Narrowband  |   Broadband  |  2024-01-29

ARP Goes Live with the Ambulance Radio Programme’s Mobile Data and Vehicle Solution

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

To facilitate the improvement of critical communications, the Ambulance Radio Programme (ARP) today announced that London Ambulance Service NHS Trust has gone live with the new Mobile Data and Vehicle Solution (MDVS).

The Ambulance Radio Programme (ARP) today announced that London Ambulance Service NHS Trust has gone live with the new Mobile Data and Vehicle Solution (MDVS). Rollout has commenced across the fleet of over 800 ambulances and response vehicles. This is part of the ARP’s national deployment; a new National Mobilisation Application (which includes Sat Nav functionality) and new hardware in the vehicles, replacing the existing Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs).

Duncan Bray – ARP Director;

“London Ambulance becomes the 7th Trust live with the Mobile Data Vehicle Solution! What another fantastic achievement for the ARP Team and our key suppliers. It’s been great to work closely with the team in London Ambulance, we’ve installed and integrated into 60 brand new London Ambulances before Christmas, and now the solution is being installed onto the remaining fleet. ARP have been able to support the Trust in the acceleration of implementation to meet the increasing demand on the Ambulance Service in London. Well done to all involved.”

Tracy Kaczmarczyk – ARP Head of Programmes;

“The launch of  the critical communication system that has been installed and displayed on the vehicle Infotainment system in the London ambulances is a game changer. The suppliers, trust, and the team across ARP have worked hard to deliver this in such a short space of time. The commitment, passion and collaboration to support the critical work of the Ambulance Service has been paramount to this delivery.”

Dave Walton – ARP Implementation Manager;

“It has been a pleasure to work with the project team at LAS.  The roll out of MDVS has been challenging due to the expedited planning and the complexity of the LAS fleet, however the focus and dedication of all involved ensured the transition to MDVS was smooth and on time.”

Olivia Sibson – ARP Infotainment Project Manager;

“It’s been amazing to be part of the London Ambulance Service pilot and go-live of the MDVS Solution. As the first Ambulance Trust to integrate the system into the in-vehicle infotainment screens, there were certainly some hurdles to overcome. Thanks to the agile and successful teamwork from all parties involved, we’ve managed to test and assure multiple solutions with the first one now being fully live in the new Ford Transits.”

Alejandra Garcia-Gardner – ARP Field Services Contract Manager;

“Thanks to the hard work of the team at ARP, our suppliers, and our colleagues at LAS, the Ambulance Radio Programme Infotainment Solution has been successfully rolled out LAS. It is great to see the infotainment generation of the MDVS solution live at the first Trust, and the positive impact it has had on LAS operations, and ultimately patient care.”

Ray Wells – LAS IM&T Project Manager;

“Delivering the project to this stage hasn’t been without its challenges, both from a technical point of view but also, managing the delivery of new vehicles into the country alongside surveying our entire existing Fleet. LAS has over 20 different vehicle types in operation including bikes and motorbikes, all with differing installation requirements. Assessing and documenting all of that alongside testing and configuring the solution, has taken a considerable effort from numerous people within the Trust and the ARP programme, all of whom have delivered without fail. Everyone engaged on the project has their day job to carry out as well as project activities, and the fact we’ve now gotten to the stage where thousands of incidents have been responded to using the NMA solution, is testament to how professional and knowledgeable they all are.”

Simon Harding – LAS Deputy Director (999/111 Controls) 

“We are now well into the ARP project, and we have MDVS installed on around 75 vehicles across the trust, responding to emergencies and incidents across the capital. This has seen MDVS deployed on new vehicles, integrated with the inbuilt infotainment systems, and also on some of our vehicles that were already in service with the legacy MDTs which have been replaced with the new MDVS kit. This work will continue across the coming months to capture all the LAS fleet. The joint working and regular communication between LAS, ARP and other partners has enabled these to be delivered at pace, and as planned. As we move further into the delivery stage, more vehicles and types of vehicles will be deployed with MDVS, allowing the LAS to realise the benefits of working with a common national set of equipment.”

All remaining Trusts in England (West Midlands, South Central, South Western, and South East Coast) will go live with the solution during 2024.