Ambulance UK Feb 2020

Volume 35 No. 1

February 2020

DEDICATED TO THE AMBULANCE SERVICE AND ITS SUPPLIERS

Celebrating 41 years of support

for the emergency services

In this issue

Tackling Pressures with a Sense

of Humour

A Major Re-Design of New A&E

‘WAS’ Vehicles

Newsline

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS

Ambulance UK

4 EDITOR’S COMMENT

6 FEATURES

6 Tackling pressures with a sense of humour

8 A major re-design of new A&E ‘WAS’ vehicles at

the North East Ambulance Service unveiled

10 NEWSLINE

33 IN PERSON

38 COMPANY NEWS

This issue edited by:

Sam English

c/o Media Publishing Company

48 High Street

SWANLEY BR8 8BQ

ADVERTISING:

Terry Gardner, Brenda Pickering

CIRCULATION:

Media Publishing Company

Media House, 48 High Street

SWANLEY, Kent, BR8 8BQ

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E: info@mediapublishingcompany.com

www.ambulanceukonline.com

PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY:

February, April, June, August,

October, December

COVER STORY

Founded in November 1979, DS Medical looks to celebrate its 41st year

of business supporting healthcare professionals. We have been the

proud providers of exceptional pre-hospital and primary care products

to our varied health care customers for over four decades. Our aim is to

continue to develop fantastic products and services.

You don’t have to look far to see the growth we have exhibited over the years. Our product

range has expanded from stethoscopes and general fi rst aid supplies for the pre-hospital

care market, to emergency medical equipment, haemostats, and consumables for all

stages of medical support. With the introduction of manufacturing 12 years ago DS

Medical is able to provide a range of Response Bags that many of the leading NHS

Ambulance Trusts and other institutions utilise on their vehicles and for their personnel,

making DS Medical one of the leading suppliers of medical care products in the UK.

Since 1979, attention to detail and customer care have been core values held by DS

Medical. Over the years we have developed close bonds with numerable institutions, NHS,

Fire, Police, Maritime, and Industry, enabling us to add to our expertise, understanding and

support of client requirements within the emergency services industry.

Increased long-standing supplier relationships with renowned global leave us confi dent

that our consumers can rely on us for products that ensure excellent patient care.

In our 41 years of business, our primary focus has never wavered from our customers’

needs. Aiming to deliver the best customer care, our four decades of medical expertise,

industry knowledge and our in-house clinician means we are able to do just that.

COPYRIGHT:

Media Publishing Company

Media House

48 High Street

SWANLEY, Kent, BR8 8BQ

PUBLISHERS STATEMENT:

The views and opinions expressed in

this issue are not necessarily those of

the Publisher, the Editors or Media

Publishing Company.

Next Issue April 2020

Subscription Information – February 2020

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3

EDITOR’S COMMENT

EDITOR’S COMMENT

Welcome to this issue of AUK.

As you read this the 2020 Ambulance Leadership Forum will soon be taking place. I was once asked

about my leadership qualities at interview, I’m not going to give you my response but while it’s easy to

talk generally about leadership, its quite difficult to identify your own style. It therefore seems appropriate

to spend a little time thinking about leadership, especially in an NHS where times are tough and issues

complex.


“I’d

rather be

a sheep

in charge

of an

army

of lions

than a

lion in

charge

of an

army of

sheep.”

I don’t give orders in my day to day role, nor do I pretend to be all-knowing, my skill has always been in

recognising the strengths of the team and delegating tasks appropriately. I read some of the work from

David Marquet, a former submarine commander turned leadership guru, who beautifully describes how

good leaders move ‘authority towards information’ in much the same way, the video is well worth a watch.

This isn’t a new concept, TQM (Total Quality Management) was a concept of W.Edwards Deming in the

1940’s and focused on a simple premise, recognising that the man who packs the beans is the best

placed to know how to make economies in packing beans. It dictates that when people are valued for their

knowledge or insight, not only is the institution better placed to improve quality but also the leadership is

seen as successful, even though the actual effort may be as simple as being visible and talking to staff.

I suppose that although you could look at this in many ways, in its simplest form it demonstrates that the

key skills in leadership are obvious if not easily acquired, are to listen, ask, understand and empower the

team depending on the situation. It’s all about how we handle ourselves in relationships, whether they

be personal or professional. It isn’t possible to avoid a single conclusion, good leadership is about the

investment you make in those you lead.

So, the next time I’m asked about leadership there’s a simple answer, I’d rather be a sheep in charge of an

army of lions than a lion in charge of an army of sheep…

Sam English, Co-Editor Ambulance UK

4

For more news visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com

FEATURE

TACKLING PRESSURES WITH A

SENSE OF HUMOUR

Heading into winter 2019, newspaper headlines reported the NHS was

preparing to face the ‘worst winter it has ever endured’ with harsh weather

conditions, the potential of a severe flu outbreak, an NHS pensions issue

with doctors and the uncertainty of Brexit potentially ‘crippling’ the health

service.

Along with the rest of the NHS, North West Ambulance Service (NWAS)

and ambulance trusts across the country face increased patient numbers

year on year and specifically during the winter months which is why there

are intense plans created well before the cold snap to ensure patients in

need get the help they are entitled to.

At NWAS, winter planning days involving staff across all directorates, not

just operations, and start during the summer – the idea being that all staff

have a part to play and are fully bought into tackling the challenging times

together.

As winter approached, many initiatives to support demand management

were underway. Alternative care pathway providers were encouraged to

make new schemes available and to respond to referral requests quickly

to minimise ambulance crews’ time on scene, clinical support in contact

centres was available 24/7, voluntary ambulance services were brought

in to respond to non-urgent cases, patient transport crews supported

discharges and shared public health leaflets with their patients.

Through a quality improvement programme called ‘Every Minute Matters’,

collaborative work was also ongoing to minimise hospital handovers.

One key aspect of the trust’s winter plan each year is how it will

communicate with patients, stakeholders and the public. The trust’s

Communications Team is responsible for creating new opportunities to

capture the attention of the public, providing information about when it is

appropriate to call 999 and the other ways they can get help from the NHS.

A few years after the launch of the trust’s award winning ‘make the right

call’ campaign, it was time for a new approach. Could something be done

to help reduce the 37% of 999 calls to NWAS that were for urgent rather

than emergency situations such as slips and falls, tummy and backache?

Created in a studio, the film featured an emergency medical dispatcher

as the star and narrator of the film, one simple prop for each story and

actors to play the parts of patients – it even involved a rabbit!

The film ended with a twist when chilling audio from a real-life cardiac

arrest call was played.

Beyond the video, a new web page was created explaining when a

situation is an emergency and what to do when it is not. In addition, radio

adverts were commissioned with major stations across the five counties

of the North West to correlate with the timing of the video campaign

– just before Christmas when calls tend to reach an all-time high. The

radio adverts played out an example of an emotive call to pull at the

heartstrings of listeners, interrupted by petty, non-emergency scenarios.

Information was issued to the media featuring an embeddable video for

them to use and a link to NHS 111 Online. Interviews were set up with

spokespeople and local TV news channels, which broadcast to 1.8 million

people.

Reaching out to the public through the media enabled the trust to explain

that whilst the video contained extreme examples to capture public

attention, over a third of 999 calls come from people who do need help, but

not for emergencies and it was those people that would benefit from using

NHS 111 instead of 999. 93% of media coverage included the campaign’s

key messages and 11% of coverage included a link to NHS 111 online.

The video was posted on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, driving

606k video views, reaching 1.1 million people and resulting in 18,435

engagements.

Sentiment online about the video was hugely positive, with comments

including: “The man at the end of the video was my dad. We called

after mum suffered from a massive heart attack and cardiac arrest. Our

emergency services and NHS are amazing. Mum survived.”

The campaign delivered far beyond expectations, achieving standout

broadcast TV coverage and incredible digital engagement at a very

busy time.


999 – I can’t reach the toilet roll

Inspired by Channel 4’s tongue in cheek advert, which features celebrities

narrating their own complaints, the trust commissioned a film that would

use humour to bring to life some of the most ridiculous 999 calls it had

received.

Examples of genuine ‘emergency’ calls featured in the video included a

stubbed toe, hiccups, a broken kettle, complaints about the TV show ‘999

what’s your emergency?’ and someone who called because they could

not reach the toilet roll.

More importantly, the impact on the public was phenomenal and played

its part in contributing towards a decrease in incidents on key dates

during the festive period (compared to the year before); including a 10

percent decrease in incidents on New Year’s Eve and 6.3 decrease in

incidents on New Year’s Day.

Thank you for saving my life

The next part of the trust’s communications work to support demand

management was the launch of a ‘thank you’ campaign to show NWAS

staff just how much they mean to every day members of the public.

6

For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com

FEATURE

The idea behind this phase of the public campaign was to highlight cases

where the intervention of the ambulance service had made the difference

between life and death, to remind people that 999 is for life threatening

emergencies only.

Five fi lmed case studies were used to launch the campaign.

One of the grateful patients was Joe Holding from Liverpool, who was

attacked in his home and was left fi ghting for his life after a gang of men

broke into his home, beat him up, slashed him with a machete, threw

petrol on him and set him on fi re.

The men had doused the entrance of the house with petrol and set it on

fi re which blocked the escape for Joe who ended up having to jump out

of a fi rst fl oor window of the burning building.

Joe said: “I remember screaming in pain and panic. My whole body was

on fi re and I had no choice but to escape by jumping out of an upstairs

window.”

Left in a critical condition after the attack, Joe was covered in blood and

slash wounds with burns over half of his body. His neighbour called 999

and the emergency services attended within minutes of receiving the call.

Joe was taken to hospital where he remained in an induced coma.

He almost lost his life due to the extent of his injuries but thankfully he

recovered and was able to reunite with Dave and Daryl, paramedics from

NWAS’ hazardous area response team.

“It was so important for me to meet with David and Daryl as they, along

with the other ambulance crew who treated me, really did save my life,”

said Joe. “It really has been the pinnacle in my recovery as whilst I have

healed physically, mentally it has been tough. I can’t thank North West

Ambulance Service enough for what they did for me.”

Case studies such a Joe’s, alongside the hashtag #ThankYouNWAS,

drove the public to share their own stories on social media. NWAS staff

joined the conversation too, with one person commenting on Facebook:

“It’s amazing for us as crew to get positive feedback… We don’t do the

job for the recognition but is always nice when we do receive it.”

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Happily ever after

To appeal to adults and children alike, the trust’s fi nal phases of winter

work saw age-old fairy tales such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,

Sleeping Beauty and Hansel and Gretel given a modern twist in a new

book.

In the book, Snow White takes a bite of her apple and falls unconscious

due to an allergic reaction and Sleeping Beauty helps a prince having a

seizure by dialling 111.

Filled with beautiful pictures and engaging stories, the book’s themes

will stay with children throughout their lives and help them make the right

decisions in future.

For more information about NWAS winter communications, go to

www.nwas.nhs.uk.

i-view is the new, single use, fully disposable

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the option of video laryngoscopy wherever you

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Quality, innovation and choice


7

ADVERTORIAL FEATURE

A MAJOR RE-DESIGN OF NEW A&E

‘WAS’ VEHICLES AT THE NORTH EAST

AMBULANCE SERVICE UNVEILED

The new 44 ambulances procured last year were re-designed to make

them more accessible to disabled people, including people with sight

and hearing impairments and people living with dementia. NEAS is the

first ambulance service in the country to completely re-design some of

their vehicles to meet the needs of all of these patients.

Some patients currently have difficulty seeing handrails and steps,

while others have problems seeing or understanding signs in vehicles.

Changes to the colour scheme and signage have been made at no cost

to the Trust.

Among the changes are a new look interior, an improved colour

scheme, flooring, seat colours, better signs and handrails. The colour

contrast between the walls, floor and cabinets has also been changed

to improve access for patients.

NEAS chief executive Helen Ray said: “Being in an ambulance can be a very

traumatic experience - even more so for patients who have specific needs.


The work follows an extensive consultation exercise with stakeholder

and patient representative groups. The vehicles have been approved by

the Alzheimer’s Society as dementia friendly vehicles and the outside of

the vehicles will display a sign indicating the new vehicles are dementia

friendly spaces.

“What might appear to be small adaptations, such as changing signs

and the colour of handrails, can make a big difference to disabled

patients. These changes will mean that they can access our vehicles

more easily and help people to live more independently. This will help to

reduce the stress and anxiety they can feel.

“I’d like to thank all the people and groups who have helped us redesign

these vehicles. Their contribution has been invaluable.”

8


ADVERTORIAL FEATURE

Tom Howlett of vehicle manufacturer ‘WAS’ which carried out the

ambulance conversion, said: “It’s been a very rewarding project to work

on knowing that it will have a positive impact on patient experience.

It’s easy to forget the difficulties that some patients can face when they

are in an ambulance vehicle. We hope the adaptations can make a real

difference for them.”

Andrew Ball of the Alzheimer’s Society said: “More and more people

are living with dementia – in their own homes but out of the community.

We need to make the journey in an ambulance as comfortable as

possible for them and for ambulance staff to understand the needs

of people living with dementia. NEAS has been brilliant at listening to

the experts and the views of people with impairments. It’s been really

welcome that the changes have been for everybody, including those

with disabilities.”

Julie Walker, of Willowdene Care Home, said: “I am really impressed

with the changes. What they have done is more than we asked for.

They have really taken on board the suggestions of how to help people

who have dementia. All of the changes will make the lives of people

who have to use an ambulance hugely better.”

And Darren Taylor, managing director of Empowerment Consultancy

and Training in Birtley added: “It was important that service users were

involved throughout the process, not just at the end. I think the changes

will make a big difference and people will appreciate them because

they’ve been consulted.”

WAS UK Ltd

Email : wasukinfo@was-vehicles.co.uk

Phone : 0845 45 927 85

Website : www.was-vehicles.com

Twitter : @WASAmbulances

Facebook : www.facebook.com/was.vehicles


Do you have anything you would like to add or include in Features? Please contact us and let us know.

9

NEWSLINE

YAS

Yorkshire Ambulance

Service receives its

10 millionth call into

NHS 111

Yorkshire Ambulance Service

NHS Trust has clocked up its

10 millionth call to the NHS

111 service it provides across

Yorkshire and the Humber.

The Friday before Christmas


marked the day that the milestone

call was received since the NHS

111 service was launched in

March 2013.

Based at two call centres in

Wakefield and Wath upon Dearne,

the NHS 111 service is operated

by experienced health advisors

and clinicians who handle calls

24 hours a day, seven days a

week. They provide advice to

patients who call when they have

an urgent healthcare need which

is not an emergency and are able

to signpost them to the most

appropriate care.

Karen Owens, Director of Urgent

Care and Integration at Yorkshire

Ambulance Service NHS Trust,

said: “Our service remains one

of the largest in the country and

we are proud of the care our staff

are able to provide to thousands

of patients every day. NHS 111 is

a compassionate service that is

accessible to all and the fact that

we have now received 10 million

calls shows that the public relies

on the NHS 111 service when they

need trusted advice for a medical

problem and are unsure what to

do.”

On a typical weekday, the service

currently responds to an average

of 3,300 calls, around 6,300 on a

Saturday and just over 5,700 on

a Sunday.

Remember that the NHS 111

service can offer you advice if:

• your case isn’t life-threatening

and is less urgent than a 999

call

• you don’t have a GP to call or a

GP isn’t available

• you aren’t sure which service

you need

• you need health information

and the confidence to know

what to do next.

For less urgent health needs,

contact your GP or visit your

local pharmacy in the usual

way. You can also find support

and information on symptoms,

conditions, medicines and

treatments on the NHS website at

www.nhs.uk

For immediate and life-threatening

emergencies, always dial 999.

WAA

Increased demand

for Wiltshire Air

Ambulance in 2019

Wiltshire Air Ambulance

undertook 1,233 missions in

2019 - an increase of 12% on

the previous year.

