Ambulance UK February 2021
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Volume 36 No. 1
February 2021
DEDICATED TO THE AMBULANCE SERVICE AND ITS SUPPLIERS
Celebrating 42 years of support
to the NHS and the Emergency Services
www.dsmedical.co.uk
Basic
Ambulance and Emergency Blood Testing
Lactate, Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, Glucose, and Ketone
for early patient assessment and treatment
Fingerstick capillary sample, no blood draws
Results as fast as 6 seconds with laboratory-quality results
Rapid detection of sepsis, hypo- and hyperglycemia, and DKA
Evaluation of trauma, hemorrhage, acute coronary syndrome
novabiomedical.com
Scan to learn more or
visit https://www2.novabio.us/ukemsbasic
CONTENTS
CONTENTS
Ambulance UK
5 EDITOR’S COMMENT
8 FEATURES
8 Predicting resource demand in a time of CHAOS
12 NEWSLINE
26 IN PERSON
31 COMPANY NEWS
This issue edited by:
Sam English
c/o Media Publishing Company
48 High Street
SWANLEY BR8 8BQ
ADVERTISING:
Terry Gardner, Samantha Marsh
CIRCULATION:
Media Publishing Company
Media House, 48 High Street
SWANLEY, Kent, BR8 8BQ
Tel: 01322 660434 Fax: 01322 666539
E: info@mediapublishingcompany.com
www.ambulanceukonline.com
COVER STORY
Founded in November 1979, DS Medical looks to celebrate its 42nd
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.
PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY:
February, April, June, August,
October, December
COPYRIGHT:
Media Publishing Company
Media House
48 High Street
SWANLEY, Kent, BR8 8BQ
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 first 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 13 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
manufacturers leave us confident that our consumers can rely on us for
products that ensure excellent patient care.
In our 42 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.
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 2021
Subscription Information – February 2021
Ambulance UK is available through
a personal, company or institutional
subscription in both the UK and overseas.
UK:
Individuals - £24.00 (inc postage)
Companies - £60.00 (inc postage)
Rest of the World:
£60.00 (inc. surface postage)
£84.00 (airmail)
We are also able to process your
subscriptions via most major credit
cards. Please ask for details.
Cheques should be made
payable to MEDIA PUBLISHING.
Designed in the UK by me&you creative
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
Do you have anything you would like to add or include? Please contact us and let us know.
3
Just breathe
Why Penthrox?
Penthrox is a non-opioid inhaled
analgesic that provides simple, fast &
effective pain relief for your patients. 1
Superior pain relief for moderate to
severe trauma pain vs Standard
Analgesic Treatment (SAT) *2,3
It can be self-administered by patients
under the supervision of any person
trained in its use. 1
Visit the Penthrox University and complete the
administration training on how to use Penthrox.
1 hours’ worth of CPD points available.
www.penthrox.co.uk
Penthrox is indicated for the emergency relief of moderate to severe
pain in conscious adult patients with trauma and associated pain 1
For more information and support for your service
contact Simon Nevitt: 07920363590
simon.nevitt@galen-pharma.com
PENTHROX 99.9%, 3 ml inhalation vapour, liquid
(methoxyflurane): Please refer to the Summary of Product
Characteristics (SmPC) before prescribing. Abbreviated
Prescribing Information. Presentation: Each bottle of PENTHROX
contains 3 ml of methoxyflurane 99.9%, a clear, almost colourless,
volatile liquid, with a characteristic fruity odour. Each PENTHROX
combination pack consists of one bottle of 3 ml PENTHROX, one
PENTHROX Inhaler and one Activated Carbon (AC) chamber.
Indications: Emergency relief of moderate to severe pain in
conscious adult patients with trauma and associated pain. Dosage
and administration: PENTHROX should be self-administered
under supervision of a person trained in its administration, using the
hand held PENTHROX Inhaler. It is inhaled through the custombuilt
PENTHROX inhaler. Adults: One bottle of 3 ml PENTHROX as
a single dose, administered using the device provided. A second
bottle should only be used where needed. The frequency at which
PENTHROX can be safely used is not established. The following
administration schedule is recommended: no more than 6 ml in a
single day, administration on consecutive days is not recommended
and the total dose to a patient in a week should not exceed 15 ml.
Onset of pain relief is rapid and occurs after 6-10 inhalations.
Patients are able to titrate the amount of PENTHROX inhaled and
should be instructed to inhale intermittently to achieve adequate
analgesia. Continuous inhalation of a bottle containing 3 ml
provides analgesic relief for up to 25-30 minutes; intermittent
inhalation may provide longer analgesic relief. Patients should be
advised to use the lowest possible dose to achieve pain relief. Renal
impairment: Methoxyflurane may cause renal failure if the
recommended dose is exceeded. Caution should be exercised for
patients diagnosed with clinical conditions that would pre-dispose
to renal injury. Hepatic impairment: Cautious clinical judgement
should be exercised when PENTHROX is to be used more
frequently than on one occasion every 3 months. Paediatric
population: PENTHROX should not be used in children and
adolescents under 18 years. For detailed information on the
method of administration refer to the SmPC. Contraindications:
Use as an anaesthetic agent. Hypersensitivity to methoxyflurane,
any fluorinated anaesthetic or to any of the excipients. Patients who
are known to be or genetically susceptible to malignant
hyperthermia. Patients or patients with a known family history of
severe adverse reactions after being administered with inhaled
anaesthetics. Patients who have a history of showing signs of liver
damage after previous methoxyflurane use or halogenated
hydrocarbon anaesthesia. Clinically significant renal impairment.
MAT-PEN-UK-000362 Date of preparation: January 2021
Altered level of consciousness due to any cause including head
injury, drugs or alcohol. Clinically evident cardiovascular instability.
Clinically evident respiratory depression. Warnings and
Precautions: To ensure the safe use of PENTHROX as an analgesic
the lowest effective dose to control pain should be used and it
should be used with caution in the elderly or other patients with
known risk factors for renal disease, and in patients diagnosed with
clinical conditions which may pre-dispose to renal injury.
Methoxyflurane causes significant nephrotoxicity at high doses.
Nephrotoxicity is thought to be associated with inorganic fluoride
ions, a metabolic breakdown product. When administered as
instructed for the analgesic indication, a single dose of 3 ml
methoxyflurane produces serum levels of inorganic fluoride ions
below 10 micromol/l. In the past when used as an anaesthetic
agent, methoxyflurane at high doses caused significant
nephrotoxicity, which was determined to occur at serum levels of
inorganic fluoride ions greater than 40 micromol/l. Nephrotoxicity is
also related to the rate of metabolism. Factors that increase the rate
of metabolism such as drugs that induce hepatic enzymes can
increase the risk of toxicity with methoxyflurane as well as subgroups
of people with genetic variations that may result in fast
metaboliser status. Methoxyflurane is metabolised in the liver,
therefore increased exposures in patients with hepatic impairment
can cause toxicity. PENTHROX should be used with care in patients
with underlying hepatic conditions or with risks for hepatic
dysfunction. Previous exposure to halogenated hydrocarbon
anaesthetics (including methoxyflurane when used as an anaesthetic
agent), especially if the interval is less than 3 months, may increase
the potential for hepatic injury. Potential effects on blood pressure
and heart rate are known class-effects of high-dose methoxyflurane
used in anaesthesia and other anaesthetics. Caution is required with
use in the elderly due to possible reduction in blood pressure.
Potential CNS effects such as sedation, euphoria, amnesia, ability to
concentrate, altered sensorimotor co-ordination and change in
mood are known class-effects. The possibility of CNS effects may
be seen as a risk factor for potential abuse, however reports are very
rare in post-marketing use. PENTHROX is not appropriate for
providing relief of break-through pain/exacerbations in chronic pain
conditions or for the relief of trauma related pain in closely repeated
episodes for the same patient. PENTHROX contains the excipient,
butylated hydroxytoluene (E321) which may cause local skin
reactions (e.g. contact dermatitis), or irritation to the eyes and
mucous membranes. To reduce occupational exposure to
methoxyflurane, the PENTHROX Inhaler should always be used
with the AC Chamber which adsorbs exhaled methoxyflurane.
Multiple use of PENTHROX Inhaler without the AC Chamber
creates additional risk. Elevation of liver enzymes, blood urea
nitrogen and serum uric acid have been reported in exposed
maternity ward staff when methoxyflurane was used in the past at
the time of labour and delivery. Interactions: There are no reported
drug interactions when used at the analgesic dosage (3 – 6 ml).
Methoxyflurane is metabolised by the CYP 450 enzymes, particularly
CYP 2E1, CYP 2B6 and to some extent CYP 2A6. It is possible that
enzyme inducers (such as alcohol or isoniazid for CYP 2E1 and
phenobarbital or rifampicin for CYP 2A6 and carbamazepine,
efavirenz, rifampicin or nevirapine for CYP 2B6) which increase the
rate of methoxyflurane metabolism might increase its potential
toxicity and they should be avoided concomitantly with
methoxyflurane. Concomitant use of methoxyflurane with
medicines (e.g. contrast agents and some antibiotics) which are
known to have a nephrotoxic effect should be avoided as there may
be an additive effect on nephrotoxicity; tetracycline, gentamicin,
colistin, polymyxin B and amphotericin B have known nephrotoxic
potential. Sevoflurane anaesthesia should be avoided following
methoxyflurane analgesia, as sevoflurane increases serum fluoride
levels and methoxyflurane nephrotoxicity is associated with raised
serum fluoride. Concomitant use of PENTHROX with CNS
depressants, such as opioids, sedatives or hypnotics, general
anaesthetics, phenothiazines, tranquillisers, skeletal muscle
relaxants, sedating antihistamines and alcohol may produce
additive depressant effects. If opioids are given concomitantly with
PENTHROX, the patient should be observed closely. When
methoxyflurane was used for anaesthesia at the higher doses of
40–60 ml, there were reports of drug interaction with hepatic
enzyme inducers (e.g. barbiturates) increasing metabolism of
methoxyflurane and resulting in a few reported cases of
nephrotoxicity; reduction of renal blood flow and hence anticipated
enhanced renal effect when used in combination with drugs (e.g.
barbiturates) reducing cardiac output; and class effect on cardiac
depression, which may be enhanced by other cardiac depressant
drugs, e.g. intravenous practolol during cardiac surgery. Fertility,
pregnancy and lactation: No clinical data on effects of
methoxyflurane on fertility are available. Studies in animals have
shown reproduction toxicity. As with all medicines care should be
exercised when administered during pregnancy especially the first
trimester. There is insufficient information on the excretion of
methoxyflurane in human milk. Caution should be exercised when
methoxyflurane is administered to a nursing mother. Effects on
ability to drive and use machines: Methoxyflurane may have a
minor influence on the ability to drive and use machines. Patients
should be advised not to drive or operate machinery if they are
feeling drowsy or dizzy. Undesirable effects: The common nonserious
reactions are CNS type reactions such as dizziness and
somnolence and are generally easily reversible. Serious doserelated
nephrotoxicity has only been associated with methoxyflurane
when used in large doses over prolonged periods during general
anaesthesia. The following adverse drug reactions have either been
observed in PENTHROX clinical trials in analgesia, with analgesic
use of methoxyflurane following post-marketing experience or are
linked to methoxyflurane use in analgesia found in post-marketing
experience and in scientific literature (refer to the SmPC for further
details): Very common (≥1/10): dizziness; common (≥1/100 to
EDITOR’S COMMENT
EDITOR’S COMMENT
Welcome to this issue of AUK
Normally at this point I’d be mentioning the ‘X’ word and all the joy that usually accompanies it. Somehow,
it just doesn’t seem appropriate this year and rather than be reflective as 2021 starts, I’m pretty sure most
of us would rather scratch 2020 from our memories. It’s been such a difficult time for so many people in so
many ways that to contemplate last year can only engender two feelings, sadness and pride…sadness for
loss in all its forms and pride in the NHS and more specifically in the way the Ambulance Service has played
a significant role in the pandemic response. I’ve just looked at the photographs from SCAS Emma Williams
which whilst sobering, highlight the vital role we all play in fighting back. Its also nice to see ambulance staff
recognised alongside other health service colleagues for their efforts in the Honours list.
