THE British military is deploying 80 personnel to help one of the UK’s main ambulance services to cope with an expected increase in demand as the Covid-19 crisis intensifies.

The personnel from all three services have been assigned to drive emergency vehicles as well as take calls for South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Sussex and Surrey.

A SCAS spokesman said the military helpers are being given training in emergency first aid - similar to that given to volunteer responders - as well as training in driving emergency ambulances and using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).

He said the extra staff would enable the service to have an extra 20-30 ambulances on the road each day, a 10 per cent increase on its normal 180-200.

>> LIVE CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

He said: “Training has commenced this week to give emergency driver training so they can drive ambulances, as well as PPE training so they know what level they have to wear to different incidents.

“Once they are through that training, the majority will go on road as well as in the control room which is in demand.”

The spokesman said that it was currently seeing between 400 and 500 staff off work isolating from its 3,300-workforce but the military personnel were aimed at helping to cope with an expected increase in Covid-19 cases.

He said: “Our 999 service is coping well at the moment, people are using the service correctly and we are managing to keep on top of normal demand plus Covid-19 cases.

“We are getting this support because we expect to see the Covid-19 demand increase.”

  • The coronavirus Sussex Crisis Fund has been set up to help those affected by the pandemic. The Argus’s charity and American Express have each donated £50,000 to kick-start the appeal. Grants will usually be for up to £5,000. More information is available at www.sussexgiving. org.uk/apply. To donate visit www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/sussexcrisisfund