Medic worker blasts Cumnock Ambulance Station as 'disgrace and embarrassment'

The ambulance worker who wants to remain anonymous is branding the planned £200,000 refurbishment a ‘waste of public money’.

The furious source wants the station to be completely moved out ofthe ‘unsuitable or fit for purpose’ building which he has described as ‘a dump that is hard to get in and out of’.

They are even claiming the condition of the property which is ‘covered in pigeon droppings’ is so poor that several members of staff have been left with ‘chest infections’.

The fed-up worker also insisted that since the building is shared with others they are often blocked in by other department employees’ bad parking which can stop them getting to emergencies quickly.

They claimed: “The place is a dump. It is hard to get in and out of which is difficult if on an emergency call.

“The ambulance station isn’t ours so we could be chucked out with six months notice at any time, would you spend £200,000 on a rented house? It’s mad.

“It is a massive waste of public money, they would be cheaper putting us in our own building that is actually our own.

“We are getting blocked in by council workers who we share the building with. It isn’t good enough we need our own premises not hundreds of thousands of pounds put into a building we could be removed from any minute.

“It looks like Aldi is moving in next door, what if they want to expand? Then we will be chucked right out. We are an essential service and deserve a better building.

“It is covered in pigeon droppings and everything; you can’t have that around ambulances. Some of us have been developing chest infections and problems like that. I think it is because of the state of that building. It is a disgrace.

“They have had loads of opportunities to move us to other buildings like up at Caponacre Industrial Estate but haven’t taken them.

“If this refurb goes ahead it will be a much a waste of public cash, we don’t need it done up lovely we need out.”

Scotland's Health Secretary has responded to claims that Cumnock Ambulance station is ‘not fit for purpose’.

Jeane Freeman who is also MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, insists there was no other suitable building to offer the ambulance workers.

She said: “I understand that the Ambulance Service looked at several possible options but found no suitable alternative site in Cumnock that met their needs.

“Therefore the decision to renovate the current site, in consultation with the Ambulance Service staff, was the only option available."

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson commented on the Cumnock refurbishment in March: “Local staff, with supportfrom the management team, have been consulted on their preferred options for a redevelopment of the current site.

“Renovation work will start early in the 2019/20 financial year.

“This will include renovation ofthe interior ofthe building, including a new IT room, an improved kitchen/crew room, more locker space, and sluice/cleaning facilities to help maintain our infection prevention and control standards and external work will be done to improve the car parking and access/egress to the garage facilities.

They insisted other sites in were considered but none met the correct ‘needs’.