“...its
wonderful
to see
NWAS
pick up the
Ambulance
Trust of
the year
award, it
makes me
extremely
proud to
wear the
uniform...”
In my turn, its wonderful to see NWAS pick up the Ambulance Trust of the year award, it makes me
extremely proud to wear the uniform, moreso because I remember when Ian Walmsley, sector manager for
East Lancs and myself set up the falls response joint initiative in the space of two weeks five years ago, still
going strong and several awards later, Gail Smith has done a marvellous job of managing and expanding
the service, it remains an example of NWAS forward vision, innovation and commitment to patient centred
care. Ian is due to retire this year and having known and worked with him for 30 plus years, I know his
professionalism, care and humour in difficult times will be sorely missed, I wish him all the best for his
retirement.
So 2021 is upon us and rather like a black cloud that forgot its silver lining, the year has begun with more
miserable times. The small light at the end of a very long tunnel is just about visible with vaccination
accelerating faster than just about anywhere else in the world, again a tribute to our NHS, and at least we
can start to look forward so better times ahead and maybe even a holiday of sorts. With the fall out from
Covid likely to last far longer than the disease, I hope you all manage to get some form of break from the
relentless pressure, even if that just means a camping trip to Cornwall or Cumbria with your families. I wish
you all the very best for the coming year, stay sane and safe and indulge in the AUK podcasts with your feet
up and a cup of your favourite!
Sam English, Co-Editor Ambulance UK
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
For the latest Ambulance Service News visit: www.ambulancenewsdesk.com
5
FEATURE
www.theortusgroup.com
E: hello@theortusgroup.com
T: +44(0)8454594705
XXX
xxx
xxx
The
MEDICAL
Family
Matters of the heart - made in Germany
Touch-screen Modular Patient
Monitor and Defibrillator
corpuls 3
Modular Patient Monitor
and Defibrillator
Compact First-Aider
Defibrillator
Ultra Compact Patient
Monitor and Defibrillator
Compatability: The corpuls aed corPatch electrodes and the corPatch CPR feedback sensor are fully
compatable with all corpuls defibrillators.
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
Thorax Compression Device
Thanks to the Bluetooth connection, the corpuls cpr seamlessly
connects, and can be controlled remotley via the corpuls1,
corpuls3, and C3T. This ensures safer treatment and increased
hands-off time therefore ultimately increasing the patient’s chance of
survival.
6
THE TIRELESS ARM THAT SAVES
FEATURE
LIVES
Compression Without Compromise
The corpuls cpr is a unique thorax compression device designed to be deployed
within seconds during difficult cardiac procedures in hospital theatres and in emergency
response scenarios. The single-arm design provides unrestricted access to the thorax with
customisable pressure parameters.
Rec-Board - Pre Hospital Use
Quad Board - In-Hospital Use
Specifications
Scoop Board - Patient in Transit
Weight: 5.5kg (arm with battery and stamp
Compression Depth: 2-6cm
Frequency: 80-120/min
Therapy Mode: 30:2 | 15.2 | continuous
Blueotooth and NFC
Intuitive User Interface: Therapy start | stop
key with alarm and 4 soft keys
Customizable Therapy Parameters
Battery Running Time: up to 90 mins
3 Radiolucent Back-Boards
Quick and Safe Adjustments
Treatment of children from 8 years old,
pregnant women, and obese patients
Exclusively available to the UK market from The Ortus Group.
Visit our website to find out more: www.theortusgroup.com
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
7
FEATURE
PREDICTING RESOURCE
DEMAND IN A TIME OF CHAOS
Simon Mortimore, assistant director of Business Information at South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS)
How do you predict the unpredictable? That’s a question I’m sure many of
us asked as we began to understand the seriousness of COVID-19 in the
early months of 2020. As an ambulance service covering 5 million people
from North Oxfordshire to the South Coast of the UK, we are constantly
balancing how we meet the needs of the population we serve.
It is a challenge to make sure we have our vehicles in the right locations
in a normal year – in a pandemic, with no comparable experience, it
tested us (as it tested the entire healthcare sector, and indeed everyone)
like nothing that had come before.
So, how did we manage this? How did we continue to offer a
consistency service, while managing stretched resources, with the
increased complexity of COVID-19?
The key was ensuring having access to accurate, timely and relevant
data. As one of ten mainland ambulance services covering England, we
were part of the country’s multiagency national COVID-19 response. At
the height of the pandemic, that included having multiple conference
calls a day with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, sharing
data to inform local, regional and national efforts.
We could not have done this if our data took weeks to come through.
From the very beginning of the pandemic, we realised we needed to be
able to do four things:
• Identify hotspots to inform resource demand planning
• Capture data today to inform our actions tomorrow
• Sharing intelligence across multiple agencies, both to improve our
overall understanding and sense check our ideas, as well as ensure
consistency across key metrics
• Integrate additional data sources to enhance our own experience and
ability to react appropriately
presentations of information, and share it with relevant stakeholders
to inform their decision-making. This included being able to meet the
needs and preferences of different audiences – whether they wanted
their data in charts and numbers or maps, we were able to provide the
same information in a variety of ways with the click of a button.
The level of insights we were able to generate had a direct impact on
our understanding of how COVID-19 was affecting our region and
where resources were needed. For example, within our coverage we
have the demographically very similar urban areas of Portsmouth and
Slough. However, we started to see hotspots developing in Slough,
while Portsmouth had a much lower rate of cases. Reviewing the data,
we were able to identify that Portsmouth’s location as an island had
made it much easier for the city to manage social distancing and how
traffic came in and out of the area. Slough, with its position at the end of
the M4, has a much higher transitory population, even during lockdown,
leading to more hotspots.
By having access to data, we could see all this and plan accordingly. We
were able to react with the right resources, whether vehicle, paramedic or
equipment, as well as predict where future resources would be needed.
We’ve also been able to develop early warning indicators, which has
helped us plan for both the usual winter challenges, but future waves
of coronavirus as well. As I write this the first vaccines are being rolled
out, but I don’t think anyone believes the challenges we have faced will
disappear overnight. That’s why our continued use of data is critical to
make sure that we can deal with whatever comes up, and make sure our
patients receive the best possible care in the shortest amount of time.
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
To do that, we needed appropriate systems. However, we quickly
realised that many of our existing platforms and tools were not suitable
for capturing and analysing the data we would need for COVID-19, and
would be overwhelmed if we tried to use them in such a way. This would
have had implications both for our pandemic response and other parts
of the organisation.
In the early stages, our solution was to capture data in Excel. It was
simple to use and easy to quickly identify data sources. However,
that was always a temporary solution. With speed of the essence, we
needed something that could automate our analysis and presentation of
data, as well as integrate with a variety of sources and tools, including
external demographic datasets from data agency Doorda and the
mapping technology of the Ordnance Survey.
To do that, we migrated over to Qlik Sense. In doing so, we were able to
organise, review and analyse data constantly, automating reports and
8
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT
FREE EDUCATIONAL PODCASTS
Visit www.ambulanceukonline.com
FEATURE
In the knowledge that conferences and exhibitions are currently on hold we are delighted to offer you
the opportunity to hear the following podcasts listed on www.ambulanceukonline.com
further podcasts being added on a regular basis:
Management of Traumatic Cardiac Arrest - Richard Lyons
Peak Performance Under Pressure - Stephen Hearns
Obstetric Emergencies in the Pre Hospital Environment - Lucy Powls
Basic ECG recognition - Steve Evans MBE
Picking up the Pieces - Dr John Chatterjee & Steve Jones
This unique section on our web site also gives you the opportunity to see the following products being
demonstrated:
• I-view(tm) video laryyngoscope
• Water Rescue toddler
• EOlife Ventillation Monitor
• Quantum Life Warmer
We are also seeking further presentation/podcasts to add to this exciting new educational concept
therefore if you have anything to submit that would interest those working in Pre Hospital Care,
Resuscitation and Simulation please forward it to info@mediapublishingcompany.com
IT’S FREE - IT’S EDUCATIONAL - IT’S REWARDING
WWW.AMBULANCEUKONLINE.COM
Volume 35 No. 5
DEDICATED TO THE AMBULANCE SERVICE AND ITS SUPPLIERS
October 2020
Discover the Quantum
DIFFERENCE
THE Prehospital Blood &Fluid Warming Solution
Blood &
Fl
uid
Wa
rm
in
ng
Sy
ys
te
m
Volume 30 No. 4
Winter 2020
Gastroenterology Today
New Ways of Working
within Endoscopy
One of the impacts of Covid-19 is
the way the NHS is accepting and
encouraging new ways of working.
But is this true in endoscopy?
In this edition, we look at insourcing
with 18 Week Support as a solution,
the actual experience of our nurses
and clinicians working on these
short-term contracts and explore
the differences in working life with
18 Week Support compared to their
day to day jobs in their home trusts.
Volume 7 No. 2
Autumn 2020
Resuscitation Today
A Resource for all involved in the Teaching and Practice of Resuscitation
Volume 2 No. 2
Autumn 2020
SimulationToday
A resource for all involved in the teaching and practice of simulation
ENHANCE PAEDIATRIC SIMULATION WITH REALITi
Train critical skills required for your most vulnerable patients
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
FAST | EFFECTIVE | SAFE | INTUITIVE | LIGHTWEIGHT | POWERFUL
EXCLUSIVE TO
See reverse for Simulation Today
See reverse for Resuscitation Today
Do you have anything you would like to add or include in Features? Please contact us and let us know.
9
ADVERTORIAL
XXX
xxx
THE FRONTLINE AMBULANCE
OF THE FUTURE
Fully operational at 3.5 Tonne
xxx
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
10
Reducing Emissions
Reducing Fuel Consumption
Driving recruitment driven on a ‘B’ Licence
Ready for the Step to Zero Emission EV
The ambulance of choice for
St John Ambulance
WAS UK Ltd • E: wasukinfo@was-vehicles.co.uk • T: 0845 45 927 85
www.was-vehicles.com @WASAmbulances @was.vehicles @wasambulances @WASAmbulances
For more news visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
The 3.5t Environmental
Ambulance of the Future
FEATURE
After the release of the WAS 3.5 tonne frontline Ambulance back in 2019, further advancements have
been made leading to the production of the fully automatic MAN TGE varient. This fully operational frontline
vehicle has been adopted by St John Ambulance after WAS were awarded the contract to supply.
