DSAA Beeline, Issue 1 2017

WHAT WE DO
the best of the district’s hospitals right to the patient,
whether that be at the roadside or coastal path, treat
them and then take them to the hospital which best suits
their needs – this could be as far away as Swansea.
Just minutes before, we’d been sat around a table,
enjoying a cup of tea and talking about their work. The
team works 12-hour shifts and is called out on average
three or four times a day. However, this can rise to eight
or nine during busier periods.
The airbase is very comfortable; there’s a kitchen in the
building so the team can prepare food and eat, as well as
a rest area, but many of the team are studying for exams
so they spend much of the time at their books.
Understandably, there is tough competition for
air ambulance jobs. Steve Westbrook was one of 60
applicants who applied during the last recruitment
process and the doctors are drawn from hospitals across
the area to bring the best expertise.
“I always wanted to join the air ambulance and
was delighted when I was successful,” says Steve.
Local Journalist
Rachel Stretton
spent time with
the DSAA crew
“The selection process was rigorous and involved four
assessments (three clinical and one in leadership),
physical and written tests, a presentation and a formal
interview.”
For the team, it’s also about finding the right
personality.
“If you get the wrong person it can disrupt the whole
ethos of the team,” says Izzy. “It’s so important to find
someone who has the same values that we share.”
There is one Helicopter Emergency Medical Service
(HEMS) Desk, which helps task all five air ambulances
in the South West. This is based at the South West
Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT)
control room in Exeter.
While all efforts are made to ensure the team knows
as much as possible before landing, there are often
unknowns. The pilots will land as close as possible, but
sometimes there is still a considerable distance to travel.
The crew members each carry a 20kg bag on their backs,
which contains a whole range of equipment and drugs,
so they have to be extremely fit.
Izzy says: “The equipment we carry is vital. We can
anaesthetise patients, carry out surgical procedures, give
blood if the patient is critically unwell and if they are in
cardiac arrest we have machines to assist us.”
Despite their swift and often lifesaving actions, there
are often times when the air ambulance crew hand a
patient over to the care of a hospital and never find out if
they survived or got better.
“Patient feedback helps us to identify the full impact of
our service,” says Mark. “It’s lovely to receive letters and
cards from the people we have helped. I love the fact that
in my job I get to fly in a helicopter, but treating patients
and finding out what we did made a difference, that’s
what makes it incredible!”
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance @dsairambulance 13
12-13 DSAA_Dorset_Echo.indd 13 09/03/2017 09:43