Castle Point’s MP has defended the decision to axe Canvey’s only rapid response vehicle, but insisted she will ensure changes will be an improvement for the island.

Earlier this week, the Echo reported how a paramedic urged MP Rebecca Harris to reconsider plans before “people start dying”.

A scheme from the East of England Ambulance service is reducing the number of rapid response vehicles, and increasing ambulance numbers.

Canvey currently has one ambulance which deals with calls on and off the island and a rapid response vehicle, which is based on Canvey.

There are fears if the rapid response vehicle is removed from Canvey, the new ambulance to replace it – which could be positioned on the mainland – would struggle to reach any emergencies.

Mrs Harris said she will fight to ensure that Canvey does not suffer by the changes.

She said: “I was in contact with the ambulance service over this subject back in October.

“At the time they explained that they were moving away from the model of rapid response vehicles and replacing them with fully functional ambulances, as too often people were getting a car when what they really needed was an ambulance.

“They also assured me that this was an improvement in service which was fully supported by the College of Paramedics.

“This is something which their trade union UNISON has been calling for a number of years.

“Whilst this is clearly designed to be an improvement for patient care and outcomes across wider Essex, naturally I will challenge the East of England Ambulance Service again to make sure that it will be an improvement for Canvey island considering its unique circumstances.”

An ambulance spokesman said: “The national Ambulance Response Programme (ARP), is about making sure patients get the right response first time for their clinical needs, rather than simply hitting a mandatory target. The new standards recognise that in the past rapid response vehicles were used to get to a patient quickly, often to meet a target, even though the patient still needed an ambulance to get them to hospital. Under the new system, the aim is to make sure patients get the right clinical response, which is more often an ambulance than a rapid response vehicle.

“To be able to implement this, and provide patients with the best possible service, EEAST will be increasing its ambulance cover and reducing the number of Rapid Response Vehicles it operates something our colleagues in UNISON have been calling on for a number of years. Every ambulance service in England is implementing these changes.”