This innovative vehicle means that St John Ambulance is operating one of the most modern fleets in the
UK if not globally.
Re-engineered
To achieve this lightweight ambulance, WAS
has analsyed every component within the
conversion and re-engineered it to save
weight without compromising its structural
integrity. This also meant procuring third party
components with weight benefits even if the
cost was higher to purchase. Tom Howlett,
Sales Engineering Manager at WAS UK,
explains: “Our biggest engineering goal was
reducing the weight of our box body, while
still ensuring the construction passed all
the stringent safety testing. Our engineering
experts at WAS GmbH have worked tirelessly
to achieve this goal and to ensure WAS
continue to lead the way in the ambulance
market”.
THE WAS 3.5T FRONTLINE AMBULANCE BASED ON THE FULLY AUTOMATIC MAN TGE
Reduction in fuel emissions
This vehicle is set to become the
enviromental ambulance of the future
with its ability to deliver reductions in fuel
and emissions on a 3.5t GVW vehicle,
compared to market equivalents at 4.25t
GVW. When designing this ambulance,
WAS always had an eye on the future.
With that in mind this ambulance
conversion is now also viable for a zero
emission vehicle platform. All electric
vehicles can be driven on a ‘B’ licence
up to 4.25t GVW and the WAS box body
conversion is perfectly placed to make
this step. A frontline vehicle that can
be driven on a ‘B’ licence delivers huge
benefits in terms of recruiting staff.
REDUCING FUEL AND EMISSIONS
Automatic loading stretcher
The specification includes an automatic
loading stretcher system dualed with a
powered carry chair. These patient loading
systems, which reduce musculoskeletal
injuries are likely to become the patient
loading methods on zero emission
ambulances moving forwards. Electric
vehicles with the need of large mileage
ranges will have batteries situated behind the
rear axle to deliver the range, this will require
innovative patient loading solutions fit for the
next generation ambulance.
St John Ambulance
After winning the contract to supply
St John Ambulance, there are 11 vehicles
in service with another 25 to be delivered
starting in March this year. Tom Howlett, Sales
Engineering Manager at WAS UK, recalls:
“Working with St John Ambulance has been
very exciting. The services fleet is undergoing
a massive modernisation campaign and this
modernisation together with the forward
thinking team of St John Ambulance has
enabled this design to work and function
as a fully operational BS EN1789 compliant
vehicle”.
Craig Harman, National Ambulance
& Community Response Director at
St John Ambulance
Craig Harman comments: “Having consulted
with staff and volunteers at every stage of
the development of our new fleet, we are
confident that they provide a much-improved
experience for both them and our patients.
The new design gives us a larger operating
space and familiarity across all vehicles
which will save time and enhance the patient
experience. All in all, they will make a huge
difference to the work that we do, and I can’t
wait to see more of them out on the road”.
Rob MacIntosh, National Fleet
Manager at St John Ambulance
Rob MacIntosh adds: “Adding these vehicles
to our fleet is a huge step forward for us.
They use less fuel, require less maintenance
and the upgraded engines mean that we are
also making emissions savings. The multifunctional
aspect of these new ambulances
means that we can elongate their life span
by rotating them on different types of duties.
They’ll make a big difference to us now and
into the future. After nationally evaluating the
prototype vehicle, the feedback couldn’t have
been better which confirms we are going in
the right direction”.
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
If you’d like to find out more information about the new WAS 3.5 tonne vehicle, please contact:
wasukinfo@was-vehicles.co.uk, or speak with Tom Howlett on: 07496 982199 or 0845 459 2785.
Do you have anything you would like to add or include in Features? Please contact us and let us know.
11
NEWSLINE
Air ambulance
receives
heartwarming
donation for vital
lifesaving equipment
The County Air Ambulance
HELP Appeal, the only charity
in the country that funds
NHS hospital helipads, has
generously funded £22,000 for
five new critical blood-warming
machines for Great Western Air
Ambulance Charity.
Great Western Air Ambulance
Charity (GWAAC) crew consists
of Critical Care Doctors and
Specialist Paramedics who bring
the skills of a hospital emergency
department direct to those in
urgent need.
As part of their extensive kit,
they carry blood and fresh
frozen plasma together with the
equipment necessary to give a
blood transfusion at the scene
of an incident. In 2019 GWAAC’s
Critical Care Team gave 37
patients emergency blood and
plasma transfusions on scene.
To give a safe transfusion, the
blood needs to be warmed close
to body temperature before being
used. Whether the team are
attending a patient by helicopter
or critical care car, they need
the right kit at hand to be able
to respond quickly with the right
treatment. This includes having
reliable and effective blood
warming machines, so that they
can safely administer blood
transfusions.
The charity’s current blood
warming machines were nearing
the end of their lives, and so
new ones were required, costing
£4,400 each. As a charity, GWAAC
receives no day-to-day funding
from the NHS or Government,
and relies on generous grants
and donations to raise the money
needed to provide their lifesaving
service.
Since the launch of GWAAC
in 2008, the charity has been
fortunate to have a strong
partnership with the County Air
Ambulance, receiving almost £4
million in funding. This has helped
to develop the charity’s operations
and make significant advances in
pre-hospital emergency care for
patients in GWAAC’s region.
GWAAC’s Chief Executive, Anna
Perry, said: “We’re so grateful for
grants and donations such as this
one that allow us to purchase vital
kit for our crew to give patients the
best possible chance of a positive
outcome. Without support like
this, we simply couldn’t make a
difference to so many lives and
families across the region, so on
behalf of all of our communities –
thank you.”
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive
of the County Air Ambulance
HELP Appeal said: “The charity
has a very strong connection with
GWAAC having provided funding
during its first few years. Through
our HELP Appeal we have funded
helipads at Bristol Royal Infirmary
and Southmead hospital, which
have helped to save many
lives. We’ll always go where we
are needed most and GWAAC
urgently needed our support. We
are pleased that we can continue
helping them to save the lives of
critically ill patients.”
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
12
For more news visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
Four things in one pack,
NEWSLINE
one less thing to think about
LAS
Paramedic pilot
introduced to help
ease pressure on GP
services this winter
A new pilot saw London
Ambulance Service paramedics
working in GP surgeries across
the London borough of Merton
to help improve the care
patients receive and reduce the
pressures on GPs this winter.
Using e-bikes, twelve paramedics
will be supporting Merton Health
– a collective of 6 Primary Care
Networks (PCNs) made up of
local GP practices – by cycling
to patients in the community and
helping deliver this season’s flu
vaccinations. Each PCN will be
assigned two paramedics who will
work on rotational shifts between
the ambulance service and the
practices.
pilot will help relieve pressure on GP
surgeries and ensure ambulances
go where they are most needed.
“Nobody wants to go to hospital
unless they have to and with
finite resources, our highlyskilled
clinicians are well placed
to assess whether patients
need care at home or if hospital
treatment is required.
“We’re proud to partner with
Merton Health and to provide
their Primary Care Networks with
our skilled paramedics. Merton
are truly leading the way and we
look forward to exploring further
opportunities with other Primary
Care Networks in the future.”
The pilot works to support the
NHS’s Long Term Plan in its
ambition to provide integrated
care to patients within the
community, in which the
paramedic’s role is a vital part in
treating more patients at home.
The medics will also help assess
and treat those suffering with long
term conditions, patients that
have recently been discharged
from hospital, and also patients
who have coronavirus and a
pre-existing health condition.
Once the patient is assessed,
the paramedics will work with
GPs to refer patients to the most
appropriate follow-up care and
assist with their care plans.
Starting November, the six-month
pilot aims to alleviate some of
the pressures on GP surgeries,
speed up the time it takes for
patients to be seen and make
sure they’re seen by the most
appropriate clinicians. It is hoped
that it will also reduce pressure
on the London Ambulance
Service by cutting the need to
send ambulances and avoiding
unnecessary attendance at A&E.
Chief Operating Officer of
London Ambulance Service,
Khadir Meer said: “Winter is an
extremely busy time for our health
service and with the exceptional
year we have had, we hope this
Mariam Ganesaratnam, Chief
Executive Officer of Merton
Health said: “This year has been
a challenge for the entire NHS,
with pressures building in general
practice and A&E’s and our
hospitals seeing an increase in
admissions. We have been pulling
out the stops to ensure that we
are prepared for winter and that
our teams are resilient.
“I have had the pleasure of working
with London Ambulance Service
paramedics on the frontline and
we believe that this new service
will bring significant benefits to our
networks, practices and our patients.
These paramedics will be vital to
relieving winter pressures and will
be a real asset to Primary Care
Networks in Merton. This has been
an exciting opportunity and we hope
that this partnership extends beyond
the six month pilot.”
The pilot is expected to run
until April 2021 and subject to
evaluation, London Ambulance
Service hopes to make this a
permanent feature with the aim to
further expand it across London.
www.i-gel.com
Quality, innovation and choice
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
13
NEWSLINE
A 24/7 Air
Ambulance for Wales
The Wales Air Ambulance
has achieved its ambition to
become a 24/7 service thanks
to the donations from the
people of Wales.
The Charity, which will celebrate
its 20th anniversary in 2021,
will start operating an overnight
helicopter from Tuesday, 1
December.
The cost of running the
helicopters during the day
currently stands at £6.5 million
every year. To maintain the
overnight helicopter, Wales
Air Ambulance must raise an
additional £1.5 million, bringing
the annual fundraising total
required for a 24/7 operation to
£8 million.
While the helicopter operation is
supported by the people of Wales
through charitable donations to
the Wales Air Ambulance, the
medical capability on board
the aircraft is delivered thanks
to a unique Third Sector-Public
Sector partnership between the
Charity, Welsh Government and
NHS Wales. In place since 2015,
this collaboration resulted in
the creation of the Emergency
Medical Retrieval and Transfer
Service (EMRTS Cymru), more
commonly known as the ‘Welsh
Flying Medics’, which provides
pioneering pre-hospital critical
and emergency medical care
across Wales. The aviation part
of the service is run by Babcock
Mission Critical Services Onshore
on behalf of the Wales Air
Ambulance.
The need for an overnight Wales
Air Ambulance was identified
following detailed research into life
or limb-threatening emergencies
that took place outside the
services’ operational hours of
8am to 8pm. Over a 12-month
period, there were approximately
990 cases of ‘unmet need’ and
the demand was most prevalent
in South-East Wales.
While plans for the introduction of
the overnight aircraft were being
finalised, a road-based consultant
and critical care practitioner have
been operating between 7pm and
7am every night from the Charity’s
Cardiff Heliport based since July
2020. From 1 December, they will
be joined by a double pilot crew,
allowing them to cover the whole
of Wales.
Minister for Health and Social
Services, Vaughan Gething, said:
I am delighted the Wales Air
Ambulance Service has achieved
its ambition to become a 24/7
service. The introduction of the
overnight helicopter will provide
emergency air cover to more
people who have a clinical need
for immediate treatment across
Wales.
