The South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) has begun deploying 92 new MAN Box Body Dual‑Crewed Ambulances (DCAs) across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, with many of the vehicles commissioned through the Paddock Wood Make Ready Centre to serve Royal Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding area. The first vehicles arrived in late January 2026 and the rollout is scheduled to continue through the end of March.
The programme is part of a wider fleet renewal to replace ageing Mercedes Sprinter DCAs and leased Fiats that have faced maintenance and reliability issues in recent years. At the Paddock Wood Make Ready Centre, dedicated teams deep‑clean, mechanically check and restock vehicles so they are ready for crews to use when deployed to local response posts.
The new ambulances are equipped with HAAS Alert’s Safety Cloud digital alerting — implemented in partnership with ACETECH — which can deliver real‑time alerts to connected in‑car infotainment systems and navigation apps to warn motorists that an emergency vehicle is approaching. SECAmb has been described by HAAS Alert and Trust communications as the first ambulance fleet in Europe to be equipped with this digital alerting capability.
The investment comes after the Trust exited the Recovery Support Programme (formerly referred to as ‘special measures’) in March 2025 and is part of efforts to stabilise operations and improve response reliability. SECAmb expects all 92 vehicles to be operational and integrated into frontline use by the end of March 2026.
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