANCE station in Ross-on-Wye will close before the end of March as it is not being used enough by crews.

West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) said paramedics do not get the chance to return to the base at Haigh Industrial Estate.

A spokesperson said WMAS will not continue to “plough money” into a rarely used building, and will instead increase the number of ambulances and paramedics.

They added: “Due to the rise in activity it is now rare for the response post in Ross-on-Wye to be used, as the ambulance based at the site simply does not get back there before being sent to help another patient.

“It therefore makes no sense to plough money into a building that is rarely used, other than at the beginning or end of shift. It is much better to save that money and increase the number of paramedics and ambulances.

“For these reasons, we will close the response post in Ross-on-Wye before the end of March, but the number of resources operating in Herefordshire will not reduce.

There was no consultation period prior to the decision being made by WMAS, something which Ross-on-Wye mayor, Councillor Jane Roberts said is happening repeatedly with NHS services.

“I am very disappointed that yet again decisions about the provision of NHS services in Ross are being taken without consultation,” she said.

“We’ve had the minor injury unit closed for the third year running, without consultation again.

“I will be asking the Town Council to contact West Midlands Ambulance Service to request assurances that they will monitor and share response time data for our town. We need the impact of this decision to be transparent.”

The service spokesperson added that it doesn’t matter where ambulance crews start or finish shifts.

“What matters is whether we are able to respond to patients in a timely manner,” they added “By investing further in frontline services, this means patients will receive the best level of care possible.”

But Coun Roberts said the problem for the town is that it is on the edge of the West Midlands meaning resources could be “sucked into the more populated areas”.