It has been a pleasure to see
the charity go from strength to
strength since its launch on St
David’s Day in 2001. The work of
the charity and its’ hardworking
staff and volunteers has helped
Wales to lead the way in best
practice, clinical excellence and
innovation and contributed to the
charity becoming the largest air
ambulance operation in the UK.
WAA Chairman, David Gilbert
OBE said: At the start of the
year, we said that our aim was
to deliver an overnight helicopter
by the end of 2020. There have
been many years of planning
and preparation with our NHS
and aviation partners to make it a
reality. Despite the challenges of
the pandemic, we felt it was more
important than ever to provide
the people of Wales with a 24/7
lifesaving service.
In 2021, the Charity will mark
20 years of service and what
better way to acknowledge that
milestone than the introduction of
a 24/7 air ambulance operation.
This has been two decades in the
making and we would not be here
without the people of Wales and
their incredible generosity, as well
as our staff and volunteers.
Times are extremely difficult
for everybody, but we’ve been
overwhelmed by the support
we’ve received. We appreciate
that some people may not be able
to continue their support at the
moment, but for those who can,
together we can ensure that we
maintain a 24/7 service and save
lives.
Professor David Lockey, EMRTS
National Director, said: The EDstandard
care we deliver at the
roadside improves the chances
of survival and long-term recovery
from trauma and critical illness.
Our aim has always been to
deliver equity of access to this
advanced pre-hospital critical
care across Wales, regardless
of location or time of day. Our
research has shown that there
is a need for an extended air
ambulance service overnight and
we have already experienced this
demand since the introduction of
our overnight road-based service
in July this year.
This phase of our 24/7 expansion,
the introduction of a Wales Air
Ambulance Charity helicopter, is
a huge step forward for both our
service, and for pre-hospital care
in Wales. This has been made
possible thanks to the ongoing
work and partnership between
the public and third sectors, as
well as the people of Wales who
support the Charity.î
For more information and for
ways to support the Wales Air
Ambulance Charity, please visit
www.walesairambulance.com/247
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
The Service, which effectively
takes the emergency room
to the patients, is made up of
senior NHS Wales doctors and
critical care practitioners who
can deliver critical emergency
treatments not routinely available
outside the hospital environment.
They include including surgical
procedures, blood transfusions
and emergency anaesthesia.
14
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
NEWSLINE
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
For the latest Ambulance Service News visit: www.ambulancenewsdesk.com
15
NEWSLINE
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
NWAS
Ambulance service
demand remained
high over the festive
period
The week between Christmas
and New Year is traditionally
one of our busiest times of year,
and this year was no exception,
albeit slightly less than the
previous year.
On New Year’s Day alone we
received nearly five thousand 999
calls*, which was around 350
calls fewer (6½ %) than last year,
while on Christmas Day and New
Year’s Eve levels were only slightly
reduced.
Director of Operations, Ged
Blezard said: “As always, we were
well prepared for the spike in calls
over the whole festive period with
months of planning and additional
resources available.
“The reduction in New Year’s Day
calls undoubtedly was down to
the restrictions placed over the
region which prevented the usual
alcohol related incidents in town
and city centres. However the
number of 999 calls we received
on New Year’s Day still represents
a high level of demand and
coronavirus itself continues to add
it’s own complications”
“However we have continued to
meet the challenges to provide a
safe service not only across our
999 emergency service, but also
our 111 and Patient Transport
services thanks to the skill and
effort of all the NWAS staff that
worked over the festive period
“Alongside our dedicated
workforce, we are also very
grateful for the support from our
Community First Responders
and other volunteers at this time.
Many have been helping to man a
specialist fleet of welfare vehicles
during busy shifts, supplying
drinks, snacks and wellbeing
advice to staff as they convey
patients to hospitals across the
region. The fact that they are
volunteers and give their time
freely makes their contribution
even more commendable.”
“I would like to thank everyone
for their support during this
busy time and using the service
appropriately. 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 managing
calls through our clinical hub
providing medical advice over the
phone and treating patients in the
community wherever possible,
reducing unnecessary emergency
department admissions.
“As we head into January and
February and the cold winter
continues, we are expecting the
high demand to continue and
ask for the public to continue to
help us by only calling 999 in lifethreatening
emergencies.”
*This statistic includes 999 calls,
duplicate calls, incidents at events
where NWAS is the medical
provider and 111 pass throughs.
LAS
Capital’s bluelight
services join
together to care for
Londoners during
second Covid wave
A new blue-light partnership
between London Ambulance
Service and Metropolitan Police
Service will see police officers
across the capital driving
ambulances and assisting
medics to help boost the
emergency response to the
Covid-19 pandemic.
The Metropolitan Police Service
has agreed to provide around
75 police officers to London
Ambulance Service. The
new partnership will help the
ambulance service to continue to
put more ambulances on the road
responding to Londoners that
need them.
The officers, who began training
on Wednesday 13 January, are
blue light driving trained, have
basic first aid skills and know the
streets of London well, making
them the ideal partners to assist
the ambulance service during this
period of unprecedented demand.
Metropolitan Police
Commissioner, Dame Cressida
Dick visited the training on
Wednesday at Wembley Stadium
connected by EE.
Jason Hallahan, Emergency
Planning and Resilience Officer
for London Ambulance Service,
walked Ms Dick around the set
up and showed her how officers
are being trained on vehicle
familiarisation, manual handling
and ambulance equipment –
before the Commissioner spoke
with the Chief Executive of London
Ambulance Service, Garrett
Emmerson.
London Ambulance Service Chief
Executive Garrett Emmerson said:
“London Ambulance Service and
the Metropolitan Police Service
have worked hand in glove over
many decades responding
together to all of the most
challenging incidents in the recent
history of London.
“It makes perfect sense that in
the face of sustained levels of
unprecedented demand we are
taking steps to help our staff
and volunteers care for London
by enlisting the help of our MPS
colleagues.
“Partnership working with our
emergency services colleagues is
an essential part of our response
to the pandemic and will help us
to reach more patients in need of
our help during this difficult time.
We are also training more London
Fire Brigade firefighters, whose
support since April 2020 has been
invaluable.”
Metropolitan Police Commissioner
Cressida Dick said although only
75 drivers were required initially,
hundreds of volunteers came
forward.
“London Ambulance Service really
are in quite severe difficulties with
servicing all the calls that they have
at the moment because of the
tremendous pressures brought by
the COVID virus,” she said.
“They asked whether we might
be able to assist – I had dozens
of volunteers and we have 75
officers who are assisting the
paramedics as they go about their
daily business.
“They are skilled police drivers,
they’re good decision makers and
I’m really pleased that we are able
to help the LAS at this incredibly
difficult time in this way.”
This training - which includes
familiarisation with ambulances
and some of the equipment such
as carry chairs and trolley lifts, is
being given at Wembley Stadium,
thanks to the ongoing support of
the Football Association.
Mark Burrows, The FA’s Chief
Operating Officer, said: “At this
unprecedented time in which
our emergency services are
under such sustained pressure,
we are privileged to be able to
play a small part in supporting
the London Ambulance Service,
Metropolitan Police Service and
London Fire Brigade in their
efforts to care for people across
the capital.
“After assisting with the delivery
of a similar exercise back in
16
For more news visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
NEWSLINE
April, we were ready and willing
to offer our venue and welcome
the LAS, MPS and LFB back to
Wembley Stadium as they face
this challenging phase of the
pandemic. We continue to offer
our full support to our bluelight
services as they conduct
this important training exercise
and would like to reiterate our
gratitude to our emergency
services as they work to save lives
both in London and across the
country.”
The police officers from the
Metropolitan Police Service will
be receive the training this week
alongside up to 80 London Fire
Brigade firefighters and around
40 staff from private ambulance
providers.
A similar partnership between
London Fire Brigade announced
in April saw 300 firefighters
helping with a number of roles
across the ambulance service
– including driving ambulances,
support which is ongoing.
SECAMB
Badge aims to make
communication
easier for hearing
impaired staff
diagnosed with chronic middle
ear disease prior to starting
university and has had to undergo
several surgeries meaning that
she now requires hearing aids in
both ears.
The badge will mean any
SECAmb staff with hearing issues
can be identified easily at the
scene of an incident or in the
workplace potentially without
having to explain their impairment
each time.
Jenna has also produced a
short video to explain how
communication with people with
hearing impairments can be
improved – especially given the
difficulties wearing a mask during
the pandemic creates.
Using the mnemonic FACE,
the video encourages face-toface
communication, attention,
clear calm communication, and
being aware of the immediate
environment. The video can be
viewed on YouTube.
Jenna said: “The last time I
was off sick for surgery, I was
concerned about coming back as
I was going to be bilaterally deaf
at work for the first time. It was
at that point that it occurred to
me that hearing impaired people
almost instinctively adjust their
behaviours, their positioning and
their communication in order
to optimise their understanding
when other people are speaking
to them but there is actually an
awful lot more that everyone
around that hearing impaired
person could be doing to improve
things further still.
“The kind of situation I was most
concerned about was something
serious such as a cardiac arrest
where there would be multiple
clinicians in attendance and
potentially crews who weren’t
familiar with me.
“I felt firstly some education was
needed and also that the badge
could be useful as a simple
visual indication that a person
has a hearing impairment and
could benefit from some adjusted
communication techniques. I
don’t think people should have to
draw huge amounts of attention to
themselves to make it known they
have a hearing impairment.
“I really hope the badge along
with increased awareness can
make communicating at work
easier for staff, our partners and in
turn our patients.”
ONLINE-EXPO
For the benefit of those
unable to attend conferences
and exhibitions an online
rolling conference/product
demonstration page has
been set up on: www.
ambulanceukonline.com
where you will find a podcast
entitled ‘Picking up the Pieces’
created by Adam Kay, Dr John
Chatterjee and paramedic
Steve Jones. Although a
serious topic Adam, Jon and
Steve add a sense of humour
and lightheartedness when
explaining how they processed
the Trauma they witnessed on
a daily basis when working for
London’s Air Ambulance.
We are also seeking presentations
and podcasts that will be of
interest to pre hospital care
and hospital specialists for this
exciting new concept therefore, if
you have anything to submit that
you feel would be of interest to
your colleagues, please forward
it for consideration to: info@
mediapublishingcompany.com
A paramedic with a hearing
impairment has developed
a new way of informing
colleagues and other
emergency services of hers and
others disability when working.
Jenna Gibson, based at
Thameside ambulance station
in Kent, came up with the idea
which will see South East Coast
Ambulance Service (SECAmb)
staff with a hearing impairment
be able to request a speciallydesigned
pin badge from the
Trust’s ‘Enable’ disability network
to wear on their epaulettes.
Jenna, who qualified as a
paramedic seven years ago, was
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
Do you have anything you would like to add or include in Newsline? Please contact us and let us know.
17
NEWSLINE
EMAS
Paramedic Science’s
Tom hasn’t let COVID
or MS stand in his way
Remarkable, humble and
always remaining patientfocused
is how one paramedic
student describes another,
who took on studying during
the pandemic while managing
a serious health condition.
Tom Rothwell – from Derbyshire
and pictured in the group photo
below, second left of the back
row – started the University
of Northampton’s popular
Foundation course in Paramedic
Science in November 2018 after
working in what, on the surface,
seems a very different career.