It was also the most number of

missions carried out in a year

since the charity became a

stand-alone air ambulance in

2015.

Of the 1,233 missions last year,

920 were in the Rapid Response

Vehicles (cars) while 313 were by

helicopter.

During 2019 the charity hired

a back up helicopter, an MD

902, before securing its own

Air Operator Certificate (AOC)

enabling its Bell 429 helicopter

to resume flying in November on

HEMS (Helicopter Emergency

Medical Service) missions.

David Philpott, chief executive

of Wiltshire Air Ambulance, said:

“Despite the well documented

issues with our Bell 429

helicopter during 2019, our

aircrew were busier than they

have ever been.

“When our helicopter is unable

to fly our critical care paramedics

and doctors use Rapid Response

Vehicles. The vehicles have the

same medical equipment that is

onboard the helicopter so we are

still able to provide gold standard

medical care to patients.

”We rely on donations to provide

our essential service so we’d like

to thank our supporters for their

generosity and our volunteers

for their dedication in attending

fundraising events and raising

awareness of our charity.”

The largest number of call

outs in 2019 were to cardiac

emergencies - 384 - almost one

in three missions, while 239 were

to road traffic collisions - almost

one in five missions.

The team were also called to

112 falls, 104 medical collapses,

78 assaults and 66 sporting

injuries, of which 27 were horse

riding accidents. More than one

in ten incidents - 132 - involved

children.

More than one in three missions -

479 - took place at night.

The largest number of incidents

that Wiltshire Air Ambulance

responded to were in the

Swindon area - 224.

Other areas in Wiltshire where

the team were called to were;

Amesbury - 29; Bradford-on-Avon

- 20; Calne - 39; Chippenham -

90; Corsham - 29; Cricklade - 6;

Devizes - 73; Marlborough - 28;

Malmesbury - 23; Melksham - 61;

Mere - 4; Pewsey - 16; Royal

Wootton Bassett - 17; Salisbury

- 57; Tidworth - 19; Tisbury - 3;

Trowbridge - 82; Warminster - 57

and Westbury - 27.

Wiltshire Air Ambulance were

also called to incidents in

neighbouring counties including

Bristol, Dorset, Gloucestershire,

Hampshire, Oxfordshire and

Somerset.

This year Wiltshire Air Ambulance

celebrates a significant milestone

- its 30th year of operation.

For more information about

the charity visit www.

wiltshireairambulance.co.uk.

10


NEWSLINE

NWAS

Ambulance

communicators win

gold at CIPR awards

Celebrated for its ‘outstanding

public relations team’, North

West Ambulance Service

(NWAS) took home double

gold at the regional PRide CIPR

Awards, held in Manchester.

Scooping the top prize in two

categories, ‘outstanding inhouse

public relations team’

and ‘public sector campaign’,

NWAS’ Communications Team

saw off tough competition from

high profile companies including,

Electricity North West, M&S Bank,

Manchester Airport, and silver

award winners Essity.

Recognised for its “impressive

communications service”, the

judges’ comments reflected on the

team’s hard work and the many

different aspects of communications

they successfully manage and

undertake on a day-to-day basis,

including press office and an

out of hours service, internal and

external communications, public

affairs, stakeholder and community

engagement, FOI, videography,

social, digital and campaigns.

Judges commented, “NWAS has

achieved results out of proportion

to the resources available to it.

From providing frontline access

for major broadcasters to crisis

communications, the team

has successfully managed the

full spectrum of public sector

public relations with skill and

professionalism.”

Volunteer car driver recruitment

campaign, Star in a Car, was also

awarded the gold prize in the

public sector campaign category.

Using animations, case studies

and social media to drum up

interest in the volunteer roles, the

judges commented how they

were “impressed by how NWAS

reached out beyond its traditional

supporters, using innovative social

media channels to really engage a

younger audience with the work this

essential public service delivers.

“With limited resources, this

campaign achieved great results

with 50 new volunteers joining

the service. Overall, this was

an excellent campaign, fully

deserving of success.”

The CIPR PRide Awards is the

UK’s most prestigious nationwide

awards scheme, recognising

excellence in public relations and

communications. This year, the

PRide Awards attracted around

1,000 entries from public relations

teams, consultancies and

individuals across the UK.

Julie Treharne, Head of

Communications and Engagement

at NWAS said: “It’s fantastic to be

recognised by industry experts at

the CIPR awards and to beat off

competition from private sector

teams with bigger budgets. We’re

honoured to fly the flag for NHS

communicators!

“The team supports all the services

the trust provides from our 999

emergency response, to patient

transport, NHS 111 and corporate

projects. It’s our aim is to bring

to life our organisation’s vision

and values through compelling

narrative that connects with our

wide variety of stakeholders.

“We try to put patients at the

heart of everything we do to

enhance their experience with

the organisation and make

meaningful connections with

our front line services; doing so

using our creativity and innovative

approaches whilst using money

responsibly. To be labelled

‘outstanding’ for this is a something

we’re incredibly proud of.”

Keep up to date with NWAS by

following them on Twitter,

@NWAmbulance, Facebook,

nwasofficial and Instagram,

@nwasofficial.

SECAMB

Rochester couple

and baby reunited

with ambulance team

A couple from Rochester

have been reunited with the

ambulance team which came

to their aid when mum-to-be

Carly Walker started fitting and

collapsed at 35 weeks pregnant.

Carly, 37, attended Medway

ambulance station recently with

baby Naomi, now five months old,

and husband Nick to personally

thank all those involved in

responding to them on 27 July,

one of the hottest days of the year.

First to arrive at the family home,

after call taker Joanne Hards had

taken Nick’s 999 call was Critical

Care Paramedic, Luke Hamilton.

Luke was quick to realise the

seriousness of the situation.

He said: “My immediate concern

was that Carly was suffering from

eclamptic seizures. As soon as

I’d taken her blood pressure this

was confirmed and I knew I had to

administer a magnesium sulphate

infusion and that ultimately she

had to deliver her baby as soon

as possible.”

Luke liaised with a consultant to

agree a course of action involving

administering the drug to attempt

to lower Carly’s blood pressure.

As the plan was agreed, Carly

suffered a further seizure. By this

time crew mates George Osborne

and Adrian DeBari had arrived

with an ambulance. Medication

was administered to stop the

seizure and the team then worked

together to get Carly safely to

the ambulance from the top of

the couple’s town house, which

involved removing a bedroom

door.

Carly was then rushed to Medway

Maritime Hospital, which Luke had

contacted in advance to enable

them to ready a team for her

arrival. Carly delivered Naomi by

caesarean section and spent a

week receiving further treatment in

hospital before being discharged

with a healthy Naomi.

Luke said: “It’s been lovely to

meet with Carly and Nick in much

better circumstances with her and

Naomi doing so well. In my 14

years as a paramedic this is the

only time I have attended a patient

who is not pre-eclamptic but

suffering from actual eclamptic

seizures.

“We knew we had to act quickly

to provide some immediate

treatment at the scene but that

ultimately Carly needed to deliver

to bring her blood pressure

down from such a dangerous

level. Nick was amazing. He was

the textbook husband and did

everything we needed him to do

including letting us know the detail

of Carly’s medical history and

reassuring Carly. On behalf of the

whole team I’d like to wish them

all a very happy and peaceful

Christmas.”

Pharmacy technician, Carly

said: “We’re both so thankful for

everything Luke and the team. It

all happened so suddenly without

any warning. I had been booked

in for a C-section for unrelated

reasons but of course that all had

to be brought forward. I’d also like

to thank everyone at the hospital

including the multi-disciplinary

team responsible for my care led

by Miriam.

“I’m receiving some ongoing

treatment to help with my blood

pressure levels which are still a

little raised but we’re all doing

really well and Naomi is perfect.

Thank you to everyone for

ensuring we received the help we

needed so quickly.”


For the latest Ambulance Service News visit: www.ambulancenewsdesk.com

11

THE ‘3’ IN CORPULS 3

The corpuls3 is not only a device.

It is a three module system:

Monitoring Unit

Patient Box

Defibrillator/Pacer Unit

With the flexibility to split the modules at any time depending

on the requirements, the three modules of the corpuls3

communicate wirelessly and adapt to the requirements of the

paramedic on scene, or inside the ambulance.

Exclusively available to the UK market from the Ortus Group.

Visit our website to find out more.

www.theortusgroup.com

E: sales@theortusgroup.com

T: +44 (0)845 4594705

WE GIVE OUR ALL

SO YOU CAN GIVE YOUR ALL

NEWSLINE


British Red Cross

calls for change

in law to improve

response when UK

emergencies or

disasters strike

The British Red Cross is calling

for the law to be updated to give

individuals and communities

more say in how they are

treated and the support they get

in an emergency.

Currently emergency services,

government bodies and councils,

who together are responsible for

planning for emergencies, aren’t

legally bound to involve voluntary

and community groups.

As a result, local knowledge

about needs, vulnerabilities and

sensitivities may not always be

known or taken into consideration.

In its latest report, People Power

in Emergencies, the charity

looks at how far local resilience

forums, which lead local council

emergency planning, factor in the

knowledge, skills and capacities

of the voluntary and community

sector.

It reveals that collaboration is

variable, meaning responses

to emergencies tend to focus

chiefly on “command and control”

mechanisms, which of course are

important.

At the same time, this can mean

missed opportunities to mobilise

people power encouraging

communities to build their

resilience and support their

recovery from within.

The report highlights the very

different needs of individuals and

how those needs can best be

met.

One of the report’s key

recommendations is for an

urgent review of the 2004 Civil

Contingencies Act.


on whoever wins the election

to update the act to enshrine in

law the role of the voluntary and

community sector in emergencies.

Other recommendations in the

report include:

• A “people at the heart of

planning” checklist for local

resilience forums, produced

by the British Red Cross,

and championed by the

recently formed voluntary and

community sector Emergencies

Partnership

• A further amendment to

the Civil Contingencies Act,

Regulations and Guidance to

require local resilience forums,

in partnership with the voluntary

and community sector, to plan

what the report calls a more

‘person-centred’ approach to

preparing for and dealing with

disasters and emergencies.

Previous research by the British

Red Cross has shown how

involving grassroots organisations

in responding to emergencies

ensures people and communities

feel listened to and more

empowered and in the face of

disaster.

As every individual will react

differently, it is unrealistic to ask

councils and emergency services

to adopt a ‘one size fits all’

approach.


on local authorities and the

voluntary and community sector

to work with it on the report’s

recommendations, and to see the

law amended urgently.

British Red Cross CEO Mike

Adamson said: ‘Our own

response to the recent floods

across Yorkshire and the Midlands

has shown the value we bring,

whether supporting fire and

rescue to distribute sandbags, or

welcoming people who’ve been

flooded out of their home into rest

centres.

“This is about showing how we

complement the work of our

partners.

“It’s also about giving a voice to

those affected by emergencies

and highlighting local challenges,

sensitivities and opportunities to

help people survive and recover

better.

“It’s people and communities

who know best what their needs

are and how they want them

addressed.

“They are the experts in who may

be seriously ill, have a disability or

mobility issue, or face difficulties

because of language barriers,

poverty, immigration status or

anything else.

“By listening harder and tapping

into that resource, people will

have the best possible chance of

survival and recovery.

“By updating the law so that

statutory agencies work more with

communities and the voluntary

sector, people’s immediate needs

will be met more easily, in the

most appropriate way.”

Dr Andy Johnston, Chief

Operating Officer of the Local

Government Information Unit

(LGIU), and Convenor of the

Local Government Flood Forum,

has welcomed the report: “It

is very timely, given the recent

emergency response to flooding

in the North of England and the

Midlands.

“Emergencies in the UK are

evolving, with climate change

and threats of terrorism, and

are very complex, affecting both

communities and councils.

“I am therefore pleased to see the

recommendation for reviewing

the legislation to better guide the

local agencies in their planning for

emergencies.

“In my roles as part of the LGIU

and Convenor of the Local

Government Flood Forum, I very

much look forward to working

more closely with both councils

and the voluntary and community

sector to take forward these

insights and recommendations to

ensure community insight is key

to local government emergency

planning.”

EEAST

Volunteer wins

lifesaver award

A community first responder

was presented with an award

by TV host Dr Hilary Jones after

saving a woman’s life.

Andrew Hartshorne, community

first responder for East of England

Ambulance Service NHS Trust

(EEAST), won the SADS (Sudden

Arrhythmic Death Syndrome) UK

award after performing successful

resuscitation while off duty.

Mr Hartshorne, who volunteers

in the Aylsham area, had been

out shopping in Market Place

with his wife when he noticed

three people gathered around

a woman, who was lying on the

floor unresponsive.

The three people all offered to

help and, under his guidance,

rotated between performing chest

compressions and mouth to

mouth.

As soon as a public access

defibrillator arrived, Mr Hartshorne

shocked the patient four times

before she began breathing on

her own again.

Janet Green, 69, was taken to

Norfolk and Norwich Hospital

14


NEWSLINE

where she was fi tted with a

pacemaker and has since made a

full recovery.

Mr Hartshorne said: “I was

very pleased to be recognised,

The presentation was held

November 16 at the British

Academy of Contemporary Artists

in London, at the annual dinner

and awards ceremony of SADS

UK.

The Trust would also like to thank the

public for its support and messages

of appreciation across the whole

festive and New Year period.

While the peak period of the night,

their hard work over the last few

weeks. We’ve seen some very busy

days, especially in the week leading

up to Christmas and, as ever,

everyone has risen to the challenge

to ensure the demand met.

volunteers are not as high profi le

as some frontline staff.

“I have been with EEAST since

2013 and I’m proud to be a

Interested in volunteering with

EEAST? Visit eastamb.nhs.uk/

join-the-team/volunteering-andvolunteers.htm

(midnight-1am) saw the Trust

handle slightly fewer calls than

previous years with 155 calls,

overall in the seven hours from

8pm on New Year’s Eve to 3am

“Working for the ambulance

service is never easy but

spending time away from family

and loved ones when others are

volunteer. Often, we reach

on New Year’s Day it dealt with 61

celebrating can make it even

patients in a life-threatening

emergency before an ambulance

crew arrives so the work we do is

really important.

“Our fi rst responder group has

wonderful support from the

SECAMB

Ambulance service

thanks staff, volunteers

and public after busy

New Year’s Eve

more calls than last year.

Demand is expected to remain

high today, (January 1), and

throughout the fi rst weekend of

the year. People are urged to

continue to make use of the NHS

tougher. Throughout SECAmb

there are examples of staff and

volunteers who have gone the

extra mile to make working at this

time of year easier for everyone.

“I’d also like to thank members

public and we have been very

busy teaching CPR to schools,

mother and toddler groups and

other organisations. Interest in

saving lives in the area has really

increased since this event took

place.”

South East Coast Ambulance

Service NHS Foundation Trust

(SECAmb) would like to thank

its staff and volunteers for their

commitment and hard work

over what was, as ever, a busy

New Year’s Eve.

111 service and only call 999 in

the event of a life-threatening or

serious emergency.

SECAmb Chief Executive Philip Astle

said: “I’d like to thank every single

member of staff and volunteer for

of the public for their continued

support. In the middle of winter,

we know that we are going

to have some very busy days

ahead and the support and

understanding of the public is very

much appreciated.”

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15

NEWSLINE

Health Scholars,

the Virtual Reality

Healthcare Training

Platform, Launches

First VR ACLS

Training Simulation

for First Responders

Application allows for more

affordable training and effective

assessment of emergency

medical personnel, potentially

saving lives.

(Westminster, CO, 1/14/2020)

– Health Scholars, known for

their VR simulations and cloudbased

simulation management

platform utilized for management,

delivery, and analysis of clinical

training, have announced the

availability of the fi rst Virtual

Reality (VR) Advanced Cardiac

Life Support (ACLS) training

designed specifi cally for fi rst

responders. Made possible

with the company’s Public

Safety Innovation Accelerator

Program – User Interface grant

from the National Institute of

Standards and Technology

(NIST) Partnership and the

State of Colorado’s Advanced

Industries Accelerator Program,

the company is excited about the

possible impact to the industry

and the community.

