Ambulance UK - April 2020
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NEWSLINE<br />
SECAMB<br />
SECAmb work with<br />
Jumbulance Trust to<br />
adapt multi-patient<br />
transfer vehicle<br />
South East Coast <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Service NHS Foundation Trust<br />
(SECAmb) has teamed up with<br />
charity, the Jumbulance Trust,<br />
to adapt a vehicle to assist<br />
SECAmb with multiple patient<br />
transfers between hospitals as<br />
part of its Covid-19 response.<br />
Traditionally the accessible<br />
holidays and travel charity uses its<br />
Jumbulance medically-equipped<br />
coach vehicles, which are fitted<br />
with stretchers, to give those with<br />
disabilities and severe illnesses,<br />
and other significantly dependent<br />
individuals, the opportunity to<br />
travel in safety and comfort across<br />
the <strong>UK</strong> and Europe.<br />
SECAmb has commissioned the<br />
charity to provide a Jumbulance<br />
vehicle which it has adapted<br />
further to meet its specification.<br />
The charity will provide drivers for<br />
the vehicle, who have undergone<br />
additional training, while the vehicle<br />
will be crewed by critical care<br />
paramedics. The vehicle, which will<br />
be used in the coming weeks as<br />
required, will be able to transport<br />
up to five stretchered patients at<br />
a time – avoiding multiple trips by<br />
different ambulance crews.<br />
The SECAmb adaptations include<br />
the fitting of a bulkhead aluminium<br />
frame to protect the driver, updating<br />
stretchers to Trust specification,<br />
sealing off all fabric surfaces so<br />
they can be easily wiped clean<br />
and for improved infection control,<br />
fitting a piped oxygen system and<br />
installing clinical waste bins and<br />
hand gel dispensers.<br />
SECAmb Associate Director<br />
of Operations (Resilience), Ian<br />
Shaw said: “I am pleased that we<br />
have been able to work with the<br />
Jumbulance Trust and commission<br />
the charity to help with our<br />
Covid-19 response and prepare for<br />
the potential increase in demand.<br />
The role of these vehicles is usually<br />
very different and we are pleased<br />
that we have been able to adapt<br />
one of their vehicles to help with<br />
our response. I would like to thank<br />
everyone who has been involved<br />
in this important collective work to<br />
help patients.”<br />
Jumbulance Trust Chair, Gill<br />
Berry added: “We are proud<br />
that Jumbulance Trust, a small<br />
volunteer-led charity with<br />
specialist vehicles and dedicated<br />
staff, can help SECAmb with<br />
multiple patient transfers. It is<br />
humbling for us to be able to<br />
give something back and use our<br />
resources in this way. I would also<br />
like to add a huge thanks to all<br />
involved for their commitment to<br />
making this happen.”<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
volunteers get vital<br />
boost to save lives<br />
Volunteers who respond to<br />
life-threatening emergencies<br />
for London <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service<br />
have been given three new<br />
response cars to help save<br />
lives in the capital.<br />
The Freemasons have donated<br />
the high spec Volkswagen Tiguan<br />
vehicles - each worth around<br />
£40,000 – to the charity that trains<br />
volunteers to support London<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service in its work.<br />
These ‘Emergency Responders’<br />
must pass a rigorous application<br />
and assessment process before<br />
six days of intensive training<br />
where they learn life-saving skills.<br />
After successfully completing the<br />
training, these volunteers respond<br />
to 999 calls in response cars on<br />
blue lights.<br />
Athar Khan, Director of Integrated<br />
Patient Care at London<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service, said:<br />
“Our highly trained volunteers<br />
play a vital role supporting the<br />
work of London <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Service’s medics in the capital.<br />
“These new cars will mean more<br />
lives in London are saved. Acts<br />
of kindness like this keep our<br />
Emergency Responders out on<br />
the road answering 999 calls,<br />
and I would like to thank the<br />
Freemasons for their generous<br />
gift.”<br />
Sir Michael Snyder, Metropolitan<br />
Grand Master, said<br />
“I am delighted, on behalf of all<br />
London Freemasons, to present<br />
these three fast response cars for<br />
use by the voluntary emergency<br />
responders within the London<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service, to further<br />
complement the five cars that<br />
London Freemasons generously<br />
donated just a couple of years<br />
ago.<br />
“The work of the London<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service is<br />
inspirational in their relentless<br />
efforts in assisting all those<br />
Londoners in time of need. This<br />
role is only achieved by the huge<br />
commitment given by the many<br />
volunteers from various different<br />
walks of life, and I have the<br />
utmost respect for their dedicated<br />
service across the capital.”<br />
The London <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service<br />
Voluntary Responder Group<br />
charity funds the Emergency<br />
Responder scheme. In 2019,<br />
these dedicated volunteers<br />
gave close to 25,000 hours of<br />
their own time attending 8,272<br />
emergency calls. Of these<br />
emergency calls, an ER team<br />
was on scene first in almost<br />
6,000 cases. They provide a<br />
valuable additional resource in<br />
helping London <strong>Ambulance</strong> in<br />
treating more than 1.1m patients<br />
a year.<br />
Tim Kirkby has been an<br />
Emergency Responder for nearly<br />
nine years.<br />
He said:<br />
“I do a 9 to 5 desk job so I<br />
initially started volunteering so I<br />
could get out, meet people and<br />
make a difference.<br />
“And most of the time, we really<br />
do. I’m usually the first medic on<br />
scene and that can often make<br />
the difference for the patient:<br />
giving early defibrillation can save<br />
a life.”<br />
At any time, London<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service has up to<br />
eight Emergency Responder<br />
crews on the road. There are<br />
currently nearly 150 Emergency<br />
Responders on the team but the<br />
service is hoping to double that<br />
number.<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - APRIL<br />
Life Connections - The Affordable CPD Provider: www.lifeconnections.uk.com<br />
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