He explains: “In a previous life I
was an outdoor sports instructor
and sports centre manager,
roles that actually aren’t a million
miles from what I was interested
in studying.
“Of course, working at a sports
centre isn’t exactly the same, but I
had skills I thought would help me
progress to a healthcare career. I
enjoyed working in a public facing
role and integrating with people
and I volunteered with the Peak
District mountain rescue service
– in a non-medical role – and
also enjoyed rock climbing, so I
was quite used to being outdoors
in the rain! Also, and this might
sound corny, but I really enjoy
helping people.”
A professional jump for some,
but Tom easily settled in to
the university life, comfortably
handling class work, placements
with East Midlands Ambulance
Service and making friends with
his peers.
Those peers include Tim Burrows
– front row in the group photo
– who picks up the story: “I’ve
known Tom for a while now and
my initial impression when I first
met him was what most people
will think: outdoorsy, great guy.
But when you get to know him a
bit more, you’ll see very quickly
that doesn’t do him justice.
“Humble doesn’t cover who he is
or how he has coped what what’s
happened since starting the
course. He has been a student
representative at the University
– he supported me when I first
started and other students and
even his own Mum when she was
ill. That’s what made his diagnosis
even more shocking.”
Just months in to his course, Tom
received a body blow after an
innocuous health complaint: “I
had my first placement in January
2019 and loved being ‘on call’
with seasoned paramedics – it
was fantastic!
“The rest of the year followed suit
with a second placement and I
was about to start my third in April
when I started to feel unwell; I felt
dizzy and had vertigo. I had many
GP appointments but nothing
untoward was diagnosed – I was
told it was just an ear infection.
Then, things got worse.
“Most days I had real difficulty
getting out of bed. Then on other
days, I felt relatively OK and could
walk with ease. My ‘yo-yoing’
health was hell and I had to take
time off from the course.
“Typical, lazy university student
you might think, but this really
wasn’t me – I was a man of
action who climbed mountains!
Eventually, I had enough and went
back to my GP where I saw a
registrar who was convinced that I
didn’t have an ear infection.
“They referred me to the Royal
Derby Hospital for a medical
assessment and I spent three
days there. When I left, my world
had changed: they diagnosed
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
18
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
NEWSLINE
me as having relapsing, remitting
Multiple Sclerosis (MS). It was
devastating. I didn’t really
understand what it was and had
no idea if the symptoms I had
would resolve.”
MS is a condition that can affect
the brain and spinal cord causing
a wide range of symptoms,
including problems with vision,
arm or leg movement, sensation
or balance. It’s a lifelong condition
and the symptoms can be mild or
severe and worsen with time. Life
expectancy can be reduced.
Tom now settled into a radically
different life marked by the need
to take specific medication to
control the symptoms of the
condition. A side effect of these
is that a person’s immune system
is suppressed, and he missed
several weeks of lectures.
Miraculously, as he explains, this
and having to shield for most of
this year due to the pandemic
were to no academic avail:
“Because of the MS, I had 15
weeks off during the first year of
my degree which really put me
behind. Thankfully I passed all
of my exams, but I couldn’t have
done that without the help of my
peers.
“Then, for my second year, the
pandemic hit and as a vulnerable
person I had to shield. Most of
the teaching went online so I kept
up to speed and the support
sessions with my Personal
Academic Tutor were brilliant.”
Tom also had professional pickme-ups
from his fellow students
including Tim, who adds: “Every
university student brings with
them their own challenges,
whether staff or student but Tom
really caught the curve ball life
threw at him and chucked it back.
The person he is, is why his story
should be heard. He fights just as
hard for his patients as he would
for a friend or himself.
“Whether he is helping an
elderly woman who has had
a fall or supporting me when I
first started the course, to be
that adaptive – especially when
you are training for a profession
as fluid as ours – and dealing
with your own health problems
as well as being a student, that
deserves to be celebrated. I’m
a mature student and I thought
that would be hard enough,
but what Tom’s achieved is
remarkable.”
Tom concludes his story with
some good news: “I have been
offered a job as a paramedic
with East Midlands Ambulance
Service and I am currently going
through occupational health
and pre-employment checks.
I’m looking forward to starting
with them, but at the moment
I’m taking every day as it comes
and hoping I can go out on
placement in January and finish
the course!
“I have really enjoyed my time at
university, even with everything
that has happened – these really
have been exceptional months
– but I want to recognise all of
my academic cohort. All of the
students have done amazingly
well during very difficult times.
They’ve pulled together to
become the paramedics I know
they will be.”
SECAMB
SECAmb signs
Neurodiversity
Charter
South East Coast Ambulance
Service NHS Foundation
Trust (SECAmb) has signed
a charter committing to
becoming a neurodiversityfriendly
employer.
Neurodiversity is the collective
term for cognitive conditions
such as Autism, Attention Deficit
Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD),
Dyslexia, and Dyspraxia, which
are natural variations in the
way people think and process
information.
The term recognises both the
unique strengths that can derive
from thinking differently, as well
as the difficulties that people
who have these conditions may
encounter in the workplace.
SECAmb Chief Executive, Philip
Astle, marked International Day
of Persons with Disabilities
recently by signing the charter
with SECAmb Resource
Dispatcher and GMB union rep,
Jo Smith.
SECAmb’s Inclusion Team and
the union worked in partnership
to develop the charter which
is the first of its kind in the
ambulance sector.
The charter includes a
commitment to ensuring the
following:
• All reasonable steps must be
taken to ensure that policies,
practices, and culture do
not discriminate against
neurodivergent people.
• Neurodivergent people may
not have a formal diagnosis
or assessment, and a lack of
diagnostic support can be a
barrier within the workplace for
both workers and employers
- workers must not be subject
to unfavourable treatment
if they choose to disclose a
neurodivergent condition.
• People who are
Neurodivergent potentially
face discrimination and stigma
in wider society. As a result
of this, they may be unwilling
to disclose a diagnosis or
assessment, and they must
not be subject to unfavourable
treatment because they
choose not to disclose a
neurodivergent condition.
• Each person is unique
and there can be a high
degree of overlap between
neurodivergent conditions,
and consequently any support
needs must be identified and
implemented on the basis
of personal evaluation and
individual consultation – not
assumptions and stereotypes.
SECAmb CEO Philip Astle said:
“I am proud to sign this charter
which places SECAmb at the
frontline for other Trusts to follow
and aspire to in also becoming
a Neurodiversity-friendly employer.
“It is important that we work
with colleagues to enable them
to be the best they can by not
only implementing reasonable
adjustments, but by also
considering what we can do
to take into account differing
needs at the start of planning
processes and policies. The
charter is a key step in this,
outlining our commitment to being
a more neurodiversity-friendly
organisation and supporting
colleagues.”
GMB representative Jo Smith
said: “GMB Union in SECAmb is
proud and honoured to be piloting
this Neurodiversity campaign for
the GMB national team.
“We are confident that with
our knowledge, along with
the support from the Trust’s
inclusion team, that we can put
SECAmb as a leader for other
Trusts to follow and aspire to
in becoming a Neurodiversityfriendly
employer. I am very
honoured to be leading on
this campaign on behalf of
GMB national Equalities officer
Nell Andrew, making sure the
Neurodiverse community have a
voice and support in SECAmb.
“Being able to say that SECAmb is
the first ambulance service in the
UK to sign this charter is something
I will forever be proud of.”
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
For the latest Ambulance Service News visit: www.ambulancenewsdesk.com
19
NEWSLINE
SECAMB
Staff move into new
Brighton ambulance
centre
Ambulance crews and staff
have started to move into to
a much-anticipated, state-ofthe-art
new ambulance centre
serving Brighton and Hove and
the surrounding towns.
The development, at Woollards
Field, near the A27 at Falmer, is
the latest Make Ready Centre
to be opened by South East
Coast Ambulance Service NHS
Foundation Trust (SECAmb).
The centre is named Chamberlain
House in recognition of Professor
Douglas Chamberlain, who
founded the first UK paramedics
in the city 50 years ago next year
and who worked as an advisor for
SECAmb for many years.
The Trust’s Make Ready system
minimises the risk of cross
infection and keeps vehicles on
the road for longer with speciallytrained
operatives regularly deepcleaning,
restocking and checking
vehicles for mechanical faults. A
dedicated fleet team will be based
at the new centre’s workshops.
The new system allows for a
central reporting model which
involved ambulance crews who
previously started and ended
their shifts in Brighton, Hove
and Lewes instead starting and
finishing at the new centre – a way
of working already in place across
much of SECAmb’s region.
The Make Ready Centre, which
also contains modern training and
meeting facilities, is supported
by a network of dedicated
Ambulance Community Response
Posts, (ACRPs), with suitable rest
facilities for crews between calls
and when on a break.
The ACRPs are strategically
placed to protect the service
provided to the region. Response
posts are currently located in
Seven Dials and Hanover District
in Brighton, Lewes, Peacehaven,
Newhaven and Hove. Shifts 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 old Brighton
ambulance station on Elm
Grove and Lewes ambulance
station sites are subject to wider
development plans. The Brighton
station site falls into the footprint
of plans for a new Health Hub
on part of the Brighton General
Hospital site.
Ambulance crews from Burgess
Hill and Haywards Heath will
continue to start and end their
shifts in the towns but will feed
into the new centre as required
throughout shifts and also benefit
by having cleaned, re-equipped
vehicles delivered to their station
in advance of the start of shifts.
SECAmb Operating Unit Manager
for the Brighton area Tim Fellows
said: “This is a really important
development for SECAmb. Our
old station has served the city
well for decades but the move to
a modern building, which better
reflects the service our crews
provide, will be a real benefit to
staff and, in turn, patients.
“The facilities that Chamberlain
House provides ensures our
staff have access to improved
educational and skills training
as well as increased access to
leadership team support. It is very
fitting that the city, which is the
birthplace of the UK paramedic
profession, has the estate to
match its prestigious history.”
SECAmb has already developed
four purpose-built Make Ready
centres in Ashford in Kent, and in
Crawley, Tangmere and Polegate
in Sussex. It also has Make Ready
Centres in Chertsey, Paddock
Wood, Hastings and Thanet.
EMAS
Dedicated paramedic
recognised as local
hero
A Derbyshire paramedic
described as being ‘selfless,
kind-hearted and truly
embodying what it means to be
from the county’ has received
a local award recognising her
impact on the community.
Tracy Cunningham was chosen
to receive the Derbyshire Live
Heroes Emergency Services
Award after being nominated by
her colleagues within the county
for her extraordinary work in Derby
where she works as a community
paramedic.
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
Helping homeless and vulnerable
people in need suffering with their
mental health, drug addiction and
historical abuse, Tracy regularly
treats hundreds of people in a
safe space at the city and helps to
get them back on their feet.
Tracy, who alongside saving lives
in her day job, mentors new staff,
coaching and encouraging them
throughout the first few years of
their career, and offers emotional
support to colleagues as a Peer to
Peer volunteer.
20
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
NEWSLINE
local ambulance crews faced with
hugely complex incidents, where
people’s lives are at serious
risk. This RRV will help these
volunteers to reach incidents
quickly and safely to help treat
patients and give them the best
possible chance of survival and
recovery.”