Designed in accordance with

American Heart Association

guidelines and input from local

EMS partners, providers play the

role of the team lead running a

mega code and are provided

thirteen total scenarios that refl ect

cardiac and non-cardiac arrest

scenarios. Using voice direction,

providers identify rhythms and

direct virtual team members to

shock, give meds, and/or perform

CPR as necessary. The simulation

provides extensive practice

on communication, situational

awareness, decision-making and

competencies such as accurate

hospital notifi cation.

“With average adult survival rates

of 26% for in-hospital cardiac

arrest and up to 11%[1] for out-ofhospital

cardiac arrest, continuous

improvement to cardiac arrest

response and training is an

obligation to patients,” says

Brian Gillett, MD, President of

Health Scholars. “ACLS is just

the fi rst application within a larger

resuscitation suite because we

believe that designing scalable,

self-directed, and affordable

simulation for fi rst responders

was an untapped, yet imperative

market to develop. They are on

the front lines of patient safety

and deserve effective, experiencebased

training and skills

assessment.”

By virtualizing training, small or

rural EMS organizations are now

able to integrate more immersive

training practices and VR provides

agencies of all sizes an additional

training modality that easily scales

to any number of providers, is at

least 50% less than the cost of

traditional physical simulation,

and provides performance

reporting that is actionable.

“Our goal in working with Health

Scholars is to introduce new

technology within the EMS

market, but more importantly

provide an effective solution to

make training more accessible

and frequent, help EMS staff stay

sharp and provide EMT’s an easy

way to grow skills” says Ed Smith,

Captain, Clear Creek EMS.

The work involved with

development and management

of this new training is being

performed under the following

fi nancial assistance award

70NANB18H149 from U.S.

Department of Commerce,

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NEWSLINE

National Institute of Standards

and Technology. For more

information on the grant and

development details visit https://

hubs.ly/H0cRQmC0

“This grant has provided Health

Scholars the ability to advance

the use of virtualization in public

safety. VR has the power to

fundamentally improve the way

training products are designed

and how training is executed in

public safety. The possibilities are

endless and with NIST’s program

and our EMS partners we have

been able to bring the fi rst of

many VR training simulations to

market” – Cole Sandau, CEO,

Health Scholars

WMAS

WMAS proud to be

disability confi dent

leader

West Midlands Ambulance

Service is proud to receive

recognition as a ‘Disability

Confident Leader’ by the

Department for Work and

Pensions (DWP).

The Trust was given the coveted

‘Disability Confi dent Leader’

status by the DWP Disability

Confi dent Scheme this week

for the work undertaken by the

service to recruit people with

disabilities and support our staff

people into work, within the next

10 years.

The initiatives undertaken by

the Trust to support people with

disabilities include the following:

• Actively attracting and recruiting

disabled people to help fi ll

opportunities (including jobs,

apprenticeships, internships,

work experience, etc.)

• Providing a fully inclusive and

accessible recruitment process.

• Being fl exible when assessing

people so disabled job

applicants have the best

opportunity to demonstrate that

they can do the job.

• Ensuring there are no barriers

to the development and

progression of disabled staff.

Anthony Marsh, the Trust’s

Chief Executive Offi cer, said: “I

am immensely proud that West

Midlands Ambulance Service

is one of only two ambulance

services in the country to be

awarded this status. We pride

ourselves on being an inclusive

place to work as well as providing

excellent care to our patients

regardless of health inequalities.

“The quality of our service relies

heavily on our staff, and we can

only deliver an excellent service

by continuing to show respect for

and giving support to each and

every member of staff.

Health Scholars will continue to

develop VR Training for healthcare

and public safety providers

throughout 2020 with input from

their partners and customers.

Images, demos, and interview

available upon request.

with disabilities.

The Disability Confi dent

scheme has been running since

November 2016 and supports

the Government’s commitment

to help one million more disabled

• Ensuring employees have

appropriate disability equality

awareness training.

• Supporting employees to

manage their disabilities or

health conditions.

“I would like to place on record

my sincere thanks to everyone

at West Midlands Ambulance

Service, in particular my staff

within Recruitment and Human

Resources for their dedication and

commitment to equality.”

About Health Scholars

Our mission is to advance

healthcare education through

virtualization, making experiencebased

training scalable,

accessible and affordable to

both Healthcare and Public

Safety providers. Health Scholars

is a cloud-based, VR-ready

clinical training platform with

VR Simulations, Simulation

Management, and Clinical

Readiness Reporting solutions

for the management, delivery and

analysis of clinical training. Our

VR simulations extend physical

simulation beyond the simulation

center, enabling repeatable

practice of proper workfl ows

as well as critical soft skills like

communications, situational

awareness and critical thinking.

For more information, see www.

HealthScholars.com. You may

also contact Chris Ingwalson

at (303) 915.0087, or by

email at Chris.Ingwalson@

HealthScholars.com


Do you have anything you would like to add or include in Newsline? Please contact us and let us know.

17

NEWSLINE

Major Trauma Centre

first in UK to benefit

from weather station

University Hospitals of North

Midlands Major Trauma Centre

is the first in the UK to benefit

from a weather station which

provides certainty and real

time information for emergency

helicopter pilots about weather

conditions, ensuring that its

patients are seen quicker and

with more efficiency.

The weather station, called

“Skyview”, which has been

donated by the HELP Appeal,

which is the only charity in the

country dedicated to funding

hospital helipads, measures

visibility and conditions around

the Royal Stoke University

Hospital site and helps

ambulance crews understand the

next steps for our critically injured

patients, making sure they are

air lifted to the most appropriate

trauma centre avoiding bad

weather conditions that can make

flying difficult.

Martyn Ashworth, Major Trauma

& Neurosurgery Service Manager

at UHNM, said: “I would like

to thank the HELP Appeal for

this generous donation, our

Major Trauma team is extremely

excited about having the first

ever weather station at a NHS

trust in the UK and we want to

share that excitement with the

local community and surrounding

areas.

“Our aim is to provide the pilots

and flying medical crews with the

latest local weather information

and provide them with the

most up to date and accurate

facilities we can, bringing the

most advanced, innovative and

comprehensive resources directly

into the forefront of Trauma care.”

Robert Bertram, Chief Executive

of the charity’s HELP Appeal,

said: “We are delighted that we

have funded the first ever weather

station for a UK Major Trauma

Centre, which means patients

can receive more efficient care.

As the weather station informs

air ambulance crews of the

conditions at Royal Stoke, it can

accurately inform them if it’s safe

to land on Royal Stoke’s helipad

or if they need to be transferred to

a surrounding hospital. This will

save precious time, a must when

a patient urgently needs specialist

care to help save their life.”

NWAS

Ambulance service

sees rise in

emergencies over

festive period

From street fighting in

Merseyside, firework injuries in

Bolton to assaults in Lancashire,

New Year’s Eve is historically one

the busiest times of year for North

West Ambulance Service (NWAS)

and this year was no exception.

The trust received over 5,300* 999

calls on New Year’s Day alone.

Christmas Day saw an increase of

seven per cent when compared

to last year and the day started in

an extra special way with a baby

being born in an ambulance just

after midnight.

Messages of well wishes and

support came flooding in on

social media for the thousands of

NWAS staff who worked over the

festive period, sacrificing time with

their families to help others.

Director of Operations, Ged

Blezard said: “As always, we were

well prepared for the spike in calls

over the Christmas period with

months of planning and additional

resources on key dates.

“I would like to thank everyone for

their support during this busy time.

We must prioritise life-threatening

emergencies which can mean that

patients in a less serious condition

do experience a wait. We have

been able to reduce wait times

as much as possible by utilising

our clinical hub providing medical

advice over the phone and

treating patients in the community

wherever possible, reducing

unnecessary A&E admissions.

“Alongside our dedicated staff,

we are also very grateful for the

support from our Community First

Responders over Christmas and

New Year. We have had the highest

number of sign-ons from them than

ever before and their presence is

invaluable. The fact that they are

volunteers and give their time freely

makes their contribution even more

commendable.”

NHS 111 has also been extremely

busy, the busiest day being

Saturday 28 December with 12,460

calls, one every seven seconds.

Ged continues: “As we head into

January and February and the

temperature plummets, we are

expecting the high demand to

continue and ask for the public to

continue to help us by only calling

999 in life-threatening emergencies.”


(L – R) Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal presents a cheque for £51,000 to University

Hospitals of North Midlands Major Trauma Centre.

People can take advice from a

pharmacist for common health

niggles, book an appointment

with their GP for health issues

which will not go away, visit an

urgent treatment centre for minor

illnesses and injuries or use NHS

111 online for health advice. In

emergencies, if it is safe to get

to an emergency department

(A&E) without an ambulance then

people should do that as arriving

at hospital by ambulance won’t

mean you’re seen any quicker.

*This statistic includes 999 calls,

duplicate calls, incidents at events

where NWAS is the medical

provider and 111 pass throughs.

18


NEWSLINE

Midlands Air

Ambulance Charity

makes a strategic

promotion

Midlands Air Ambulance

Charity is pleased to announce

the promotion of aircrew

team leader and critical care

paramedic, Jim Hancox, to

the position of assistant air

operations manager.

Jim has over 17 years’ experience

with the ambulance service, and

has served with Midlands Air

Ambulance Charity since 2006.

Jim will support the charity’s air

operations manager, Ian Roberts,

with a number of responsibilities

in line with the charity’s mission

to offer advanced clinical care to

those in critical need in the prehospital

environment 365 days

a year.

Ian Roberts, air operations

manager for the charity, states:

“We have three helicopters and

three rapid response vehicles

operation across six Midlands

counties, and more recently we

have added two critical care cars

to our asset-base to support

patient care in the region. The

expansion of our service, to

enable us to reach and treat over

1,000 more patients each year led

to a requirement for further seniorlevel

operations support.

“Jim has shown clear leadership,

strategic thinking and clinical

excellence throughout his work

with the service, and will be

an invaluable member of the

operations team.”

On his new position as assistant

air operations manager, Jim

added: “Delivering the highest

level of clinical care to critically ill

and injured patients is something I

am hugely passionate about. I am

extremely proud to take on this

challenging new role, supporting

the future development of our

organisation and ensuring that

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity

remains at the forefront of

emergency pre-hospital patient

care, offering the very best

treatment to patients.”

Find out more about Midlands

Air Ambulance Charity at:

midlandsairambulance.com or

follow the charity on social media.

SECAMB

Kent man reunited

with lifesavers

A man who collapsed in cardiac

arrest, enjoyed a Christmas

reunion with the ambulance

team who came to his aid.

Garry Henderson, 55, from

Shorne, near Gravesend, Kent,

was reunited with his life-saving

team recently at Medway

ambulance station in Chatham

following his collapse at home on

6 September last year.

Garry, along with his partner,

Sue and brother, Simon, met

with Critical Care Paramedic,

Dave Hawkins, Operational Team

Leader, Alexandra Hemsley,

ambulance crew Daisy Vickery

and Adrian Biles as well as 999

call taker, Nick O’Doherty.

And now Garry is keen to spread

the message of the importance

that people learn CPR and other

life-saving skills and urged people

to listen to the potential warning

signs of suffering a heart attack.

Garry, had unknowingly at the

time, suffered a heart attack in

June 2018. Having not acted on

the signs, he attended a doctor’s

appointment four days later and

was subsequently fitted with two

stents, having been informed he

had suffered a heart attack.

The subsequent collapse in

September 2018 saw him

spend close to five weeks at

William Harvey Hospital in

Ashford in an induced coma

and recovering having received

further emergency treatment and

having been fitted with an internal

defibrillator.

Garry’s expert hospital treatment

followed quick thinking of partner

Sue in calling 999 while CPR

was provided at the scene by a

members of staff from a nearby

nursery, Claire and Sam, and a

GP, Dr Adaji from Shorne medical

practice.

Dave said: “The chain of survival

started with Sue speaking to Nick

on the phone. Help was quickly

sought, and it was so critical

that Garry was given CPR prior

to our arrival. It takes a team to

save a life and everyone worked

really well together. We shocked

Garry’s heart twice to return it to a

normal rhythm before heading off

to the William Harvey for Garry to

undergo emergency treatment.”

Garry remembers nothing of his

ordeal but was quick to praise the

team on an emotional reunion. “It

feels like the stars aligned for me

so that everything was in place

that day”, he said. “I’m so grateful

for everything everyone did. From

Nick at the end of the phone, to

the GP and nursery staff to the

whole team and my subsequent

treatment in hospital. It was very

emotional but it was lovely to see

everyone in person to properly

thank them.

“I know in hindsight I should have

listened to my body more rather

than wait four days to see my GP.

I’d urge people to take the warning

signs seriously and ourselves and

our friends and family know first

hand how vital it is for people to

learn how to save a life.”

Sue added: “I know I wasn’t very

patient with Nick on the phone

and so it was really nice to be

able to apologise and to meet

everyone in better circumstances.

Thank you to everyone involved

in ensuring were together at

Christmas.”



19

NEWSLINE

ALF 2020: The

Conference for the

Ambulance Sector

The Ambulance Leadership

Forum (ALF 2020) will take

place on 17 & 18 March 2020.

Hosted by the Association of

Ambulance Chief Executives at

the Jurys Inn, Hinckley Island,

Nuneaton Leicestershire,

ALF 2020 is shaping up to be

another high quality event.

ALF 2020 promises to be bigger

and better than ever, with a

superb range of speakers and

facilitators over two main days

of conference.

Exploring themes relating to

engagement across the STP/

ICS landscape and integrated

urgent care, speakers will look

to stimulate discussion, provoke

thought and share insights and

experience. Can your workplace

be improved? What role can the

sector play in system leadership

and how? Do you work for an

employer of choice?

Day One

A first class line up of speakers

already confirmed for Day One

includes:

Baroness Dido Harding

The Chair of NHS Improvement

will be our keynote speaker

and open the conference.

Expect to learn from Dido’s

vast experience on some

of the solutions needed to

overcome challenges facing

the NHS – and ambulance

services in particular. Reducing

unwarranted variation is a goal

but integrating to respond to

local need is very much a reality

– how do we manage the two?

Nigel Edwards

We are thrilled to welcome the

Nuffield Trust Chief Executive to

speak again at ALF. Few others

can share Nigel’s insight into

policy and strategies, whilst

making sense of what the data

really shows.

Bobby Pratap

Putting mental health front and

centre we are delighted to that

Bobby, Deputy Head of Mental

Health at NHSE & I, is joining

us at ALF for the first time. He

will discuss how the ambulance

sector can get the best returns

for mental health patients from

the new Long Term Plan funding

put into these vital services.

Chris Hopson

This year Chris, Chief Executive

at NHS Providers, looks

forward to briefing delegates

on a strategic vision (being

launched jointly with AACE) that

will provide clear statements

on where we feel ambulance

services can make the best

contributions within changing

health structures.

For a second year, ALF will be

chaired over the two days by

AACE Council Chair and SCAS

Chair Lena Samuels, who brings

her extensive knowledge and

understanding to proceedings

– and will be ready to challenge

any sweeping statements from

the podium!

Day Two

A varied range of sessions

on Day Two of ALF will

include insights into quality

improvement, organisational

development, satellite

technology, visibility for

disability, ‘safe space’

conversations, the ambulance

data set project, volunteering

and falls, the joint ambulance

improvement programme,

rotational roles and how

ambulance services can

become employers of choice.

More speaker and topics will

be published over the coming

weeks.

Organised and managed by

the Association of Ambulance

Chief Executives (AACE) this

important event enables senior

managers, suppliers and others

with an interest in the effective

management of ambulance

services to join forces to share

ideas and best practice in a

supportive and high-profile

environment.

Non-Executive Director (NED)

Development Seminar

Preceding the opening of ALF,

there will be a seminar focused

on non-executive director

roles and responsibilities.

