Ambulance UK December 2019

NEWSLINE
over 6,000 members of staff,
a population of over 7 million
people, numerous public
interest groups, MPs, councils
and healthcare professionals
across six counties, the team
was shortlisted by the Unsung
Hero Awards’ judges.
Chief Executive at NWAS, Daren
Mochrie said: “It’s fantastic
that our Communications team
has been recognised for its
innovative work behind the
scenes.
“The team’s recent
achievements show the variety
of projects they support, and
the demand for their expertise
across our organisation, as we
strive to be the best ambulance
service in the country.
“With effective communication
influencing public confidence,
organisational reputation
and the morale of staff, it’s a
tough job to be fresh-thinking
in order to engage with our
diverse range of stakeholders
and predominantly mobile
workforce.
“Congratulations to the team on
this achievement and best of
luck at the awards.”
Winners of the Unsung Hero
Awards will be announced at an
event on 28 February 2020 at
the Hilton Hotel in Manchester.
Taking 111 to next
level
Plans that will eventually
see the full integration of
the 999 and 111 services in
the West Midlands (except
Staffordshire) have taken an
important step forward with
the 111 service transferring
to West Midlands Ambulance
Service.
The change is the first step
of a process that will lead
to significant improvements
for patient care through fully
integrating NHS urgent and
emergency care services.
The new service will see fewer
patients being sent ambulances
and lead to a reduction in the
number of patients asked to
attend A&E.
Instead, the new model
will support more patients
being cared for in the most
appropriate place for their
needs. This will also include
more patients being provided
with care over the phone by a
team including GPs; advanced
nurse practitioners; community
mental health teams;
pharmacists, dental nurses,
paramedics and midwives.
More calls will also be diverted
to GPs (in and out of hours),
urgent treatment centres
and rapid response services
operated in the community.
Rachael Ellis, Chief Officer for
Integrated Urgent & Emergency
Care, Sandwell and West
Birmingham CCG, said:
“Once in place, it won’t matter
whether patients dial 111
for urgent care or 999 for
emergency care, our patients
will all receive the same quality
of care with their calls answered
quickly and they will have
access to the right clinicians for
their need.
“This integration represents a
real opportunity to work as one
system to care for our patients.”
WMAS Chief Executive, Anthony
Marsh, said: “We have an
outstanding track record in
running complex clinical call
handling operations. This
expertise will allow us to bring
real improvements to the 111
service for both patients and
our staff.”
AMBULANCE UK - DECEMBER
Do you have anything you would like to add or include in Newsline? Please contact us and let us know.
227