The vehicle was purchased via
BMW Government & Authorities
Division and converted by
Coleman Milne Specialist Vehicle
Division where Paul Gilbert added:
“It was a pleasure to carry out
this conversion on behalf of
CSIBASICS. We fully understood
what a difference this vehicle
And in 2018 she launched a
homeless shelter on Christmas
Day in conjunction with her
church. This shelter provided
overnight shelter for 50 people
who would otherwise have
been sleeping rough in freezing
temperatures throughout January
and February.
For her tireless contribution, Tracy
was also awarded the honour of
‘Hero of Derbyshire 2020’, being
chosen from the overall winners
which came as a complete surprise.
Hardyal Dhindsa, Police and
Crime Commissioner for
Derbyshire described Tracy as
someone who ‘goes the extra
mile to help others, is selfless,
kind-hearted and cares for
those around her no matter their
struggles and is a worthy winner
of the award’.
Samantha Westwell, Ambulance
Operations Manager for
Derbyshire said:
“Congratulations to Tracy on
winning a very well deserved
award supporting some of the
most vulnerable people in our
community”.
Tracy Cunningham
NWAS
Cheshire and
Shropshire
emergency
volunteers launch
lifesaving vehicle
The Cheshire and Shropshire
Immediate Care Group (CSI
BASICS), a network of volunteer
medical staff, who give up
their free time to support the
North West Ambulance Service
in emergency incidents, has
launched a new BMW Rapid
Response Vehicle. This was
made possible after the group
successfully applied for a
£50,000 grant from the British
Association for Immediate Care.
This comes from an annual
donation of £250,000 made
by the County Air Ambulance
HELP Appeal to support the
work of groups affiliated to
the Association who provide
voluntary immediate care
services across the UK.
The BMW X5 will be active across
Cheshire and Shropshire, carrying
volunteer medical teams to the
scene of critically ill or injured
patients in the community or at
the roadside.
Despite COVID, the number of
CSI BASICS’ volunteers continues
to grow. It currently has nine
responders who have so far
attended 75 incidents in 2020,
with the majority of these incidents
being Road Traffic Collisions.
These responders are supported
by a further eight volunteers, who
keep the charity running.
Cheshire and Shropshire
Immediate Care Group’s Chair, Dr
Graeme Spencer said:
“We are extremely grateful for
the generous donation from the
HELP Appeal. The new car future
proofs our ability to respond to
the sickest patients in a safe and
timely manner.”
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of
the County Air Ambulance HELP
Appeal added:
“These volunteers are the unsung
heroes of emergency care. This
important addition to their fleet
of cars is in recognition of their
lifesaving work - all carried out
in their spare time - supporting
would make and we worked
closely with the team to make sure
the vehicle would meet the specific
requirements of the team.”
CSI BASICS already operate
a second-hand vehicle, which
required a large amount of work in
2020. Thankfully, a local business,
Jigsaw Medical came to the
rescue and covered the cost for
the charity. However, following this
scare, it was realised that a new
vehicle was urgently needed.
The Cheshire and Shropshire
Immediate Care Group is one
of a network of schemes across
the UK which operates under the
umbrella of the British Association
for Immediate Care – a national
organisation.
The HELP Appeal was created
11 years ago by the County Air
Ambulance Trust. It is the only
charity in the country dedicated
to funding NHS hospital helipads.
To date it has funded 39 helipads,
which have received over 16,000
landings. 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.
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
Do you have anything you would like to add or include in Newsline? Please contact us and let us know.
21
NEWSLINE
EEAST
EEAST is investing
£25m in state-of-theart
technology
The East of England Ambulance
Service NHS Trust (EEAST)
is investing more than £25m
in state-of-the-art technology
which will further improve the
safety and quality of care which
staff are able to provide to
patients.
The investment will see every
frontline member of staff issued
with an iPad so that they can
access a brand new electronic
patient care record (ePCR)
system quickly and easily while
on the road. This includes details
of previous ambulance call outs
and the patient’s attendances at
their GP surgery or acute hospital,
as well as vital information about
any medications they are taking,
recent test results and allergies
they may have.
Crews will also be able to use
the technology to access clinical
information and guidance and
complete mandatory training, as
well as make real-time referrals to
agencies such as social care and
child protection.
The introduction of the new
ePCR also means crews will be
able to share information easily
and securely with healthcare
partners while alerting hospital
staff when patients are being
brought in, in turn helping
ensure fast and efficient
handovers and better clinical
outcomes.
EEAST is the first ambulance
service globally to introduce
this particular technology. The
project has been funded with
£5m from NHSX, as part of its
digital aspirant programme,
which has been matched
by EEAST. Over the next ten
years, the Trust has pledged
to increase this investment by
an additional £15m to further
refine the technology so that
it interacts fully with all of the
different computer systems used
by acute hospitals across the
east of England.
Dr Tom Davis, Acting Chief
Executive at EEAST, said:
“This significant investment will
transform the working lives of
our crews by providing them
with a huge array of information
at their fingertips, in turn helping
them to continue providing safe,
high quality care to our patients.
“The technology will let them
view a full patient history for the
very first time, making it easier to
deliver individually-tailored care.
It will also allow them to share
electronic information with GPs,
acute hospitals and community
services reliably and efficiently,
in turn reducing duplication and
improving the experience which
patients have when receiving
care as they will only need to tell
their story once.
“In addition, we will also be able
to provide hospital colleagues
with much more information
about our sickest patients before
we even reach the emergency
department so that they can
prepare any special equipment
or tests in advance. As well
as resulting in better patient
outcomes, we estimate this will
also reduce handover times by
around five minutes, which will
help our crews get back on the
road more quickly by freeing up
an estimated 1,680 days every
single year.
“The new technology will also
help our crews to do the things
which many of us take for
granted, such as check emails
and access mandatory training
while they are out and about
rather than having to log onto a
shared computer back at base
during their breaks.
“This move towards a paperless
system is something we have
been planning for some time, so
we are delighted that we are now
in a position to start rolling out
the technology which will support
our crews to deliver even better
patient care.”
SECAMB
Wellbeing app to
offer further support
for SECAmb staff and
volunteers
South East Coast Ambulance
Service NHS Foundation Trust
(SECAmb) staff and volunteers
now have access a wellbeing
app designed to support their
mental health.
Backup Buddy, provides an
additional opportunity for
staff and volunteers including
Community First Responders
(CFRs) to seek help and advice
privately and informally on a
wide range of mental health
matters. SECAmb follows in the
footsteps of a number of police
services to offer the app to
staff and is the first ambulance
service to offer a new version
tailored specifically its staff and
volunteers.
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
The app, which runs alongside
a wide range of support offered
by SECAmb’s Wellbeing
Hub, provides 24hr access to
information, advice and tips on
how to maintain good mental
health as well as how support
can be offered to others. It also
contains several useful contact
numbers for help and support.
The app’s stories section also
provides a selection of staff
sharing and talking about their
mental health experiences.
22
For more news visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
NEWSLINE
SECAmb Wellbeing Manager,
Jade Bennett, said: “We are
pleased to offer this app which
we hope will further encourage
our staff and volunteers to think
about and, and if they wish,
speak to others about their
mental health.
“This is a great addition
to the support available at
SECAmb and a subject which
should be discussed. In these
unprecedented times, it is more
important than ever that we
take care of ourselves and each
other.”
NWAS
Named Ambulance
Trust of the Year
The prize giving ceremony
was presented virtually by TV
broadcaster and GP Dr. Hilary
Jones. The HB Awards are
staged each year to recognise
excellence and innovation in
the NHS.
The Ambulance Service of the
Year Award goes to the trust
that has embraced change and
demonstrated a decrease in
response times, the ability to
provide treatment at the scene
of an accident, and the provision
of outpatient services; with the
nomination coming from the
magazine’s own editorial and
research team.
This nomination relates to the
East Lancashire Falls Response
Service Team, the collaboration of
a paramedic and an occupational
therapist who respond to non-life
threatening 999 calls for falls,
so that patients can be treated
at home without having to go to
hospital or can be referred to an
appropriate community service.
They wrap services around the
patient – for ongoing support in
order to help prevent further falls.
The partnership between NWAS
and East Lancashire Hospitals
NHS Trust has seen 83% of
patients (almost 5000) treated
by the team. It was particularly
important during the first wave
of the pandemic to relieve the
burden on hospitals.
Paramedic Gail Smith who’s been
on the car since the beginning
said, “I’m absolutely delighted
and very humbled we’ve picked
up this award. The work the team
does is so important, keeping
more patients at home; where
they’re more comfortable and
want to be, whilst also saving
other NHS resources. I’m
incredibly proud to be involved
and of the success we’ve had.
NWAS Chief Executive Daren
Mochrie commented, “I’m so
pleased to have picked up this
award. It makes it even more
special because we did not
put ourselves forward for this,
which shows other people and
organisations are seeing the
fantastic work we do, especially
that of the falls team in Burnley.
This is a great initiative which puts
patient care right at the heart of
what we do – ensuring they have
a better experience and outcome
without compromising on the care
they receive.
“I want to thank the team
and everyone else for their
hard work, in what’s been an
extremely challenging 2020. I’m
tremendously proud of the efforts
of all staff and the professionalism
and determination shown this
year, and I hope they can all enjoy
in the success of this award.”
‘Stronger
deterrents needed’
as thousands of
emergency workers
assaulted
Ambulance workers’ union
warns that Crown Prosecution
Service figures are ‘tip of the
iceberg’
GMB, the union for ambulance
workers, has responded to new
Crown Prosecution Service
(CPS) figures on assaults against
emergency workers that were
linked to COVID-19.
According to new CPS statistics,
1,688 people were charged
with assaulting an emergency
worker in ways that were linked to
COVID-19 in the six months to 30
September last year. Examples
included emergency workers
being coughed on or spat at.
Assaults on emergency workers
was the most common reason
that people were charged for
offences linked to COVID-19. [1]
GMB warned that the true
number of assaults will have been
much higher as many assailants
have not been charged, and
that employers could do more
to support workers in taking
complaints to the police.
Rachel Harrison, GMB National
Officer, said:
“No-one should go to work
in fear of being assaulted.
Emergency workers’ jobs are
extremely challenging at the best
of times, and assaults during the
pandemic are putting lives at risk.
“It is clear that ambulance
workers and others in emergency
services need much more
protection and support. The
law is only as strong as its
enforcement, and sadly these
figures are just the tip of the
iceberg.
“Stronger deterrents are
urgently needed to make sure
that perpetrators are brought
to justice. That is why GMB is
campaigning for NHS Trusts to
improve their support to workers
at risk of assault, and for better
working between agencies to
ensure that more assailants
are held accountable for their
actions.’
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
For the latest Ambulance Service News visit: www.ambulancenewsdesk.com
23
NEWSLINE
The College of
Paramedics Opens
Dr John Hinds
Scholarship Call for
Entries
Craigavon, N.I., 25 January
2021 – The College of
Paramedics, in association
with Galen, the privatelyowned
pharmaceutical sales
and marketing company
is pleased to announce
that applications for this
year’s Dr John Hinds
Scholarship Award will open
on Tuesday 26th January
2021. The recipient will win
a place on the much-coveted
Anaesthesia Trauma and
Critical Care (ATACC) course
and have their case study
published in the College
of Paramedics’ magazine,
‘Paramedic INSIGHT’.