The evolving NHS landscape

requires ambulance trust

boards to remain current and

informed, which isn’t always

easy given the pace of change.

The bespoke seminar will

share learning from experts

and provide insight into how

best non-executive functions

can effectively engage with

and navigate the wider health

and social care system. The

seminar will be delivered by the

Association of Ambulance Chief

Executives in conjunction with

The King’s Fund, NHS Providers

and the NHS Confederation.


The NED Development Seminar

takes place on Mon 16 March,

14.00 – 17.30.

The ALF Awards Dinner

As part of ALF 2020 we will

again come together to

celebrate outstanding service

from across the UK at the

Awards Dinner on the evening

of Tuesday 17 March.

20


NEWSLINE

Attendance at this popular

event is included as part of the

Conference Delegate Package

and will be arranged, along with

conference bookings, by your

Trust Lead.

As always, the Awards Dinner will

provide an excellent opportunity

for Ambulance Leadership Forum

attendees to applaud excellence,

discuss developments from

the last year, and network with

colleagues.

However, most importantly,

the evening will provide an

opportunity for AACE and

colleagues to recognise members

of staff from across all UK

ambulance services who have

provided truly outstanding service,

going above and beyond the call

of duty in a variety of categories

that represented the whole

breadth of service delivery.

Research papers presentations

– a call for Abstracts

AACE is pleased to announce

that dedicated time will again

be scheduled for the main stage

presentation of research focused

on ambulance service delivery

and leadership. Following last

year’s success we expect high

quality submissions and a close

vote from the audience to select

the winner for the £500 travel

bursary.

International Roundtable of

Community Paramedicine

(IRCP 2020)

Directly following the ALF

conference, AACE are delighted

to host the IRCP annual meeting

over Wednesday 18 and

Thursday 19 March 2020.

A full agenda will be compiled

though the normal IRCP

channels.

The conference will be free

to attend and will include

refreshments and a working

lunch on the Thursday.

The Venue – Hinckley Island

Hotel

Hinckley Island is one of the

most accessible and wellappointed

conference venues

in the Midlands. Nestled in

the heart of Leicestershire

and surrounded by beautiful

countryside, the four-star hotel

provides a great business base

for the Ambulance Leadership

Forum.

The hotel is just off the M1, M6

and M69 motorways, and is

short drive to both Birmingham

and East Midlands Airports.

For more details contact Steve

Irving at AACE at steve.irving@

aace.org.uk.

Steps to take in

recognising and

referring DVA

“Our vision is a world in which

gender-based violence is

consistently recognised and

addressed as a health issue.

Our mission is to improve

the healthcare response

to gender-based violence

through health and specialist

services working together.”

Medina Johnson, CEO IRISi

The IRIS programme has helped

refer over 15,500 women to

date. An IRIS programme is first

commissioned within a certain

geographical area. Local IRIS

teams are recruited and trained

and these teams then train local

GPs, healthcare professionals

and clinicians in recognising

signs and symptoms of

Domestic Violence and Abuse

(DVA) and how to ask the right

questions of the patient. If

the patient requires help, they

are referred to an Advocate

Educators (AE), who provides

support to both the practice and

the patients that are recognised

and referred.

“Many of us know the statistics”

says Medina Johnson, CEO at

IRISi.

“25% of women will experience

Domestic Violence and Abuse

(DVA) at some point in their lives.

Two women are killed every week

at the hands of a current or former

partner, or adult family member.

Behind each statistic is a woman,

a friend, a sister, a daughter, a

mother, a grandmother, an auntie.

Most of these women will have

had recent contact with health

services. How many of them will

have found it difficult to say what

was happening for them at home

during their appointment? How

many of them wanted someone

to look beyond what they were

saying? How many women will

have sat with a doctor or nurse

who felt uncomfortable to look

beyond and ask their patients

about what was happening for

them at home or whether they felt

frightened or controlled by anyone

because they didn’t think they had

the right words or knowledge of

the next steps to take? How many

women were missed?”

“We know that DVA impacts both

the mental and physical health

of those it affects and that this

has ramifications throughout the

family.” Continues Medina. “In

cold, hard business speak, we

also know that DVA also costs

the NHS a lot of money in terms

of appointments, chronic illness

and prescriptions. Clinicians want

to know how to best support

patients and how to offer support.

This is why they become medics.

We can’t expect them to simply

know what to do to support

patients affected by DVA without

offering training and support

and onward referral pathways.

We need to support our clinical

colleagues to look beyond and we

need commissioners to fund this

support in a sustainable way.”

The IRIS model rests on five

principles:

Recognise when a patient is

affected by DVA

Ask them about it

Respond in an understanding

way

Refer the patient into specialist

support

Make a record of the consultation

and disclosure.

If you are concerned a patient

might be affected by DVA, only

ask them about this if they are

alone. It is not safe to ask when

a patient is accompanied, even

by a child. As a minimum, have

national helpline numbers to offer

or the contact information for your

local, specialist service. If you

have safeguarding concerns then

follow your usual safeguarding

procedures. Do not prescribe

what the patient should do but

let them know that support is

available. Be sure to record the

consultation in the electronic

medical record. These are useful

numbers for you:

National 24 Hour Helpline –

0808 2000247

Men’s Advice Line –

0808 8010327

Respect – 0808 8010327

IRIS teams provide in-house

specialist domestic violence

training sessions to enable staff

to become better equipped

to respond to concerns and

disclosures of DVA from all

patients including perpetrator.

The team then receive ongoing

support and DVA consultancy

after training is completed from

a named Advocate Educator.

Regular attendance from the

Advocate Educator at team

meetings helps remind staff about

the service and also provides

health care workers with support

for any challenging cases.



21

NEWSLINE


Huge donation

lights up emergency

helipads across

Lincolnshire and

Nottinghamshire

With thanks to a generous

donation from the HELP Appeal,

new helipad lighting has

recently been installed at three

different landing sites frequently

used by the life-saving crew at

Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance.

A total of £69,000 was donated

by the HELP Appeal, the only

charity in the country dedicated

to funding hospital and air

ambulance helipads, which has

fully funded the installation and

upgrade of helipad lights at the

Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance

airbase at RAF Waddington,

Fenland Airfield in South

Lincolnshire, and Nottingham

Airport (Tollerton).

The installation of these new lights

will prove to be an invaluable

addition for the crew on board the

helicopter, who regularly use these

landing sites when responding to

some of the most critically ill and

seriously injured patients across

Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

The state-of-the-art landing lights

has made each site significantly

more visible during the event of

low visibility and landing at night;

vital in the Charity’s recent move to

24/7 operations.


of the HELP Appeal, recently paid

a visit to the upgraded facility

at the Charity’s airbase at RAF

Waddington. He was joined by

members of the crew from the

Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance and

their iconic AgustaWestland 169

helicopter.

Robert said: “We are delighted to

be able to support the life-saving

work of the air ambulance and

despite fewer daylight hours

during winter, Lincs & Notts Air

Ambulance will now be able

to treat patients at incidents in

Lincolnshire or Nottinghamshire

after dark. The crew can then

rapidly transfer patients in urgent

need of specialist care to hospital

and return to land safely on their

newly illuminated helipads.”

Llewis Ingamells, Chief Pilot at

Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance,

added that these lights would

ensure the safety of the Helicopter

Emergency Medical Service crew

and increase the capabilities of

the service they provide.

He said: “Having these new

modern night landing aids not

only gives us lit landing sites for

aircraft refuelling during the hours

of darkness at targeted locations,

but it provides us with lit diversion

destinations for weather or

planning around one of the largest

response areas; 3,500 square

miles, covered by any single Air

Ambulance in the UK.

“The introduction of Night

Vision Goggles has required an

update of technology not just

in the aircraft but to the ground

infrastructure to support our 24/7

operations. These lights bring the

latest technology with infrared

lighting for night vision goggles,

pilot-controlled functionality,

all whilst offsetting our carbon

footprint with 100% solar

technology.

“We extend a huge thank you

to HELP Appeal for the funding

of these fantastic lights, FEC for

constructing and installing them,

and our friends at Fenland Airfield

and Nottingham Airport for their

continued and increasing support

for our 24-hour operations.”

As of this month, the Lincs &

Notts Air Ambulance is now

operating a 24/7 service. Along

with the ongoing support of the

local community, these state-ofthe-art

lighting upgrades at the

Charity’s most frequent landing

sites has helped to support this

incredible development for the

local Air Ambulance, who are now

able to respond to emergencies

24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

Karen Jobling, Chief Executive

Officer at Lincs & Notts Air

Ambulance, said: “We are truly

grateful for the support of the

HELP Appeal and this generous

donation, which has enabled us

to upgrade our helipad lights

across our most frequent landing

sites. As a Charity, we receive

no direct Government funding,

meaning that our life-saving work

“There is no

doubt that the

installation

of these new

lights will help

drastically

when our

crew take on

even more

life-saving

missions in

the hours of

darkness. ”

is only possible with thanks to

the generosity and support of our

local community.

“There is no doubt that the

installation of these new lights

will help drastically when our

crew take on even more lifesaving

missions in the hours of

darkness. We know that patients

can become seriously ill or injured

at any time of the day or night,

and by operating 24 hours a day,

7 days a week, we hope to be

able to treat approximately 400

additional patients every single

year.

“This new state-of-the-art lighting

system will allow us to land, no

matter what time of day, so that

our patients can receive the best

possible treatment as quickly as

possible.”

The HELP Appeal relies solely on

charitable donations and does not

receive any government funding

or money from the National

Lottery. For more information on

the charity visit www.helpappeal.

org.uk or call 0800 3898 999.

22


NEWSLINE

Isle of Wight

NHS opens new

Community Unit

Isle of Wight NHS Trust

has opened a new 14-bed

Community Unit to help ease

winter pressures and support

people to leave hospital as

soon as they are able to.

The Trust, which provides

ambulance, hospital, community

and mental health services on

the Island, announced the new

nurse-led unit as part of its plan

to manage increased demand

during the winter months and to

support people to leave hospital.

Alice Webster, Nursing Director

at Isle of Wight NHS Trust,

said: “This is fantastic news for

our patients and for the wider

community.

“Investing in community services

is one of our top priorities

because it will help people to live

healthy and independent lives.

“Hospitals are very busy places

during the winter months and

we want to do everything that

we possibly can to help make

sure that people are supported

to leave hospital as soon as they

are able to.

“We are looking forward to

seeing the positive difference that

this new unit will make for our

community.”

The unit, based on the site of

the former Compton Ward at

St Mary’s Hospital, will care

for people who need nursing

support and a period of rest and

convalescence before they can

leave hospital.

The NHS team will work

alongside an Activities

Coordinator and Living Well

support from Age UK.

It has been funded by part of the

£1.192 million additional money

made available to support the

local NHS through winter.

The Unit, which has a large day

room and group dining table to

encourage people to move and

interact, opened on January 6

and is now fully operational with

14 beds.

People will be discharged

from hospital and referred to

the Community Unit, which is

being run as a standalone unit

supporting people who are

medically fit to leave hospital but

who may be waiting for social

care support or who may need

nursing care as they continue

their recovery before going

home.

Visiting time is 2pm to 8pm

daily, to create a protected lunch

time for patients and to ensure

plenty of time for activities to aid

recovery and improve people’s

mobility.

Isle of Wight NHS Trust also

plans to invest in additional IT

support for the Community Unit

which will help monitor patient’s

activity levels in hospital and at

home, to track and maximise

people’s movement and mobility.

The Isle of Wight Health and Care

Plan, published in September

2019, highlighted the need to

invest in community services as a

key priority for the Island’s health

service.

In autumn 2019 the Local Care

Board, which brings together the

NHS, social care, primary care

and the community and voluntary

sectors, agree to invest £800,000

in strengthening community

services.

The investment is designed

to support people in their own

homes as part of their recovery

after a stay in hospital.

It is also being used to place

district nurses and therapists into

A&E so that they work alongside

the social workers who are

supporting people to return to

their homes rather than spending

unnecessary time in hospital.

EMAS

East Midlands

Ambulance Service

responds to more

than 1,000 calls in

first seven hours of

New Year’s Day

East Midlands Ambulance

Service received 1,021

emergency and urgent calls

during the first seven hours

of 2020, with a new 999 call

received every 20 seconds

throughout the busiest hours.

By 3am, our 999 control

rooms had taken almost 600

emergency and urgent calls – a

figure not normally reached until

at least 9am even on busy days.

Calls were for a variety of

conditions including trips and

falls, breathing problems and

road traffic collisions. Many calls

related to illness or injury suffered

as a result of too much alcohol.

EMAS has been running a

strategic command cell – key

operational leads and senior

management – each day since

early December to respond

swiftly to incidents, to support

with peaks in demand and to

liaise with other parts of the care

system to manage the increased

demand.

Strategic commander Ben

Holdaway said “We expect New

Year’s Eve and into News Year’s

Day to be our busiest time of

the year, but we have also seen

unprecedented levels of activity

in the service over the last

couple of months. Our teams

have been working tirelessly

to prepare for the overall rise

in demand expected during

December, January and into

February and we continue to

work closely with colleagues

in other NHS organisations to

ensure patients receive the help

they need.

“Crews in our emergency

ambulances and fast response

vehicles, volunteer responders

and teams in our Emergency

Operations Centres have worked

fantastically over the first few

hours of the year.

“The support they have received

from our mechanics, support

staff and administration teams

has been equally impressive.

“I would like to send my

personal thanks to all colleagues

and volunteers for their hard

work and wish them a Happy

New Year.”

EMAS is continuing to urge

people to use only use 999 for

urgent and immediately lifethreatening

conditions, such as:

• Suspected strokes

• Breathing difficulties

• Heavy bleeding/bleeding that

won’t stop

• Loss of consciousness.

EMAS expects activity levels to

remain high through January

and February and during busy

periods will prioritise the most

serious cases, advising other

callers that they will need to

wait until resources become

available.

People are being asked to play

their part by seeking out the

most appropriate service for

their conditions. Help with less

serious conditions is available

from GP surgeries, pharmacies,

by dialling NHS111 or NHS111

online, or by visiting local walk-in

centres.


Life Connections - The Affordable CPD Provider: www.lifeconnections.uk.com

23

NEWSLINE

EEAST

Norfolk cardiac

arrest survivor

reunited with her

life-savers

Sue Purvis, 62, from Norfolk,

was given the opportunity

to be reunited with the team

that saved her life when her

heart stopped beating in her

Wymondham home, and convey

a special thank you to the call

handler who took her call.

On 7 June 2019, the East of

England Ambulance Service NHS

Trust (EEAST) Norwich control

room received an emergency 999

call from Mark Purvis, after he

witnessed his wife Sue collapse

in their kitchen whilst she was

cooking dinner.

John Chapman was the EEAST

call handler who took the call

at 4.50pm and proceeded to

talk Mark through how to do

cardiopulmonary resuscitation

(CPR).

the crew and transported to the

Norfolk and Norwich University

Hospital (NNUH).

Bryony said: “We were all

pleasantly surprised to find Sue

sitting up and trying to talk whilst

travelling in the ambulance.

“She was in such good condition

by the time we reached the

hospital, even the doctors were

shocked she’d had a cardiac

arrest just half an hour before!”

Just a few months later, Sue wrote

a letter to the patient experience

department at EEAST.

In her letter, Sue wrote: “It has

taken a long time for me to write

this letter because I have been

unable to select the appropriate

wording to reflect my feelings.

“I have, however, decided that

some words are better than none.

“Maybe all I need is a million

‘thank yous’ to the people who

take the 999 calls.”

to collaborate on creating the

best paramedic undergraduateeducation

experience in

Scotland.

RGU successfully bid to bring

paramedic undergraduate

education to the Highlands &

Islands and Grampian in October

of 2019, boosting the capacity

for training new paramedics in

Scotland and enhancing patient

care.

The university’s new Visiting

Professor, Paul Gowens, will

support its BSc Paramedic

Practice course at a strategic

level, as well as providing

masterclass opportunities for

students.

