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Torbay ambulance station closure confirmed despite petition with more than 900 signatures
Torbay residents petition to save Paignton ambulance station as trust develops new modular facility plan
St John Ambulance First Aid Training centre, Paignton. Credit: Google Maps
Reporter:
Ella Sampson
03 Jul 2025 2:53 PM
Email:
ella.sampson@clearskypublishing.co.uk
More than 900 people have signed a petition urging the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) to save Paignton Ambulance Station.
However, the Trust has confirmed the station will close as the lease on the building is set to end this September.
A spokesperson for SWASFT said: “We would like to thank Mr Foster for attending today’s Board in Public meeting, and for presenting us with a petition regarding the future of Paignton Ambulance Station.”
The trust currently leases the building from St John Ambulance, who earlier this year advised SWASFT that they intended to sell the property and would not be renewing the lease, which ends on 13 September.
The spokesperson added: “The Trust currently leases the building where Paignton Ambulance Station is located, from St John Ambulance. The existing lease agreement ends on 13 September. In February of this year, St John Ambulance confirmed that the lease would not be renewed and advised us that they intended to sell the property.”
In response, the trust is developing plans to replace the station with a Community Ambulance Point (CAP) in Paignton.
CAPs are smaller, modular facilities designed to support ambulance crews with rest breaks and operational standby, operating 24/7 as part of a wider strategy called Tomorrow’s Operating Model.
The spokesperson explained: “CAPs form part of a multi-year strategy called Tomorrow’s Operating Model. CAPs involve the creation of new infrastructure to support growth and new ways of working. Paignton’s CAP would be used like an ‘in-shift station’ for ambulance crews.”
Work is underway with Torbay Council to find a suitable location for the CAP, with site options currently being scoped.
The trust expressed appreciation for the council’s cooperation: “We are engaging with Torbay Council to identify a suitable location for the installation of Paignton’s CAP... We are grateful for the approach taken by the Local Authority, and we await with interest our next meeting with them, where we hope to be able to review location options.”
The trust explained that ambulances are dispatched primarily from within the community rather than from stations to improve response times: “Our ambulances are mostly dispatched to attend patients from within the community, rather than directly from ambulance stations. This approach ensures our staff are best placed to respond quickly and effectively to patient needs across the region.”
Despite the petition and community concerns, the closure appears confirmed, with the trust focusing on modernising its operational approach through the CAP model.
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