The recipient of the scholarship
will take up a fully funded place
on ATACC’S three-day course
in the UK, widely accepted as
the most advanced trauma
course currently available in
the world. Associated travel
costs will also be covered.
Entrants are required to write
a case study which should
be written to protect patient
confidentiality, using original
text, and with all appropriate
references included. It must be
countersigned by a paramedic
colleague who is prepared to
confirm that your submission is
a genuine case study.
This scholarship is presented
in memory of the late Dr John
Hinds, who was regarded
as an inspirational leader by
paramedics and emergency
medical technicians and indeed
by anyone with an interest in
pre-hospital care within Ireland.
A world-renowned critical care
physician, Dr Hinds gave a
huge amount of his own time
to educating and supporting
paramedics and ambulance
staff throughout the Island
of Ireland. He died in 2015
following a motorcycle accident.
Dr Dennise Broderick, Managing
Director & President, Galen, said:
“This award is not only a fitting
and lasting tribute to Dr Hinds
but it also provides a unique
opportunity for healthcare
professionals to advance their
expertise and gain access
to a highly coveted training
programme. Dr Hinds was a
pioneering leader in the field of
emergency trauma care who
dedicated his life to helping
others and Galen is therefore
proud to support this annual
scholarship programme in his
honour.”
Last year’s recipient, Orla Morrow
of Northern Ireland Ambulance
Service, Belfast commented:
“The ATACC programme is
accredited by the Royal College
of Surgeons and is an extremely
coveted course worldwide.
It provides an opportunity to
learn and experience, through
simulation, the most up-todate
and advanced trauma
skills within the pre-hospital
environment and offers a range
of examples of how to apply
these in practice. I was delighted
to win my scholarship and would
like to thank both Almac and the
Hinds family for providing this
amazing opportunity.”
Submissions must be
made using the Dr John
Hinds Scholarship Award
Entry Form - https://www.
collegeofparamedics.co.uk/
college-governance/honours
and submitted via email to
awards@collegeofparamedics.
co.uk by 1200hrs on Friday
26 March 2021. The College
Honours and Awards Committee
will then select the winning piece.
Due to restrictions imposed as
result of COVID-19, the 2021
award will be presented to
the recipient at a ceremony in
September.
Submissions should be
750–1,000 words, excluding
references and appendices.
As a condition of the award,
the recipient will be required to
submit their case study.
WHY NOT WRITE FOR US?
Ambulance UK welcomes the submission of
clinical papers and case reports or news that
you feel will be of interest to your colleagues.
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
Material submitted will be seen by those working within the public and private
sector of the Ambulance Service, Air Ambulance Operators, BASICS Doctors etc.
All submissions should be forwarded to info@mediapublishingcompany.com
If you have any queries please contact the publisher Terry Gardner via:
info@mediapublishingcompany.com
24
For more news visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
NEWSLINE
SWASFT
Ground-breaking
critical care transfer
service wins regional
award
A pioneering South Western
Ambulance Service NHS
Foundation Trust (SWASFT)
programme to help relieve
pressure on the region’s
hospitals during the Covid-19
(Coronavirus) pandemic has
been formally recognised.
The South West Critical Care
Transfer Service has been
chosen as the regional winner
in The Excellence in Urgent and
Emergency Care Award category
of the NHS Parliamentary Awards
2020. It is now on the shortlist for
the national award.
The initiative, which was piloted
in April 2020, involved safely
moving critically ill patients
between intensive care units.
Dr Scott Grier, the South West
Critical Care Network (SWCCN)
Lead for Transfer, was tasked
with developing the service.
Although a service of this type
would normally take six months
to develop, it was ready to launch
within a timescale of just nine
days, with the first patients being
transferred on 9 April 2020.
The ground-breaking service
operated for four weeks before
being put on standby. During that
time it transported 35 patients,
visiting every intensive care
hospital in the Severn region
(Bristol, Gloucester, Cheltenham,
Swindon, Bath, Weston-super-
Mare, Taunton) as well as
London, Wales and Devon.
Following the success of
the pilot, the concept was
developed further and led to the
commissioning and launch of
Retrieve, a dedicated South West
adult critical care transfer service,
which is one of the first of its kind
in England.
Retrieve, which is now hosted at
University Hospitals Bristol and
Weston (UHBW), will transfer
adults aged 16 and above and
compliments similar services for
children and newborns which are
also hosted by UHBW.
work with a large number of
colleagues and partners in the
region to develop such a positive
legacy from the pandemic,
fundamentally changing the way
critically ill and injured patients
are transferring around the South
West.”
Jack Lopresti, MP for Filton and
Bradley Stoke, put forward the
South West Critical Care Transfer
Service’s nomination.
He said: “I am absolutely
delighted that the South West
Critical Care Transfer Service
has been named a regional
champion in the Excellence in
Urgent and Emergency Care
Award Category for the NHS
Parliamentary Awards, and are on
the shortlist for a national award
next year.
“The service was rapidly set
up over the summer and has
since been vital in our region’s
response to the coronavirus
pandemic. The staff work
incredibly hard and should be
very proud of their achievements
this year. It was an honour to be
able to nominate them for this
important award.”
SECAmb Chief Executive
Officer, Philip Astle, said:
“I would like to take this
opportunity to publicly thank
everyone who works for
SECAmb as well as our many
volunteers whose support
during the pandemic has been
more valuable than ever.
“I would also like to thank
our colleagues in the wider
NHS and those of our partner
organisations for their continued
support.
“2020 has been an extremely
challenging year and we know
that while the vaccine provides
us with a chance to imagine
an end to the pandemic, it is
clear that right now we must
all continue to work together to
stop the spread of the virus.
“I am incredibly proud
and humbled by the work
that I see going on across
our region every day. I am
often overwhelmed by the
determination and the resilience
shown by everyone to ensure
that we are there for our
patients but also for each other.
He collaborated with Dr Phil
Cowburn, Acute Care Medical
Director for SWASFT and the
Nightingale Hospital Bristol team
to develop the concept bringing
together components of the
South West Critical Care Network
(SWCCN), Great Western Air
Ambulance Charity, Wiltshire
Air Ambulance, and SWASFT
Hazardous Area Response Team
(HART).
The service utilised dedicated
SWASFT vehicles, medical
staff and equipment in an
effort to reduce pressure on
999 ambulance resources and
hospital medical teams. It was
supported by a team of specialist
paramedics, redeployed from
the air ambulances and HART
extended skills paramedics.
Dr Scott Grier, lead consultant
for the Retrieve service, said: “I
am delighted that the South West
Critical Care Transfer Service
has been nominated for an NHS
Parliamentary Award.
“This service was a collaboration
between the SWCCN, SWASFT
and the Nightingale hospitals in
the South West to deliver a new
critical care transfer service to
enable COVID-19 patients to be
moved around our region.
“This temporary service has led
to the development of Retrieve,
an NHS commissioned adult
critical care transfer service for
the South West - one of the first
in the country.
“It has been a privilege to
SECAMB
SECAmb thanks staff
and volunteers as
demand remains
high
South East Coast Ambulance
Service NHS Foundation
Trust, (SECAmb), has thanked
its staff and volunteers for
their efforts and ongoing
commitment following an
extremely challenging year.
The service also thanks the
public for its continued support
and is urging everyone to
continue to follow all the latest
coronavirus restrictions and
guidance in their area to limit the
spread of the virus.
“2020 has highlighted to me
to an even greater extent
the commitment, skill and
dedication of our staff and
volunteers whatever their role
at SECAmb. I wish everyone a
safe and happy new year.”
SECAmb continues to
experience significant pressure
and is working hard to reach
everyone who needs help as
quickly as possible.
While call volume in the first
few hours of 2021 was down
on last year, over the course of
24 hours on New Year’s Eve,
SECAmb answered more than
2,700 calls – an increase of
more than 200 compared to the
same period last year.
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
Do you have anything you would like to add or include in Newsline? Please contact us and let us know.
25
IN PERSON
WMAS News
Assistant Chief honoured
with Queen’s Ambulance
Medal
response to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Under his leadership, NARU is now recognised
as a world-class central resource for the
national management and co-ordination of
the pre-hospital mass casualty response to
particularly high-risk and challenging event.
executive while the recruitment process for a
substantive chief executive takes place. The
process to recruit a permanent chief executive
for the Trust is expected to start at the end
of this month, with the appointment of a
successful candidate expected in April 2021.
An Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer from
West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS)
has been named in this year’s New Year’s
Honour’s List.
Keith Prior, who is a National Ambulance
Resilience Unit (NARU) Director, has a career
spanning 39-years in the ambulance service
and he has been awarded the Queen’s
Ambulance Medal (QAM) to reflect his
dedication and distinguished service to his
profession.
The QAM ensures that the dedication of
ambulance staff has the same level of
Royal recognition as other members of the
emergency services.
Starting out as an ambulance service cadet in
Greater Manchester aged 16, Keith has devoted
his career to improving patient care and saving
countless lives as a paramedic and in managerial
roles. As well as working in Manchester, he has
also worked for Yorkshire Ambulance Service and
the Welsh Ambulance Service, joining WMAS full
time in 2011, having already had two pervious
spells in the West Midlands.
In his role at NARU, Keith has made a
significant contribution to UK national resilience
by ensuring the effective ambulance response
to major, mass-casualty events including
London terror attacks, severe flooding and the
Keith, who spends a large amount of his time
working away from home, is popular with staff,
demonstrates loyalty and compassion to those
he works with and also supports many local
community projects outside of work.
Speaking about his award, Keith said: “I am
extremely honoured to receive this award
for what is ultimately, doing a job that I
love. Throughout my 39-year career within
the ambulance service I have worked with
some fantastic people and I fully recognise
that I would not be in this position without
a great deal of hard work and support from
colleagues, wherever I have worked.
“I am proud to have helped so many people
since I started off as a cadet aged 16 and feel
privileged to have been able to continue doing
so in the years that have followed.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank
my family for their continued support, without
which, I would not have been able to enjoy the
fantastic career that I have.”
West Midlands Ambulance Service Chief
Executive, Anthony Marsh, said: “I have known
Keith for 20 years and he deserves huge credit
for the commitment he has always shown to
providing and delivering the very best level of
patient care.
“For him to receive the QAM is a fitting tribute
to his many years of hard work in many
different areas of the ambulance service and
I would like to thank him for his dedication
and tremendous service he has provided to
patients all over the country.”
Dorothy joined the Trust as interim chief
executive in 2018, and was appointed to the
role permanently in 2019.
Nicola Scrivings, Chair of EEAST said: “On
behalf of the Board of EEAST, I would like
to thank Dorothy for her leadership which
has enabled the Trust to deliver significant
improvements to its performance during her
time as chief executive.
“Under her leadership, the Trust moved from
being the worst performing ambulance trust
in England to one that regularly met and
even outperformed national standards. Staff
recruitment and finances also improved, and
new approaches to leadership meant the Trust
was as well positioned as possible to meet the
challenges of COVID-19.
“We send Dorothy our warmest wishes for the
future.”