Paul has experienced numerous

strategic roles, including

Programme Director and Chair

of the Clinical Transformation

Programme Board. As Lead

Paramedic Consultant, he is

tasked with leading clinicaldevelopment

transformation

across the Scottish Ambulance

Service (SAS).

national level.

“It’s exciting and humbling to

be involved in the development

of the paramedic curriculum

and profession,” said Paul.

“I think it’s a great honour for

any professional to be given

responsibility for how education

and training will be delivered,

and to develop research and new

knowledge in that field. To be

part of that from the onset is very

exciting.”

Ian adds: “For RGU, we will

ensure that our programme is

addressing the needs of future

paramedics, who are not just

going to operate in an urban

environment but also in remote

and rural contexts. We’re fortunate

to have both as part of our

programme going forward.

“There are exciting opportunities

for collaborating with Paul,

and SAS, on research and

how we deliver on the Scottish

Government’s commitment to

ensure equity of healthcare across

the population and the nation.”


Also, in the house at the time was

the couple’s son, Stuart Purvis

who was able to take over CPR

from his father until the EEAST

crew arrived.

Two ambulance crews and an

ambulance officer were sent to

Sue’s home by dispatcher, Glenn

Pell and Dispatch Team Leader,

Laura Denman.

Bryony Shipsey (intermediate

ambulance practitioner) and

her crewmate Mark Wright

(paramedic) were the first to

arrive on scene, closely followed

by Ben Corrigan (emergency

medical technician), Oliver Oxbury

(paramedic), Will Armstrong

(paramedic) and Gary Steward

(critical care paramedic).

After receiving three shocks,

and a shot of adrenaline, Sue

was successfully resuscitated by

She was able to say thank you

in person to her call handler, and

some of the team that saved her

life, when she reunited with them

this week accompanied by Mark,

Stuart and her other son Chris.

Sue said: “My family and I cannot

ever thank these people, and in

fact all of their colleagues, for the

amazing work they do.”

SAS

Top paramedic

collaborates on

undergraduateeducation

in

Scotland

The Lead Paramedic Consultant

for the Scottish Ambulance

Service has accepted the

position of Visiting Professor at

Robert Gordon University (RGU)

Professor Ian Murray, Head of the

School of Nursing and Midwifery

at RGU, said: “To have Scotland’s

leading paramedic as part of our

team is one of many steps we

are taking to provide a curriculum

that’s fit for purpose and the

future. Paul’s contribution will help

us take strides toward becoming

the leading university in Scotland

for paramedic practice.

“Through Paul, students will

be able to engage directly with

someone who’s not just leading

practice but also operating

at a strategic level in terms of

ambulance-service experience in

Scotland.”

Paul’s links to SAS will also help

the university to identify areas

for demand-led research, which

will support the development of

the paramedic profession on a

WAA

Plasma on Wiltshire

Air Ambulance

provides additional

lifesaving capability

Wiltshire Air Ambulance has

enhanced the blood products

it can give to critically injured

or unwell people by carrying

plasma.

The charity is now carrying two

units of plasma onboard and this

will be used with two units of O

negative blood (packed red blood

cells).

Wiltshire Air Ambulance has

been carrying packed red blood

cells on its helicopter and Rapid

Response Vehicles (cars) since

August 2015 and 72 patients have

been given pre-hospital blood

24


NEWSLINE

transfusions by its critical care

paramedics and doctors.

The packed red blood cells help

carry oxygen around the body and

replaces blood lost by patients,

while plasma contains essential

clotting factors to help stop

bleeding.

The plasma carried by Wiltshire

Air Ambulance, called LyoPlas,

is freeze dried and is in powder

form in a glass vial. It is mixed

with water to form a yellow liquid

before it is given intravenously.

Ben Abbott, critical care

paramedic and operations officer

at Wiltshire Air Ambulance,

said: “We believe the addition of

plasma will make a significant

difference to the care of patients

who require emergency prehospital

blood transfusions and

improve their chances of reaching

hospital alive in order for them

to receive further emergency

treatment.

“We’ve been giving pre-hospital

blood transfusions since 2015

and we have seen the visible

difference they can make to

critically injured or unwell patients

who are bleeding as a result

of trauma or acute medical

conditions. Blood products

are a precious commodity and

emergency blood transfusions

can save lives.

“It is a privilege for the critical care

team at Wiltshire Air Ambulance to

be able to give blood and plasma

to patients who require it in the

pre-hospital environment.”

Richard Miller, clinical services

and ground base manager at

Wiltshire Air Ambulance, said:

“Our paramedics and doctors

provide gold standard medical

care to patients and the addition

of plasma is an enhancement to

our service.

“Having blood products on board

our aircraft and Rapid Response

Vehicles is only possible thanks

to the kind donations our charity

receives from the community,

businesses and grant-making

trusts to run our vital service.”

NWAS

Flu angels help

vaccinate frontline

staff

Two North West Ambulance

Service (NWAS) ‘flu angels’

have been out and about across

Cheshire and Merseyside on a

decommissioned ambulance

dubbed the ‘flu bus’ delivering

vaccinations to busy ambulance

staff.

Paramedic, Kelsey Morgan and

Emergency Medical Technician

1, Sarah Jane Pettitt along with

help from Paramedic, Debbie

Stephens have delivered around

140 vaccines so far and will

be continuing to deliver flu

vaccinations at convenient times

for staff.

The flu vaccination is the most

effective way for people to protect

themselves and their families

against the influenza virus and

healthcare workers are entitled to

a free jab each year.

Advanced Paramedic, Rob

Palmer said: “Our frontline staff

work very closely with poorly and

vulnerable patients and are more

likely to be exposed to flu - and to

pass it on. It’s really important for

them to protect themselves and

their patients by getting the flu

vaccination.

“It can be a challenge for staff

to attend designated flu clinics

around their busy shifts so this

is an excellent way to bring the

vaccinations to them!”

Kelsey and Sarah, who are both

expecting babies and therefore

currently on light duties, have

been turning up at local hospitals

and ambulance stations working

during different shift times to offer

the vaccine to as many staff as

possible.

Kelsey said: “This is really well

received by staff who often

struggle to find time to have their

flu vaccination.

“The viruses that cause flu can

change every year, which is why

it’s really important for staff to get

their flu jab annually and the more

staff we can get protected, the

better.”

The flu bus will be in action whilst

supplies last and staff are also

able to book in time slots to be

vaccinated.

All NWAS staff are entitled to

the flu vaccination and clinics

and initiatives are run across the

region to target as many staff as

possible.

The Ambulance

Staff Charity (TASC)

launches its new

brand and website

The Ambulance Staff Charity

(TASC), a national charity

which provides the UK’s

ambulance community with

mental, physical wellbeing

and financial support, is

excited to announce the

launch of its new brand and

redesigned website at www.

theasc.org.uk.

Beginning as The Ambulance

Services Benevolent Fund

in 1986, the charity officially

launched in 2015. Since its

creation, TASC has gone

through a number of significant

developments, including a

recent change to its charitable

constitution to now support UK

ambulance service volunteers,

and this rebrand reflects the

changes in the organisation, it’s

continued commitment to the

people in the UK’s ambulance

community and it’s vision for

the future.

The Coventry-based charity’s

new website was developed in

partnership with local creative

agency Rawww and features

a fully responsive modern

design, brand new content

and improved functionality.

The website will be updated

regularly with useful information

and advice and the charity’s

latest news. There are also

plans for the continued

development of the site,

including an online shop which

will be launching in 2020.

Karl Demian, TASC’s Chief

Operating Officer, said:

“2019 was a year of great

change for the organisation,

including widening the range

of support we provide and

developing our services

to deal with the increasing

numbers and demand from

the ambulance community.

The entire TASC team and

our partners at RAWWW have

worked incredibly hard over

the last five months and we’re

very excited to launch our new

brand and website - it was the

perfect way for us to end 2019

and begin the next chapter in

TASC’s growth.”

Maria Louca, Sales and

Marketing Manager at Rawww,

said:

“As a creative agency

proudly based in Coventry,

we love working with local

organisations. To be working

with a national charity like

TASC, supporting the UK’s

amazing ambulance community,

gives the Rawww Team an

added incentive to deliver

a fabulous new website

showcasing the great work

TASC does.”



25

NEWSLINE


WAS

Emergency services

celebrated for

dementia friendly

initiatives at annual

Alzheimer’s Society

awards

Following Alzheimer’s Society’s

annual Dementia Friendly

Awards on 27 November, three

local emergency services have

been recognised nationally for

their achievements in leading

the sector by helping to support

people with dementia to live

safely in their local community.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service,

Welsh Ambulance Services

NHS Trust and Cleveland Police

were all shortlisted for either

a large or small ‘Dementia

Friendly Organisation of the

Year’, two of nine categories at

the sixth prestigious Dementia

Friendly Awards that celebrate

individuals, organisations

and communities who are

leading and inspiring change

to transform the lives of people

with dementia, challenge

misunderstandings and alter

attitudes around dementia.

Keeping safe and well is

important to everyone, but it may

be more of a concern if a person

has dementia. For instance,

people with dementia may find

it harder to manage everyday

risks and may forget to turn

things off such as the oven or

gas or become confused about

how things work or where they

are. These services have been

commended for going above

and beyond to support people

affected in their community.

The shortlisting of the services

coincides with the launch of

Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia

Friendly Emergency Services

guide, which sets out best

practice for Emergency Services

looking to support and assist

people with dementia. In 2017,

Emergency Services across the

UK made a strategic commitment

to become more dementia

friendly and support people in

their local community affected

by dementia. Since 2017, 28

services have signed up to

become dementia-friendly and

the sector now has over 35,300

Dementia Friends. The release

of the guide will help support

services across the nation

in meeting this goal, and the

three services shortlisted are

showcased in this guide.

Shortlisted for the large

organisation section of the

‘Dementia Friendly Organisation

of the Year’ category, the Welsh

Ambulance Services NHS

Trust has been recognised for

providing an invaluable service

to over three million people

across the country. Recognised

by Alzheimer’s Society as a

Dementia Friendly Organisation

in 2017, the service involves

people with dementia across its

activities, from board meetings

to training delivery. The Trust has

also co-produced a dementia

friendly leaflet with people living

with the condition, advising

residents about what to do in an

emergency and how to get help

in easy to understand language

and pictures.

Alison Johnstone, Programme

Manager for Dementia at the

Welsh Ambulance Service said:

“We are extremely honoured to

be shortlisted for the Dementia

Friendly Awards 2019. This

acknowledgement is testament

to the priority that the Trust has

given to our dementia plan. As

an organisation, we are fully

committed to improving the

experiences of people living with

dementia. The relationships that

we have nurtured and maintained

with people affected by dementia

remains at the heart of everything

we do. This nomination means a

lot for the selfless people on my

team who have worked tirelessly

to continue to improve our

services for those who need them

the most”

Cleveland Police, has also been

recognised for taking extensive

steps to support people with

dementia in the local community,

from signposting to local

Alzheimer’s Society support on

their vehicles to ensuring their

station is dementia friendly by

encouraging police officers

to become Dementia Friends,

the positive impact of the

force’s dedication was shown

in November 2018, when an

83-year-old resident was spotted

walking by a Police Station only

wearing a dressing gown and

slippers on a cold night, without

any identification. She was

taken inside and was extremely

frightened and disorientated. The

officers, who were both Dementia

Friends, were able to put her

at ease and immediately made

the necessary adaptations to be

able to communicate with the

individual.

Police and Crime

Commissioner Barry Coppinger,

who is also a recognised

Dementia Champion, said:

“There has been a great effort

within Cleveland Police to

establish themselves as a

Dementia Friendly organisation,

which I have supported

enthusiastically. It’s important that

the police reflect and understand

the communities they serve and

I’m pleased their work has been

recognised nationally.

“The close partnership working

we have in Cleveland means

officers, staff, volunteers and

police cadets have all been able

to improve their knowledge and

establish processes to help

improve their service for people

living with dementia.”

Another finalist, Kent Fire and

Rescue Service, has made

the majority of its staff (90%),

Dementia Friends, produced

a booklet for carers to provide

advice on how to support

people with dementia in the

local community, and worked

with Alzheimer’s Society to

be an expert voice for other

services wishing to become more

dementia friendly.

Sean Bone-Knell, Director of

Operations at Kent Fire and

Rescue Service, said: “Here at

Kent Fire and Rescue Service,

offering extra support and help to

those living with dementia is just

a part of what we do as a service.

However, for a number of years

now, we have also been actively

working to ensure members of

our community truly understand

dementia and the small things

everyone can do to make a big

difference.”

“These awards are a great

opportunity to celebrate the

good work taking place in

communities around the UK,

and so we are honoured to have

been shortlisted this year. It’s

vital for emergency services

to meet the needs of those

living with dementia and ensure

everyone can live well within

their community – it is something

myself and our staff are incredibly

passionate about promoting.”

Dementia is the 21st century’s

biggest killer in the UK. Someone

develops the condition every

three minutes, but too many face

it alone and without adequate

support, even though two thirds

of people with dementia live in

their local community. Alzheimer’s

Society is at the forefront of a

movement to ensure everyone

living with dementia is understood

and included in society, with its

Dementia Friends initiative being

the largest of its kind, uniting over

three million people to take action

to change the way the nation

thinks, talks and acts about

dementia.

26


NEWSLINE

The three shortlisted services

also help make up over 450

Alzheimer’s Society Dementia

Friendly communities across

England, Wales and Northern

Ireland, which are helping to

ensure people with dementia are

better able to live the life they

choose and are involved in their

local communities.

Jeremy Hughes, Chief

Executive of Alzheimer’s

Society, said: “There are 850,000

people living with dementia in the

UK and this number is increasing.

Having Emergency Services that

understand the complexities of

dementia and can respond to

often distressed and frightened

individuals is a lifeline, so this

recognition of the fantastic work

of the three organisations, who

have gone above and beyond

to support people with dementia

in their local communities, is

thoroughly deserved.

“Defeating dementia will take

a societal response, where

individuals, organisations and

whole sectors are changing the

way they think, talk and act about

dementia. I would encourage

every other fire, ambulance and

police service to take a look at

our Dementia Friendly Emergency

Services Guide to create even

more change.”

Find out more about how to

become a Dementia Friendly

Organisation by visiting

dementiafriends.org.uk/

Falmer, East Sussex is expected

to be operational by Autumn

2020.

SECAmb’s Make Ready system

minimises the risk of crossinfection

and keeps vehicles on

the road for longer with speciallytrained

operatives regularly deepcleaning,

restocking and checking

vehicles for mechanical faults.

The central reporting model will

also see ambulance staff who

currently start and end their shifts

in Brighton, Hove and Lewes

instead start and finish at the

new centre – a way of working

already in place across much of

SECAmb’s, region.

The Make Ready Centre will be

named Chamberlain House, in

recognition of Professor Douglas

Chamberlain, who founded the

first paramedics in Europe in

Brighton in the 1970s.

The renowned retired cardiologist,

who worked as an advisor for

SECAmb for many years, visited

the building development recently

alongside two of Brighton’s

longest serving and newest

paramedics.

The new development will be

supported by a network of

dedicated Ambulance Community

Response Posts, (ACRPs), with

suitable rest facilities for crews

between calls and when on a

break.

subject to wider development

plans.

The introduction of Make Ready

means that the Trust does not

require large stations in which

to store equipment and restock

and maintain vehicles. The new

centre will also provide modern

training and meeting facilities.

SECAmb Operating Unit Manager

for the Brighton area Tim Fellows

said: “I’m delighted that work

on this important development

is now well under way. The new

centre will ensure we have new

modern facilities for staff and that

we are able to fully implement the

Make Ready system in Brighton

and the surrounding area.

