A futuristic model of ambulance which will ‘bring the hospital to the patient’ has been spotted in the streets. The emergency-room-on-wheels was launched by International Ambulances and can reach speeds of up to 99mph. The vehicle, dubbed Aseco, is much larger than conventional models and comes with an array of specialist equipment. Chief Engineer Phil Bevan said: ‘In everybody’s life the most important vehicle you’ll use is an ambulance. It gives you that golden hour between falling ill and getting into hospital.
‘It needs to be in a safe and comfortable condition. Our ambulance does that in spades.
‘We’ve made our ambulance one that is prepared for any challenge or type of situation. ‘Most ambulances take the patient to hospital but ours takes the hospital to the patient. ‘What we’ve done is make the patient area bigger and kept the crew cab area the same size. ‘The stretcher is at the centre of the cabin meaning medics don’t have to stand up, but can sit down and wear a seat belt when moving. ‘This means that two medics can be closer to the patient at all times.
‘We’re going to save hundreds of lives. The ambulance enables crews to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.’ The ambulance also comes with specialist blood testing equipment and stroke scanners while the patient is in the centre of the cabin to help medics carry out treatment. It is unclear whether the company is a supplier to the NHS, who Metro.co.uk has approached for comment. The NHS launched its ambulance service 71 years ago after the National Health Service Act, which came into effect in 1948, made it a requirement for ambulances to be available for all who needed them. In 2017 the London Ambulance Service received more than 1.9 million calls.