AMBULANCE bosses are recruiting more than 100 new staff, and putting more than a dozen new ambulances into service, following months of major delays.

East England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST), which is responsible for running ambulance services to Basildon and Southend hospitals, has pledged to bolster its workforce at a meeting with MPs.

The service has come under scrutiny in recent months, with reports of ambulance operators quoting up to 20-hour waits to patients.

In January, Shoebury grandmother Maureen Laver, 81, was left waiting five hours after falling and hurting herself at home.

On February 17, patients were left waiting 12 hours to be offloaded from ambulances outside Southend Hospital as queues formed.

Southend West MP Anna Firth, Rayleigh and Wickford MP Mark Francois, Castle Point MP Rebecca Harris, and Basildon and Billericay MP John Baron, met with the ambulance trust’s chief executive Tom Abell to demand improvements.

They were joined by Maldon MP John Whittingdale.

Mr Abell promised south Essex would get 13 new ambulances, and that he would recruit 111 new staff, with two new dedicated ambulance crews to work directly with A&E department at Southend Hospital.

Ms Firth said: “It’s great to have coordinated with other Essex MPs to speak to Mr Abell and see what we can actually do to get this sorted.

“Making Southend healthier is a top priority for me, and I am delighted to see some genuine changes being made which will absolutely achieve this goal, from more ambulances and staff to changes in the leadership of EEAST.

She added: “We are so lucky to have such a brilliant hospital in our community there can be no let up when it comes to people’s health.”

Mr Francois said: “It was a constructive meeting but also provided an opportunity to raise some specific examples of where EEAST definitely need to improve their performance.”

Ms Harris said: “I am very encouraged by this recent meeting that he is taking active steps to improve the service for all our residents.”