“Crews will still respond from the

same towns under this system

but will begin and end their shifts

at staggered times with a vehicle

prepared for them that is fully

operational. The facilities that

Chamberlain House provides will

also ensure crews have access

to improved educational and

skills training accommodation

and increased access to

leadership team support. It is

only right that the city, as the

birthplace of the UK paramedic

profession, has the estate to

match its prestigious history.”

SECAmb has already developed

five purpose-built Make Ready

centres in Ashford and Paddock

Wood in Kent and in Crawley,

Tangmere and Polegate in

Sussex. It also has Make Ready

Centres in Chertsey, Hastings

and Thanet.

What is Make Ready?

• The Make Ready initiative

significantly enhances and

improves the service SECAmb

provides to the community.

• It minimises the risk of crossinfection;

frees up front-line

staff, who traditionally cleaned

and re-stocked ambulances,

to spend more time treating

patients; and keeps vehicles

on the road for longer.

• The initiative ensures that

specially-trained operatives

regularly deep-clean, restock

and check vehicles for

mechanical faults.

• Make Ready Centres are

supported by a network

of Ambulance Community

Responses Posts (ACRPs)

across the area with staff

beginning and ending their

shifts at the new centre.

• During their shifts, staff will

respond from the ACRPs

which will provide facilities for

staff.

These are located based on

patient demand.

The service provided to Brighton

SECAMB

Work progressing

on new Brighton

ambulance centre

Work is progressing well on the

development of South East Coast

Ambulance Service’s, (SECAmb),

latest Make Ready Centre.

The new development at

Woollards Field, near the A27 at

and the surrounding area will be

protected by strategically-placed

response posts located across

the area including in Seven Dials

and Hanover District in Brighton,

Lewes, Peacehaven, Newhaven

and Hove. Shifts will also begin

and end on a staggered basis to

ensure that ambulance cover is

maintained in all areas served by

the new centre. New ACRPs at

the current Brighton and Lewes

ambulance station sites are


Life Connections - The Affordable CPD Provider: www.lifeconnections.uk.com

27

NEWSLINE


Her Royal Highness

The Princess Royal

officially opens new

helipad at Maidstone

Hospital

Her Royal Highness The

Princess Royal visited

Maidstone Hospital on

Wednesday 11 December

2019 to officially open its new

helipad.

The HELP Appeal, which is

the only charity in the country

dedicated to funding hospital

helipads, donated £300,000 to

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells

NHS Trust to build the all-weather

pad at the rear of the oncology

unit. It replaces the temporary site,

which was often water-logged.

The helipad will help increase

the life chances of seriously ill or

injured patients being brought to

Maidstone Hospital for treatment

or flown from the hospital to

specialist centres elsewhere in

the country for treatment. Air

Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex

will be the main user but it can

also be used by other emergency

services as well as charities such

as the Children’s Air Ambulance

which provides a medical transfer

service for critically ill babies and

children up to the age of 18.

Prior to unveiling a plaque to

mark the official opening of the

helipad, Her Royal Highness was

introduced to representatives from

HELP Appeal, the Trust’s helipad

response team as well as crew

members from Air Ambulance

Kent Surrey Sussex which is

celebrating 30 years of service

this year.

During her visit Her Royal

Highness also met with the Trust’s

Chief Executive Miles Scott,

Chairman David Highton, as

well as representatives from the

hospital’s clinical services and

departments, including Cancer

and Emergency Medicine and

Occupational Therapists, and the

West Kent Dementia Partnership,

during which she spoke to them

about their achievements.

Shirley Hollinshead, who this year

celebrated 53 years’ continuous

NHS service, presented Princess

Anne with a bouquet of flowers

as a thank you for visiting the

hospital.

Miles Scott, Chief Executive

at MTW NHS Trust, said: “We

are extremely grateful to Her

Royal Highness for taking the

time to open the new helipad at

Maidstone Hospital which was

only made possible thanks to the

generosity of HELP Appeal.

“To be able to offer a landing

pad 24 hours a day seven

days a week so we can work in

partnership with other agencies

to ensure our patients receive the

best possible care at the right

time in the right place is priceless.

“It was also a fantastic opportunity

for The Princess Royal to meet

some of our wonderful staff and

for her to hear first-hand from

those working on the frontline

about the amazing work they do

every day to ensure we provide

outstanding care to our patients.”


of the HELP Appeal, said: “As

we rapidly approach the shortest

day of the year when there will

be just eight hours of daylight,

it’s fantastic to see Maidstone

Hospital having a helipad, which

not only enables patients to

have immediate access to the

Emergency Department, but is

also fully illuminated, allowing

air ambulances to land during

darkness hours for the first time

with critically ill patients.

“We never hesitated for a second

to fund this helipad, as we knew

the difference it could make to the

people of Maidstone, Kent and

beyond. I am delighted that its

significance is being recognised

by Her Royal Highness The

Princess Royal today.”

Helen Bowcock, Chair of Trustees

Air Ambulance Kent Surrey

Sussex, said: “We have been

working closely with Maidstone

Hospital for nearly 30 years and

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells

NHS Trust is a key partner of ours.

“The opening of this helipad

further strengthens that

relationship and provides us

with the infrastructure to provide

a round-the-clock, enhanced

service that will help save lives

and improve patient outcomes.

“We are grateful to the HELP

Appeal for their funding and were

honoured to be present at the

official opening of the new facility

by The Princess Royal.”

LAS

First London

Ambulance Service

cycle paramedic

bicycle on show at

the Science Museum

The first bicycle used by the

London Ambulance Service’s

pioneering Cycle Response

Unit (CRU) twenty years ago is

now on display in the Science

Museum’s new Medicine

Galleries.

The bicycle, and the kit cycle

medics carried at the turn of

the millennium, is on display

in a newly opened and eagerly

anticipated lifetime exhibition at

the central London museum –

donated by the founder of the

CRU, Tom Lynch MBE.

The Medicine: The Wellcome

Galleries at the Science

Museum in London opened on

16 November. It’s the biggest

exhibition of its kind in the world,

at 3,000 square metres.

Medic Tom - a BMX Racing

Champion - first proposed a

dedicated bicycle response team

in 1998 – getting the go-ahead to

launch a team in 2000.

The bike he used as a singlemedic

unit operating a trial in the

West End is on display and a

second, spare bicycle Tom used

is at the London Ambulance

Service Historic Collection.

After Tom’s trial responding in the

West End proved a success, he

started to expand the unit across

the capital.

In addition to the bicycle in the

exhibit is the kit and medical

equipment Tom would carry when

responding to patients. This

includes a defibrillator, oxygen

and Tom’s BMX-style helmet.

Tom said:

“It was very special for me to see

the display for the first time - in

this amazing new exhibition and

among some wonderful pieces of

medical innovation.

“Our Cycle Response Unit has

come a long way since I rode this

bicycle around the West End – we

estimate our riders have since

cycled an equivalent distance of

circling the planet 70 times!

“As we approach 20 years since

the formation of the unit, it’s

wonderful to have this integral

display of our history showcasing

how we’ve developed in the

Science Museum for decades to

come. I am so proud to represent

the Service in this way.”

Nowadays cycle medics still

respond in the busy centre of the

capital, including the West End

and the City of London. The unit

also has cycle responders in train

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NEWSLINE

stations and shopping centres

in Stratford, Kings Cross and St

Pancras and there is also a team

based at Heathrow Airport and in

Kingston and Richmond.

In 2007 Tom Lynch was listed in

the Queen’s New Year’s Honours

List and appointed as a Member

of the Order of the British Empire

(MBE) for services to cycling,

including his BMX career as a

champion racer and coach, which

was presented by HRH The Prince

of Wales.

HELP Appeal invests

in new kit bags

for Midlands Air

Ambulance Charity

To support advanced patient

care in the region, Midlands

Air Ambulance Charity

has unveiled new medical

equipment kit bags, funded by

the HELP Appeal, which are

proving to aid clinicians on

scene.

The charity is dedicated

to continuously improving

specialist pre-hospital

emergency care and recognised

a more effective way of carrying

equipment, medical supplies

and drugs could be established.

This led to a working group

researching and subsequently

implementing the new system.

Manufactured by PAX the new

bags include colour-coded

areas for easy access of kit and

medicines by the flight doctors

and paramedics and those

assisting on scene, such as the

ambulance service.

As part of the charity’s

consistent approach, the

new kit bags are now being

used on the service’s three air

ambulance helicopters, airbase

rapid response vehicles and two

critical care cars in Birmingham

& the Black Country and

Worcester.

Ian Roberts, air operations

manager for Midlands Air

Ambulance Charity, stated:

“Previously the kit bags were

bulky and cumbersome. Plus,

due to wear and tear would only

last up to six months before

needing to be replaced. They

were also difficult to fix into

place in the helicopters, so a

solution was required.

“The new streamlined bags are

being used up to ten times a day

and are proving to further aid

the delivery of advanced urgent

medical care to patients due to

the easy access pouches for

medicines and equipment.”

In addition to the new kit bags,

the medical stores at each

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity

base have been reconfigured

to mirror the colour coding of

the bags, to streamline the

restocking process.

Collectively, across all Midlands

Air Ambulance Charity’s

vehicles, the bags cost £22,000,

which was generously funded by

a grant from the HELP Appeal.

Robert Bertram, chief executive

of the HELP Appeal, said: “The

HELP Appeal is about saving

time wherever possible, whether

that is funding lifesaving hospital

helipads all over the country or

funding kit bags which allow

doctors to have much quicker

access to lifesaving medicine

and kit. If we can shave vital

minutes off the time it takes to

treat a critically ill patient, this

could help to save their life.”

Ian concludes: “Before rolling

out the new bags on missions,

the aircrew undertook training

and guidance on where

everything is stored, which

received positive feedback. I’d

like to take this opportunity to

thank aircrew team leader at

our Strensham airbase, Julian

Spiers, for leading on the

working group and creating

a solution which will support

advanced patient care for many

years to come.”

LAS

Specialist training

for ambulance

staff to support

the treatment of

terminally ill patients

Ambulance crews in the capital

have undergone specialist

training to ensure that terminally

ill people get care that meets

their needs but respects their

wishes.

All front-line staff are receiving

training through a partnership

between London Ambulance

Service and Macmillan Cancer

Support that aims to improve

palliative and end of life care for

patients and their families.

Clinicians get additional guidance

and education to support dying

patients, whether that be on an

emergency 999 call, an NHS 111

call, or as part of a scheduled

ambulance transport service.

This can help avoid unnecessary

trips to the hospital which can be

distressing to the patient and their

family.

The London Ambulance Service

team leading the project, which

is now entering its second year,

have also worked with other

health and social care providers

and charities to deliver bespoke

communication and bereavement

courses to staff.

London Ambulance Service’s Chief

Quality Officer Dr. Trisha Bain, said:

“We strive to provide dignified,

compassionate and respectful

end of life care. Our work with

Macmillan has meant extra

training and education for all our

crews on the road and our call

handlers taking 999 calls.

“This has ensured patients have

their needs met and wishes

respected and often avoids an

unnecessary trip to hospital,

which can be distressing to both

the patient and their family.”

All 18 ambulance group

stations serving London have

an ambulance clinician with

additional training to help

patients nearing their end of

life and support their families.

These volunteer clinicians lead

improvement in their local

area, sharing education with

colleagues, promoting patient’s

care plans and supporting the

wellbeing of their colleagues.

All staff have rapid access

to Coordinate My Care, an

electronic system holding

patient care records. This means

that clinicians have patients’

notes at their fingertips and

can understand a person’s

preferences for care when a

crisis occurs. The team has

also been working with hospices

and palliative care teams

across London to create new

appropriate care pathways,

which offer specialist advice and

access to services for London

Ambulance Service Clinicians.

Macmillan Paramedic

Programme Lead, Georgina

Murphy-Jones, said:

“When someone is reaching

their end of their life, we only

have one chance to get it

right. We aspire to provide

compassionate care that meets

the individual’s needs and

wishes. This can be commonly

achieved by supporting patients

and their families at home.

“Our partnership with Macmillan

Cancer Support is enabling

us to develop the knowledge,

confidence and skills of our staff

to provide quality care and an

improved experience to those

with advanced illness or when

nearing their end of life.”



29

NEWSLINE


LAS

Taking the emergency

department to

the patient treats

two-thirds in the

community

A specialist emergency service,

which takes senior doctors

and state-of-the-art medical

equipment on the road, is

successfully treating many

patients at the scene, potentially

avoiding almost 1,000

ambulance trips to hospital and

saving over £500,000 a year,

according to new research led

by Barts Health NHS Trust.

The Physician Response Unit

(PRU) is a collaboration between

Barts Health NHS Trust, London’s

Air Ambulance Charity and the

London Ambulance Service,

which takes the emergency

department (ED) to the patient,

delivering safe and effective

emergency care in the community.

The PRU is based at The Royal

London Hospital and responds

to 999 calls in northeast

London. Staffed with a senior

emergency doctor, in addition to

an emergency ambulance crew

clinician, the doctor’s experience

enables the PRU team to treat

a wider range of illnesses and

injuries at the scene, compared

to ambulance crews which more

often need to take emergency

patients to hospital.

The PRU car carries advanced

medication, equipment and

treatments usually only found in

hospital, such as instant-result

blood tests, urine tests and

sutures to stitch serious wounds.

It also has a computer with

access to patients’ electronic

records, allowing the team to

review hospital and GP notes.

Barts Health, London’s Air

Ambulance and the London

Ambulance Service were

the first in the UK to set up a

PRU, launched in 2001. The

innovative model has since been

implemented across the UK,

including Wales, Oxford and

Lincoln, with other parts of the

country also looking to develop

similar services.

Dr Tony Joy, Consultant in

Emergency Medicine at

Barts Health NHS Trust and

Clinical Lead of the PRU, said:

“Emergency Departments,

inpatient wards and Ambulance

Services are under a lot of

pressure, so the time is ripe for

a service like this to be rolled out

more widely.

“The Physician Response Unit

takes the emergency department

directly to the patient. We’re able

to provide immediate patientcentred

care for those who would

normally need to be taken to ED.

This also frees up hospital and

ambulance resources, and allows

us to prioritise care in ED for very

sick patients.”

Earlier this month, Charles

Rumsey, aged 90 from East Ham,

London, had a blocked catheter

for which a district nurse advised

calling 999 for hospital attention.

He has advanced dementia, and

he and his wife were braced for a

long day at A&E. Instead, a PRU

team arrived and were able to

change his catheter at their home.

His wife, Valerie Rumsey, said: “I

initially phoned the local nurse,

who said we should call an

ambulance because it needed

quick attention. So I phoned 999,

and we got ourselves ready to go

to hospital in an ambulance.

“The response was so quick,

arriving in around 10 minutes, and

I was amazed when a car turned

up with two medics, including a

senior doctor, and an unbelievable

amount of equipment. They

examined Charles, and said it

could be done there and then. I

just couldn’t believe it. The doctor

who unblocked the catheter was

absolutely brilliant, and sorted

everything out so quickly.

“Because my husband has

advanced dementia, it meant

an awful lot to us not to have to

take him to hospital. It’s made us

quite emotional, feeling so well

looked after without having to

leave the house. This should be

made available to as many people

as possible. A lot of people our

age would benefit, and so would

babies and children. Everybody

would benefit, in fact.”

The latest research, published in

the Emergency Medicine Journal,

shows that many patients seeking

emergency care via ambulance

can be managed outside of

hospital using the PRU:

• The PRU saw 1,924 patients

over the 12 month period

(September 2017-September

2018), averaging 5.3 per day,

with 1,289 (67%) of patients

being treated successfully in

the community.

• Of those managed in the

community, 945 (73%) were

likely to have been taken

to hospital by a standard

ambulance resource.

• The PRU was estimated to

deliver a reduction of 868

inpatient bed days and replaced

the need for three ambulance

responses per day, generating

an estimated total net saving of

£530,107 over the year.

• 640 patients (33%) underwent

diagnostic tests not normally

available with regular

ambulance service resources.

• 98% of 52 patients surveyed

were extremely likely to

recommend the service.

