New $120m SA Ambulance Service HQ to be built on Richmond Rd at Mile End

The new $120m headquarters of the SA Ambulance Service will be built on a huge site on the outskirts of the Adelaide CBD, with another key health project to go right beside it.

The new $120m headquarters of the SA Ambulance Service will be built on government-owned land on Richmond Rd at Mile End.

The 10,000sq m site, currently leased by the Transport Department, is near the new joint command centre for the State Emergency Service, Country Fire Service and Metropolitan Fire Service, also on Richmond Rd at Keswick.

The new HQ will include an emergency operations centre for triple-0 call takers and medical dispatchers.

It will also house a state health control centre for monitoring demand across the hospital and ambulance systems to respond to blockages.

Site of the proposed new SA Ambulance Headquarters on Richmond Rd, Mile End between the bus depot and RAA. Picture: Supplied

Health minister Chris Picton announcing the site of the new SA Ambulance headquarters at Mile End. Picture: Supplied

The site was chosen for its central location and for its large size allowing for future expansion.

A new city ambulance station with two 24/7 emergency crews, totally 32 paramedics, will be built on the same site. It is expected to help reduce response times across the metro area.

Construction of both the HQ and new station will start late this year and be finished by the end of 2025.

The government has also unveiled new-look ambulances.

Health Minister Chris described the site as “future-proofed”.

“The people who we trust to respond to triple-0 calls and dispatch ambulances are currently working out of a building that is outdated and insufficient,” he said.

“We are building them the facilities that they have long called for and delivering the equipment and technology that our patients need.

“The new State Health Control Centre will bring together staff from across the local health networks and the ambulance service to better coordinate operations and respond to surges in demand.”

SAAS chief executive Rob Elliott said the operations centre would be “a crucial step for our team who manage high volumes of triple-0 calls and emergency responses”.

But Opposition health spokeswoman Ashton Hurn said the new site was “further from the Adelaide CBD than the current HQ (at Eastwood) and it’s not in the centre of Adelaide like Labor promised”.

“Unfortunately, we’ll add this to the pile of overpromising and underdelivering where their failure to fix ramping also lies.”