Two ambulances collided on Prittlewell Chase by Southend Hospital on Thursday. Three crew went to hospital; the patient on board was unhurt, the trust said.

Two ambulances collided on Prittlewell Chase, the road outside Southend University Hospital, on Thursday 15 October. Three ambulance staff were taken to hospital.

One ambulance was taking a patient to hospital. The other was on its way to a 999 call. The patient was not hurt.

What the ambulance service said

The East of England Ambulance Service issued a statement to the media. It has not yet appeared on the trust’s own newsroom. As carried in full by the Southend Echo, with its final sentence matching the BBC’s report word for word, a spokesperson said:

“We can confirm that two East of England Ambulance Service ambulances were involved in a road traffic collision on Prittlewell Chase in Southend.

“At the time of the incident, one ambulance was transporting a patient to hospital, while the second was responding to a 999 call under emergency driving conditions.

“Three members of staff involved in the collision were taken to hospital for assessment and treatment. The patient being conveyed by ambulance was not injured in the incident and has been transferred to hospital by another ambulance.”

The statement does not say how badly the three staff were hurt, or what caused the collision. Essex Police has published nothing about it on its own news pages so far.

What it means for you

The trust says the patient was unharmed and reached hospital in a second ambulance. Its statement mentions no change to services at Southend University Hospital.

Prittlewell Chase runs along the front of the hospital. We could not confirm from the council or the police which stretch was closed, or when it reopened. Check our Southend roadworks and travel page before setting off, and allow extra time if you have an appointment at the hospital.

We will add any update from the ambulance service or Essex Police to this page.