Patients were overwhelmingly

positive about being able to

receive a specialist medical

consultation in their own home,

avoiding a trip to hospital.

This includes the elderly and

infirm where a hospital episode

increases the incidence of

disorientation, falls and infections.

Dr Tony Joy from Barts Health

added: “A big motivation for us

is getting emergency doctors out

into the community to learn more

about the people they serve. It’s

empowering for the doctor to

see the patient in their own home

rather than in ED where they see

so many patients over a short

period. And unsurprisingly, the

patients love it too.

“In addition to the patients

benefiting, our clinicians are

also finding great reward

and satisfaction from more

collaborative working between

the ambulance service and the

hospital team.”

London Ambulance Service Chief

Medical Director Dr Fenella Wrigley

said: “This service, with support

from London Ambulance Service

emergency ambulance crew, helps

bring expertise into a person’s

home potentially saving a patient

an unnecessary trip to hospital.

This means more ambulances may

be available for even more critically

injured patients.

“This is one of a number of

advances the Service has

made to reduce the number of

patients we take to emergency

departments by offering the right

care for them elsewhere and

reducing pressure on the wider

healthcare system in London.”

Jonathan Jenkins, Chief Executive

of London’s Air Ambulance

said: “I’m incredibly proud of the

innovative work Tony and everyone

at the PRU are doing and the

difference it is making to patients’

lives. London’s Air Ambulance

Charity knows the importance

of bringing the emergency

department to the patient and

the PRU is a crucial part of this,

30


NEWSLINE

allowing us to do the very best for

our patients. The opportunity to

expand this work, both ourselves

and with partners, is huge.”

St John Ambulance

Services in East

Midlands rated

‘good’ by CQC

First official rating for the First

Aid Charity

St John Ambulance East Midlands

has received its first rating from

the Quality Care Commission and

was awarded ‘good’.

The rating comes after an inspection

was announced at short notice

in August last year and the CQC

acknowledged improvements that

have been made in the charitable

service since the previous inspection

in 2017. Both the Patient Transport

Service and Emergency & Urgent

Care Service were reviewed, and

both were found to provide safe,

caring, effective and responsive care

to patients.

The ‘well-led’ criterion was found to

be ‘needing improvement’, but the

announcement comes in the middle

of a re-structuring period for St

John Ambulance and the CQC has

acknowledged further improvements

in the five-month period since the

inspection took place.

St John is now implementing

its 2020 business strategy for

ambulance provision and looks

forward to welcoming the CQC

back to see further improvements;

not only in the East Midlands, but

across the country.

St John Ambulance is

exceptionally proud of the work it

does, providing urgent care and

support to communities across

the country. This rating proves that

this work more than meets the

expectations of the independent

regulator of health and social care

in England.

Craig Harman, the National

Ambulance & Community

Response Director at St John

Ambulance comments: “I am

pleased that the CQC found

our leaders to be visible and

approachable and that our

people felt supported, respected

and valued. I was also pleased

that the inspectors witnessed

good care, witnessing our

people speaking to patients with

compassion and kindness. Since

the inspection in August we have

restructured, moving to a national

operational structure. We will use

the feedback provided by the

inspection team to underpin our

new national processes as we

build on the hard work already

carried out by our people and

continuously improve the service

we provide in our communities.

Driving standards across the

independent ambulance sector

and within the event industry is a

key strategic objective for St John

and this CQC report is an excellent

example of the work we are

already doing to help us get there”.

YAS

Helping to boost

the Restart a Heart

campaign in Sri

Lanka

A Yorkshire Ambulance Service

manager, who leads the Restart

a Heart campaign, is heading

to Sri Lanka to help improve

cardiopulmonary resuscitation

(CPR) training across the

country.

Jason Carlyon, senior

engagement lead for Yorkshire

Ambulance Service based in

Wakefield and project manager

for the Resuscitation Council,

has been asked for help by Dr

Nilmini Wijesuriya of the College

of Anaesthesiologists and

Intensivists of Sri Lanka.

The country took part in the World

Restart a Heart campaign for the

first time in 2019 and more than

3,700 people were trained in CPR.

Their first campaign was launched

with support from Jason by

phone, Skype and email and his

advice and input was recognised

by making him a founder member

of the project.

The college is now keen to

develop the campaign to make it

bigger and better in 2020 and has

asked Jason to spend a week in

Sri Lanka to share his knowledge

and experience with colleagues.

Jason will be visiting the capital

city of Colombo at the end of

January and will be teaching

medics how to train others in

CPR as well as providing advice

on how to roll-out the campaign

across the country.

Jason, who lives in Scarborough,

said: “I am absolutely delighted

to be invited to Colombo to

help the college develop this

important work. We have seen

here in Yorkshire how successful

the campaign can be and we are

happy to support more people

to learn this important life-saving

skill with the aim of improving outof-hospital

cardiac arrest survival

rates.”

Dr Wijesuriya

said: “We

look forward

to Jason’s

assistance

with the

development

of this

project, in

order to

raise public

awareness

in bystander

CPR and

also his

expertise to

make World

Restart a

Heart Day

2020 even

more successful.”

On Restart a Heart Day 2019

in Yorkshire more than 860

volunteers provided CPR training

to more than 46,000 students at

163 secondary schools across the

region.

The concept of Restart a Heart

Day was first developed in 2013

by the European Resuscitation

Council. On 16 October 2014,


visited 49 schools and taught

CPR to 11,500 youngsters –

with the help of hundreds of

volunteers, mostly off-duty staff

and community first responders.

In 2016 Yorkshire Ambulance

Service supported the roll-out of

the event to all UK ambulance

services and two years later it

was adopted by the International

Liaison Committee on

Resuscitation to encourage mass

CPR training on a global scale

under a World Restart a Heart Day

banner.

The Yorkshire event is sponsored

by the Yorkshire Ambulance

Service Charity and organised in

partnership with the Resuscitation

Council (UK), British Heart

Foundation, St John Ambulance

and other partners.



31

NEWSLINE


SCAS

999 service hits

all response

time targets over

Christmas and New

Year

Thanks to the hard work and

dedication of all its staff and

volunteers working over the

busy Christmas and New

Year period, South Central

Ambulance Service NHS

Foundation Trust (SCAS) is

delighted to announce that it

met all its national response

time targets in the two-week

period from ‘Black Friday’, 20

December 2019 to 2 January,

2020.

This means that all patient

emergencies received by SCAS’

clinical co-ordination centres

in Bicester, Oxfordshire, and

Otterbourne, Hampshire –

whether triaged as a Category

1 life-threatening emergency

or a Category 4 less urgent

emergency – received an

ambulance response within

the timescales set out by NHS

England that all ambulance

services are measured by.

Mark Ainsworth, Director of

Operations at South Central

Ambulance Service NHS

Foundation Trust, said:

“The Christmas and New Year

fortnight is an exceptionally

busy time for all emergency

services and I’m delighted that

we were able to continue to

deliver excellent clinical care

both in person and over the

phone, and a responsive and

appropriate service to all those

patients who called 999 during

these two weeks.

As well as passing on my

gratitude to our staff working

in our clinical co-ordination

centres and on the road,

we also received fantastic

support right across the South

Central area from our volunteer

community first responders

and co-responders from local

fire and rescue services,

police services and military

personnel.”

Will Hancock, Chief Executive

at South Central Ambulance

Service NHS Foundation Trust,

added:

“I’d like to thank all our staff

and volunteers for working

so hard all year round, and

particularly over the Christmas

and New Year season when

they are away from their

families. Despite an increase

in demand for our 999 service

compared to 12 months ago,

the dedication, professionalism

and commitment over the last

two weeks has delivered these

fantastic results at the busiest

time of the year.

I would also like to thank

members of the public across

our region for continuing to

use NHS 111, urgent treatment

centres, their local GP surgery

and pharmacies for minor

injuries and illnesses. This

really helps ensure that we can

respond quickly to the most

serious and life-threatening

emergencies via our 999 service

whenever and wherever they

happen in our region.”

YAS

Yorkshire Ambulance

Service Emergency

Medical Dispatcher

scoops national

award

An experienced Emergency

Medical Dispatcher (EMD)

from Yorkshire Ambulance

Service NHS Trust has been

awarded EMD of the Year

2019 by the International

Academies of Emergency

Dispatch as part of their

annual UK Navigator Awards.

Aneela Ahmed, a 999 call

handler in the Trust’s Wakefield

Emergency Operations Centre,

was commended for her great

teamwork, professionalism

and ability to cope well under

pressure.

She has worked for the region’s

ambulance service for 22 years

and has a wealth of experience

in reassuring callers to the 999

service and providing clear

direction on what they need to

do to help patients prior to the

arrival of an ambulance.

On receiving the award, Aneela

said: “As an EMD we deal with

a multitude of scenarios and I

always try to do my very best to

help callers whatever situation

they are faced with. People can

be very distressed when calling

999 for ambulance assistance

and it’s humbling to receive

an award for helping others

and doing a job I love. I am

proud to be taking this award

back to Yorkshire – it is for all

the staff who work tirelessly in

emergency operations centres.”

Ashley Bond, Emergency

Operations Centre Team Leader

at YAS, was delighted about

Aneela’s prestigious win and

said: “Aneela is a role model for

all EMDs and sets a standard

that newcomers into the service

should be aiming to achieve.

She is so knowledgeable about

the ambulance service as a

whole, not just within the role

she holds as an EMD. She isn’t

afraid to help her colleagues

when they are in need and does

this in a confident, professional

manner.”

This is the third time a Yorkshire

Ambulance Service EMD has

won the award held by the

International Academies of

Emergency Dispatch during the

past six years.

Aneela, who lives in Bradford,

is a Governor for Bradford

District Care NHS Foundation

Trust. She also supports her

local community as a Councillor

for the City of Bradford

Metropolitan District Council

where she has responsibilities

as a member of the Joint Health

and Social Care and Children’s

Services Overview and Scrutiny

Committee and as a member of

the Fostering Panel.

32


IN PERSON

LAA News

London’s Air Ambulance

appoints new Medical

Director

London’s Air Ambulance Charity and Barts

Health NHS Trust announced that Dr Tom

Hurst has been appointed as the new

Medical Director of the charity.

Tom brings a wealth of expertise to the role. He

is a currently a consultant in pre-hospital care

with London’s Air Ambulance and a consultant

in intensive care medicine and major trauma

at King’s College Hospital. He trained in

Manchester before undertaking a secondment

to London’s Air Ambulance in 2008. Tom was

Clinical Lead at East Anglian Air Ambulance

from 2011 to 2014 and the sub-specialty lead

for training in pre-hospital emergency medicine

in London from 2014 to 2019.

Tom’s appointment follows the departure from

the medical director role of Dr Gareth Davies,

who stepped down this year following the

end of his tenure as Trustee to the Board of

Directors. Gareth held the role from 1996 –

2019 and remains a consultant in pre-hospital

care with the service.

The Medical Director role is of vital importance

to London’s Air Ambulance Charity and Barts

Health NHS Trust, providing leadership in the

delivery of quality clinical care in collaboration

with the London Ambulance Service and

ensuring the efficient running of this life-saving

service.

Commenting on his new role as Medical

Director, Dr Tom Hurst said:

“This is truly an exciting time for London’s Air

Ambulance and I am proud to be a part of

it. We have exciting new procedures coming

down the track that have the potential to be

transformative for our patients.

“I look forward to building on the incredible

work that Dr Gareth Davies has undertaken as

Medical Director. Gareth has steered London’s

Air Ambulance to be a global leader in prehospital

care and we can see this in the way

the charity is now considered a vital part of

London’s emergency response.

“Above all I look forward to driving forward the

clinical developments that will help us create

the next generation of survivors in the capital.”

Chief Executive Officer of London’s Air

Ambulance Jonathan Jenkins said;

“The charity is delighted to welcome Dr Tom

Hurst to this important role as we enter the

next phase of development. Tom has an

unwavering commitment to our vision for

rapid response and cutting-edge care to end

preventable deaths in London from serious

injury.

“I would also like to pay tribute to Dr Gareth

Davies. Gareth has been instrumental to our

charity’s development and has played no

small part in ensuring we are recognised as a

world-leading institution.”

Barts Health Clinical Director for Emergency

Medicine Dr Malik Ramadhan said:

“This new post – joint between the Trust and

the Charity is an exciting new model. Tom’s

predecessor – Dr Gareth Davies - has left

London’s Air Ambulance in an excellent

position with a series of new processes

coming on line to help critically injured

patients.

“Barts Health looks forward to continuing the

partnership with the charity and the London

Ambulance Service to push the boundaries of

trauma survival and Tom is the ideal person to

lead this programme.”

London’s Air Ambulance Charity delivers rapid

response and cutting-edge medical care to

save lives in the city. The charity marks its 30th

anniversary this year with the campaign 30

Years Saving Lives, of which HRH The Duke of

Cambridge is Patron.

EEAST News

East of England Ambulance

Trust (EEAST) appoints

permanent Chief Executive

Following an external recruitment process,

the East of England Ambulance Trust

(EEAST) has named Dorothy Hosein as its

permanent Chief Executive.

London’s Air Ambulance - Tom Hurst

Dorothy has been Interim CEO since joining

EEAST on 1 November 2018. Dorothy has

extensive experience as a senior healthcare

leader. Before joining EEAST she also

delivered quality, performance and financial

improvements at a range of hospitals,

including the Mid-Essex Hospital and the

Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn.

The Trust now has a permanent Chair and

CEO in place, providing stable leadership and

direction to the organisation.

Ann Radmore, regional director for NHS

England and NHS Improvement in the East of

England, welcomed Dorothy’s appointment,

saying:

>>>



33

IN PERSON

“Dorothy came into the East of England

Ambulance Service Trust on an interim basis

last year and kick-started a programme of

improvement, so I’m delighted that she has

now been appointed as the permanent chief

executive. I believe that Dorothy and Nicola

will make a strong team to see through the

changes needed in the organisation and to

lead the Trust’s improvement journey – both in

relation to the services it provides for patients

in the East of England and for its dedicated

staff.

Nicola Scrivings, Chair of EEAST, said: “I am

very pleased to announce that Dorothy Hosein

has been appointed as our permanent CEO.

Since joining the Trust just over a year ago,

Dorothy has had a very positive focus on

patient centred care, championing the need

to ensure that our patients are at the heart

of decision-making. I believe that this has

been recognised by our staff and our external

stakeholders alike.”

He became one of the first UK paramedics

in the mid-1980s, setting high standards and

inspiring others to follow suit. He was very

generous with his time and knowledge to

support less experienced colleagues and this

led to Trevor becoming one of Yorkshire’s first

paramedic clinical trainers.

After identifying the opportunities of a new

dispatch system from the USA, known as

Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System

(AMPDS), Trevor played an integral role in the

implementation and training of the system

which delivered pre-ambulance arrival clinical

advice in the UK. It was, and remains, the

most significant improvement for ambulance

services, and meant staff could respond

to 999 calls in clinically-prioritised order

which has subsequently saved countless

lives. In recognition of this, he became an

internationally-recognised Fellow of the

International Academies of Emergency

Dispatch.

He has also overseen Yorkshire Ambulance

Service’s retention of its AMPDS ‘Centre

of Excellence’ accreditation for the last 12

years, a feat not matched by any other UK

ambulance service.

In addition, Trevor has led the Trust’s

Hazardous Area Response Team (HART)

and was Gold Commander during numerous

challenging incidents, including extensive

flooding in December 2015. Under his

leadership there was unwavering commitment

to overcome the difficulties faced, keep staff

safe and provide uncompromised patient care.

He has also remained a respected advisor

to national groups which implemented the

Ambulance Response Programme in 2017.

Rod Barnes, Chief Executive of Yorkshire

Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “This is a

great honour which recognises Trevor’s valued

contribution to ambulance dispatch protocols

Dorothy Hosein said: “I am delighted to be

joining EEAST on a permanent basis. Over

the last year I have been proud to lead such a

fantastic group of people – including both staff

and volunteers. We are currently developing

our Corporate Strategy which sets out an

exciting vision for how we will continue to

deliver high quality patient care while also

supporting our people in the very challenging

jobs that they do every day.”

News

Queen’s Ambulance Medal

for Distinguished Service

awarded to Yorkshire

Ambulance Manager


Trevor Baldwin, Head of Service Development

(Emergency Operations Centre) at Yorkshire

Ambulance Service NHS Trust, has been

awarded the Queen’s Ambulance Medal for

Distinguished Service (QAM) in the Queen’s

New Year’s Honours List.

Trevor is one of the longest-serving and most

respected members of staff, not just within the

Yorkshire Ambulance Service, but across the

UK.

He has held many roles and is currently a

senior manager within the Trust’s Emergency

Operations Centre where 999 calls are

handled.

34


IN PERSON

and many years of dedicated service to the

people of Yorkshire. It also makes him part of

a very small, hand-picked group of ambulance

personnel who have shown exceptional

devotion to duty, outstanding ability, merit and

conduct in their roles.

The medal, which will be presented at

Buckingham Palace in London, recognises

ambulance personnel who have shown

exceptional devotion to duty, outstanding

ability, merit and conduct in their role.

Support Unit in 2000, and he was one of just

eight people to be trained to assist medically

in many protracted and dangerous rescues.

This unit was later superseded by the EMAS

Hazardous Area Response Team.

“His 40 years of exemplary service is in itself

worthy of recognition, but Trevor is much

more than that – he stands out because of

his unique achievements and motivation to

continually innovate and improve patient care.

Thomas explained that it was a complete

surprise when he received the letter informing

him that he is to be awarded the Queen’s

Ambulance Medal – although for the last few

years he has joked about being missed off the

list.

On several occasions has spent more than 24

hours underground to ensure the safety and

emergency treatment of patients.

Thomas was previously the recipient of the

Willetts Award after he aided in the rescue of

“Trevor’s operational and managerial

expertise is well respected and he is a very

popular character around our service and

in ambulance trusts across the country. On

behalf of Yorkshire Ambulance Service I would

like to thank him for all he has done and

continues to do. He should be very proud of

this fantastic achievement.”

He said: “When I first opened the letter, I didn’t

think it was real.

“I was so surprised – although I have been

saying for years that I would have to write to

the Queen because she kept missing me off

the list.

a patient that had fallen into a large silo in a

quarry, by risking his own safety and climbing

into the silo to treat the patient until the full

rescue team could arrive.

Three years ago, Thomas was diagnosed

with a rare bone cancer in his hip and had to

undergo surgery.

Trevor will be presented with his medal at

Buckingham Palace in 2020.

Other recipients of the Queen’s Ambulance

Medal in the New Year’s Honours List are

Thomas Bailey, Paramedic at East Midlands

Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Joanne

Rees-Thomas, Non-Emergency Patient

Transport Service General Manager at the

Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, and

Nicholas Richards-Ozzati, Emergency Medical

Technician at the Welsh Ambulance Services

NHS Trust.

EMAS News

Queen’s Ambulance Medal

awarded to one of EMAS’

first paramedics

One of East Midlands Ambulance Service’s

(EMAS) first paramedics has been named

in the New Year’s Honours List to receive

the prestigious Queen’s Ambulance Service

Medal for Distinguished Service.

Thomas Bailey, 64, based at Buxton Ambulance

Station in Derbyshire, has worked on the

frontline of the ambulance service for 40 years.

Thomas was nominated for his four decades

of dedication to caring for emergency patients,

for setting up a rural cave rescue service in

Derbyshire to rescue patients involved in

dangerous incidents, and he recently fought

and defeated cancer.

“I really am honoured, literally. I’m very proud,

not just for me, but for the ambulance service

and all my colleagues who turn up to difficult

situations day in, day out, to help someone.”

Thomas joined Derbyshire Ambulance Service

(before it became EMAS) in September 1979,

originally based at New Mills, and was one of

the first in the service to undertake paramedic

training.

He spent many years fighting hard to have

additional skills added to the paramedic role,

and sought training in interosseous injection

(injecting directly into bone marrow) and

paediatric intubation (putting a tube into the

airway of a child) long before they became part

of the paramedic skillset.

In addition, Thomas became an accredited

instructor to ensure that new staff received the

best start to their career as possible.

Thomas said: “There is not much better than

going out to help people. To be able to walk

into someone’s crisis and help them so that

there is a positive outcome, is a real privilege.

“My career has been successful because

of the people I have met along the way who

have encouraged me and supported me, and

I have been very lucky to have had one good

crewmate after another.”

Working in the Peak District alongside the

Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation led

Thomas to set up the EMAS Cave Rescue

Despite his consultant explaining that he would

probably need to give up work, Thomas was

back in the driving seat after just six months,

and has no intentions of retiring yet.

Peter Bainbridge, Ambulance Operations

Manager for Derbyshire, said that Thomas

has been an inspirational mentor to new

colleagues joining the service, and has

been instrumental in the training and

encouragement of generations of new

ambulance crews.

He said: “Thomas has been an exemplary

leader and has gone way above the expected

level of dedication expected of staff.

“His calm and professional approach ensures

that learning with him is very well delivered,

and he continues to be a leader and an

inspiration to the hundreds of staff who have

had the pleasure of working alongside him.”

Thomas is one of only four ambulance

colleagues from the UK ambulance services to

receive the award this year.

Commenting on his achievement, EMAS Chief

Executive Richard Henderson, said: “I am

delighted for Thomas that he has been named

in the New Year Honours list.

“His dedication to EMAS over the last 40 years

is truly inspiring, and he has been a fantastic

mentor to many ambulance colleagues in the

early days of their careers.”



35

IN PERSON

SECAMB News

SECAS Trust Secretary

honoured for governance

expertise at ICSA Awards

2019

Peter Lee, Trust Secretary of the South East

Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation

Trust has been awarded an accolade

for good governance by The Chartered

Governance Institute, organiser of the

prestigious ICSA Awards 2019.

Peter won the coveted Company Secretary

of the Year award at a glittering awards

celebration at the Park Lane Hilton in London

last night, narrowly pipping Andrew Eames of

St. Modwen Properties PLC, who was Highly

Commended by the judges, to the award.

Speaking about the award, Peter Swabey,

Policy and Research Director at The

Chartered Governance Institute said: “This

award recognises company secretaries who

demonstrate effective team and thought

leadership, and who have mastered the

complex legal and regulatory environments

in which they work. Peter impressed the

judges with the way in which he’d led his team

through a challenging period, delivering results

beyond the expectations of his role. He has

played an added-value role in the governance

of the South East Coast Ambulance Service,

matching technical strength with commercial

acumen. The judges were particularly

impressed with the range of responsibilities

and the strong relationships that Peter has

developed with colleagues and the board.”

The annual awards, which recognise

excellence in governance, also saw the

following individuals and teams crowned

winners:

• Governance Professional of the Year: Wendy

Stanger, East Coast College

• Team of the Year: Provident Financial plc

• Governance Project of the Year: HSBC –

Global governance excellence

(Premier League / EFL - Capability Code of

Practice was Highly Commended)

• Service Provider of the Year: Support

Services for Education

(DMJ Recruitment was Highly Commended)

• The One to Watch: Christina Meikle, Senior

Consultant, Ernst & Young LLP.

Peter concluded: “Good governance

benefits all organisations, regardless of size,

by establishing a framework of processes

and attitudes that adds value and helps to

build reputation. It is particularly important

in an organisation like SECAS where the

difference between good governance and bad

governance can be a life or death matter. Being

able to call upon the advice and expertise of

governance professionals such as Peter is

worth its weight in gold to any organisation.”

The photo accompanying this release shows

left to right: Liam Healy from Diligent, which

sponsored the award; Peter Lee, South

East Coast Ambulance Service NHS FT –

Company Secretary of the Year 2019; Simon

Evans, comedian, who hosted the evening’s

proceedings.

WMAS News

I believe the ambulance

service is the jewel in the

crown of the NHS

“I believe the ambulance service is the jewel

in the crown of the NHS.”

These are the words of the man who is set

to take over as Chairman of West Midlands

Ambulance Service as the Trust moves into a

new decade.

Professor Ian Cumming is due to take up

his new position on 1st April when he retires

from his current role of Chief Executive of

Health Education England - the education and

training organisation for the NHS.

His career in the NHS spans 38 years; originally

training as a research scientist, before spending

25 years as an NHS Chief Executive. He has

worked in hospitals, commissioning services

and as Chief Executive of the NHS in the West

Midlands in 2009.

Professor Cumming said: “I have had a personal

interest in pre-hospital care for many years. The

ambulance service meets people at a time when

they are arguably at their most vulnerable.

“We are there when people need us with staff

who are highly skilled and trained professionals.

Not only are we handling physical injuries and

illness, our staff are at the forefront of dealing

with emergency care for people with mental

health and social care issues.

“Because of that, the ambulance service has

to be a fundamental part of the caring and

compassionate NHS that we seek to provide

for all citizens of this country.


“WMAS already has a real focus on keeping

the Trust at forefront of developing patient

care and I am looking forward to helping them

continue that journey. There aren’t many

ambulance services that come close to what

WMAS achieves, but we need to be looking to

the future and staying ahead of the curve.

“As we move into the 2020s, we need to be

innovating and looking to harness the power of

new technology such as the true integration of

111 and 999 services but also looking at better

links between emergency and non-emergency

ambulance services.

36


IN PERSON

“We also need to look at the ‘internet of things’

so that we can automatically connect people’s

houses through to our systems so that we

know when somebody may be in difficulty even

if no-one is able to contact us themselves.

“There is no doubt that the next decade will be

one of real change for the ambulance service

and the NHS with the growth of technology

and integration.

“I think we will see ambulance services move

into the delivery of mobile health care in

people’s homes whether a blue light response

or more routine elective type care.

“We already have highly skilled staff such as

our paramedics along with the vehicles and

infrastructure to be able to respond to the

needs of the population.

“It is an exciting time and I can’t wait to join at

the end of March.”

YAS News


Volunteer Car Service driver

wins prestigious award

A Volunteer Car Service (VCS) driver with

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust has

won the Volunteer of the Year Award at the

2019 Yorkshire Evening Post Health Awards.

Stuart Yarker from Leeds was nominated for

his volunteering over the past two years in

helping eligible patients to get to their hospital/

clinic outpatient appointments.

600 separate journeys and travelled more than

11,250 miles during the last 12 months.

In addition, on two separate occasions,

Stuart has used his skills to save lives, first by

delivering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

to a fellow holiday-maker in Flamborough and

then, some months later and a little closer

to home, he noticed that his father-in-law

was hypoxic and in cardiac arrest. Again,

Stuart performed CPR until an emergency

ambulance arrived on scene. His father-inlaw

was transported to hospital and was later

discharged to recover at home.

On Friday 6 December 2019, Stuart was

invited to a celebratory afternoon tea at Leeds

United Football Club followed by the Yorkshire

Evening Post Health Awards ceremony hosted

by BBC Look North’s, Harry Gration. Stuart

was announced the winner of the Volunteer

of the Year category and the day was topped

off with a tour around Leeds United Football

Stadium at Elland Road.

Stuart was delighted with his award and said:

“I’d like to think I won this award not just for

me but for all the volunteering team, for all the

PTS staff and for everyone else at Yorkshire

Ambulance Service.”

WMAS News

They are very special people

As the decade drew to a close, it also

marked the beginning of the end of Sir

Graham Meldrum’s time as Chairman of

West Midlands Ambulance Service; he

officially steps down on 31st March 2020.

develop and achieve things that might not

have seemed possible ten years ago.

“While the decisions taken by the Board and

senior leadership have undoubtedly shaped

the way the Service has developed, it could

not have been achieved without the most

important part of the organisation; the staff.

“The people within this service are ever so

special. That is true throughout the service,

whether on the road, in our control rooms,

patient transport, in corporate functions,

fleet, vehicle preparation, supplies, everyone.

Wherever you go, you meet very, very special

people and all of them have one thing in

common, their dedication to providing the best

service possible to patients.

“Everything we do is all about the patient,

ensuring we provide the best service

available. The fact that external inspectors

see that and have rated us as outstanding

on two occasions is extremely pleasing and

something the staff should be very proud of.

“What makes it even more special is the fact

that we are not the best funded ambulances

service, in fact we are the worst funded. To

a large extent, the reason we have been so

successful is the roll out of the ‘Make Ready’

system where we have 15 large hubs instead

of over 80 small ambulance stations.

“It has allowed us to become far more efficient

which has allowed us to invest far more than

we would have been able to in frontline staff

and vehicles, which is ultimately what is

needed to provide a high quality service.

His nomination outlined the commitment he

has to the role, with Stuart selflessly giving over

530 hours of his personal time and using his

own vehicle to transport more than 540 patients

to their appointments. He has made nearly

Sir Graham has been in the position for almost

14 years, and during that time, has seen

the ambulance service develop into the top

performing Trust in the country.

WMAS is the only ambulance service rated as

Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission

and one of only two who are rated in

segmentation one by NHS Improvement.

In addition, the Trust is the only one

consistently exceeding the national

performance standings, has a paramedic on

every vehicle and has no frontline vehicle older

than five years.

Sir Graham said: “The last decade has been

an incredibly special one; seeing the Trust

“Whilst we are undoubtedly successful, the

service will not stand still and will continue

to develop long after I have left. Over the

next decade I see West Midlands Ambulance

Service becoming a mobile treatment service.

“What used to be large items of equipment only

found in hospitals are now miniaturised and could

be deployed on ambulances such as ultrasounds,

we can already do blood tests and eventually we

could see mobile scans and x-rays.

“Allied to this, we will develop the skills that

our staff have. By combining the skills and

new treatments, we will see far fewer taken to

hospital. There is no doubt in my mind that the

ambulance service will continue to be a key

part of the national health service.”



37

COMPANY NEWS

Body worn cameras

becoming crucial for

security and training

of front-line health

workers

Latest reports continue to

show significant increases in

assaults, disorderly conduct

and theft in hospitals.

Physical and verbal abuse is now

a common occurrence and the

growing threat of alcohol related

incidents is a particular concern.

Staff who are undertaking one

of the most important jobs in the

country have to live with this threat

on a daily basis, which is clearly

unacceptable.

Some hospitals have already

taken steps to protect staff after

a number of NHS Trusts received

complaints about verbal and

physical attacks on doctors,

nurses and hospital staff. By

equipping security staff with

Edesix Body Worn Cameras,

hospitals across the UK are

now collecting video and audio

evidence of incidents. They’ve

warned that anyone caught on

camera attacking or abusing an

NHS worker will be subject to the

‘full force of the law’.

Edesix, a Motorola Solutions

company, also currently supplies

VideoBadges to advanced

emergency response teams, and

Air Ambulance Services, across

the UK.

These are used to audit out-ofhospital

outcomes, evaluate new

equipment, and train upcoming

paramedics or support staff.

The Resuscitation Research

Group (RRG), whose aim is to

conduct quality research into

Resuscitation Medicine, also

deploy VideoBadges to improve

their processes and techniques

out in the field.

The RRG chose the Edesix VB-

300 camera for their Resuscitation

Rapid Response Unit because

it needed a camera that was

unobtrusive with a low impact

footprint, and capable of

preserving patient and medical

confidentiality. The VideoBadge

is securely attached to the

paramedic’s uniform,

requiring only a single-touch to

start recording, leaving them

free to focus all of their attention

on clinical tasks. The RRG

paramedics can then record

responses in Full HD audio and

video, so that the footage can be

reviewed at a later time.

Dr Gareth Clegg, RRG lead,

comments: “VideoBadge is

revolutionising the way we

optimise high performance

emergency teams. We can

measure key aspects of

performance in ways which were

not previously possible.

For further information about

Edesix please visit

www.edesix.com


38


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Ambulance UK Feb 2020

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