Dorothy said: “It is with great sadness that I
have decided to relinquish my post to focus
on my wellbeing - staff are at the heart of this
service, and it has been an absolute pleasure
working with employees of EEAST.
“I am hugely proud and thankful for the work
we have done together to improve patient
safety and experience, and I wish every
success for EEAST in the future.”
SECAM News
3 members of staff
recognised in New Year
Honours List
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
Keith Prior. Image courtesy of West Midlands
Ambulance Service
EEAST News
Dorothy Hosein steps down
as Chief Executive of EEAST
Dorothy Hosein has stepped down as chief
executive of the East of England Ambulance
Service NHS Trust following a period of ill
health.
Dr Tom Davis, medical director and deputy
chief executive, will continue as interim chief
South East Coast Ambulance Service
NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is
delighted that three members of its staff
have been recognised in the New Year’s
Honours list.
Director of Operations, Joe Garcia, Director
of Quality and Nursing, Bethan Eaton-
Haskins and Ambulance Technician, Peter
Glover, all receive MBEs for their service
and commitment over many years.
26
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
IN PERSON
Joe and Bethan receive MBEs in particular
for their leadership during the pandemic,
while Peter is recognised for his service
to the NHS, community resuscitation and
services to the wider community.
Joe, from Eastbourne in East Sussex, is
serving in his 36th year in the ambulance
service, following a short career in the
Royal Marines. He has been instrumental
in the Trust’s operational response to
the coronavirus pandemic and also in
SECAmb’s much-improved Care Quality
Commission rating. He is due to retire in the
spring.
Bethan Eaton-Haskins
to have been part of that and played a role
within it.”
Peter Glover said: “I’m gobsmacked and
humbled. I still don’t really believe it’s true.
Staff and volunteers at SECAmb give their
very best knowing it will make a difference
to patients. To play a small role in that
is something I care deeply about and
I’m honoured to be a part of it. I do this
because I love it and I am so proud of my
family in green, who do an incredible job
day-in, day-out.”
Bethan, from Sevenoaks, Kent, joined
SECAmb three years ago following a
range of other roles in a career spanning
more than 20 years. As well as working
with Joe and senior leaders on a number
of key quality and patient experience
improvements, Bethan has led the Trust’s
COVID-19 response since the start of
the year and was formally appointed as
SECAmb’s COVID-19 Director alongside her
Director of Quality and Nursing role.
Ambulance Technician, Peter from Frimley,
Surrey, has worked for the ambulance
service for 20 years. He works annualised
hours in a front-line ambulance role,
completing shifts at weekends or evenings,
since moving to a role in primary health
care in 2017. Peter is passionate about the
teaching of CPR and life-saving skills and
has played a key role in the installation of
public access defibrillators within his local
community and beyond.
SECAmb Chief Officer Philip Astle said:
Joe Garcia
“I am really pleased that Joe, Bethan
and Peter have been recognised in this
year’s New Year’s Honours. Their inclusion
is testament to the dedication and
commitment they have shown to serving
their communities and helping others over
many years. It is also particularly fitting that
in this year, when the ambulance service
has been at the forefront of responding to
the pandemic, we have three members of
staff on the list. Every hour of every day
ambulance staff are doing amazing work to
keep people safe. Joe, Bethan and Peter
all agree that their honours should be seen
as a recognition of the excellence of all
those associated with the South East Coast
Ambulance Service.”
Joe Garcia said: “I am delighted and
humbled to have been recognised for the
service I have been able to offer to my
colleagues in what we have referred to as
‘Team SECAmb’ during this pandemic.
“My colleagues throughout all quarters of
the Trust are doing an amazing job under
very difficult conditions. I am also very
proud of my operational leadership team.
Every one of them has worked tirelessly to
improve the standards for both our patients
and staff in SECAmb. I has been a great
honour to be able to say I was part of this
team.”
Bethan Eaton-Haskins said: “I am incredibly
humbled to have been nominated and
awarded this honour. All the staff within
SECAmb have worked together tirelessly
as a team to ensure we can continue to
provide excellent services to patients during
this difficult year and I am immensely proud
GWAAC News
New Head of Operations
to join Great Western Air
Ambulance Charity
Great Western Air Ambulance Charity
(GWAAC) has appointed a Head of
Operations to enhance leadership at the
charity in light of the growing and more
complex demands on their lifesaving service.
Nick Tindal will join the charity this month,
February 2021, in the new role, which will
enhance the charity’s current management
team. From managing military operations,
commanding ships to running a complex
airbase, Nick brings with him a wealth of
experience in operational management and
aviation.
Nick said: “I am very excited to join and help
manage a charity that clearly does so much
to save lives across a vast swathe of the West
Country”.
Peter Glover
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
Do you have anything you would like to add or include? Please contact us and let us know.
27
IN PERSON
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
Nick’s recent post was Commanding Officer
at RNAS Yeovilton, the largest military
helicopter base in Europe, where he was
responsible for delivering critical aviation
capability for UK warships and military
operations across the globe. A helicopter pilot
by profession, Nick started his career flying
Sea Kings and Lynx from warships across
the world. Previous roles span across the
Ministry of Defence, Navy Command, where
he led planning for cutting-edge future Royal
Navy aircraft, and multiple tours at sea, where
he had extensive accountability for complex
aviation activity.
As well as his extensive career, Nick has also
given a lot of his time to charitable services,
acting as Trustee for many organisations,
including Chairman of Fleet Air Arm Museum
Advisory Committee and Royal Navy (Roman
Catholic) Trust.
Vice Admiral Keith Blount CB OBE, said of
Nick: “A naturally generous and charitable
individual, the ethos and ethics of what the
charity seeks to achieve will quickly become
second nature. He will bring a natural energy,
sense of humour and purpose to the role. In
sum, you have found a cracker in Nick that
will do much to ensure that the great work
of the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity
continues and grows! I wish him and the
charity every success going forward.”
Anna Perry, CEO of GWAAC, said: “We are
delighted to welcome Nick to Great Western
Air Ambulance Charity. We are a small team,
doing what we can with charitable funding,
and the demands on our clinical crew have
never been greater. Nick will bring focus to
our operational management, allowing us to
work more effectively with other organisations,
and help us save even more people in need.”
GWAAC was formed in 2007 and is the
youngest air ambulance in England and
Wales. Over the last 13 years, the charity has
seen many clinical advances, and operations
have increased year on year, meaning the
management has become more complex and
challenging, developing the need for increased
management capacity and expertise.
Nick’s new position of Head of Operations at
the charity will provide leadership for operational
crew and ensure that operations and premises
are safe, compliant, effective, efficient and
sustainable. Nick will seek to develop strategic
change and implement initiatives to improve
service delivery – helping to achieve GWAAC’s
strategic goals and continue to fulfil the charity’s
core focus of delivering the best pre-hospital
emergency medicine to those in urgent need in
GWAAC’s region.
News
Former Charity Chairman
Honoured in Queen’s
Honours List
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s former
chairman, Brendan Connor from Solihull,
has been named in the Queen’s New Year’s
Honours List with the Order of the British
Empire (OBE).
An OBE is presented to individuals in recognition
of their contributions to the arts and sciences,
work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service.
His outstanding contribution to the community
most notably included his chairmanship of
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, a position
he held for seven years, until 2018. During
his tenure the charity became independent
from the NHS, purchased two new state of
the art Eurocopter helicopters and raised over
£10m annually to fund the service from its
three airbases at RAF Cosford in Shropshire,
Strensham in Worcestershire and Tatenhill in
Staffordshire.
Commenting on the honour, Hanna Sebright,
chief executive for Midlands Air Ambulance
Charity said: “Brendan joined our organisation
in 2011 as our first independent chairman, not
long after we separated from the ambulance
service and became an independent charity.
It was a challenging yet rewarding transition
period and his strategic guidance from that
point led us to become a strong and robust
pre-hospital service, delivering advanced
clinical care at the incident scene to thousands
of people in critical need each year.
“I am thrilled his immeasurable contribution
to our service and several other deserving
causes has been recognised in such a formal
way, it is thoroughly deserved.”
On receiving the news late December 2020,
Mr Connor said: “I am delighted to accept this
honour which came as a great surprise! Being
chair of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity was
an enormous privilege and honour; but the
provision of the service to those in dire need
could not be sustained without the boundless
generosity of the wider Midlands communities
every year. Long may it continue!”
2021 marks Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s
‘Air30’ 30th anniversary, and since its inception in
1991 the pilots, advanced critical care paramedics
and pre-hospital emergency medicine doctors
have undertaken over 62,000 missions via air
ambulances and critical care cars.
To find out how you can help to fund
a lifesaving mission with Midlands Air
Ambulance Charity and get involved with the
Air30 anniversary celebrations, please visit:
midlandsairambulance.com and follow the
organisation on social media.
GWAAC News
Local air ambulance charity
Doctor awarded MBE in New
Year Honours
Critical Care Doctor, Phil Cowburn, with
local Great Western Air Ambulance Charity
(GWAAC) has been awarded an MBE in
the Queen’s New Year Honours list for
his services to pre-hospital emergency
care, most recently during the COVID-19
pandemic.
Phil is part of the GWAAC Critical Care Team
who remained operational throughout 2020
despite the COVID-19 pandemic. During
this time, Phil collaborated with a wider team
to help relieve pressure on the region’s
hospitals by setting up the South West Critical
Care Transfer Service – the first of its kind in
England. Over a four-week period, the service
transported 35 critically-ill patients between
intensive care hospitals and has since
28
For more news visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
IN PERSON
won an award in The Excellence in Urgent
and Emergency Care category of the NHS
Parliamentary Awards 2020.
Dr Phil Cowburn, who is also Acute Care
Medical Director for South Western Ambulance
Service NHS Foundation Trust, appeared
alongside hundreds of unsung heroes of
the coronavirus pandemic in the New Year
Honours list for 2021, which recognises the
outstanding achievements of people in the UK.
Dr Cowburn said: “I am truly humbled by this
recognition. To me this is not really a personal
accolade, it is a celebration of the great teams
I work with. None of the great achievements
could have succeeded without the superb
group of colleagues I have the pleasure of
working alongside.
“The passion and enthusiasm to deliver excellent
patient care is so embedded within GWAAC and
SWASFT; particularly the Critical Care Teams and
Hazardous Area Response Teams. The progress
made in improving paramedic practice within this
region is exemplary.
“This year has put immense pressures on
the entire NHS. However, the collaboration
between colleagues in the air ambulances, NHS
ambulance service and hospitals has maintained
high quality care and developed services that will
continue for the future. Working together we can
achieve so much.”
Dr Phil Cowburn has been involved in prehospital
care for over 20 years, completing his
emergency medicine training here in the South
West. Phil was fundamental in setting up the
local air ambulance charity in 2007, where he
joined Professor Jonathan Benger, Founding
Clinical Director, Trustee and Critical Care Doctor
for GWAAC, to begin delivering the critical care
service to those in need across the region.
In 2012, he became the Medical Director
of GWAAC for two years, and continues
today to be a member of the Critical Care
Team who were called to over 2,000 patients
across Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset,
North Somerset, Gloucestershire and South
Gloucestershire in 2019 alone.
Phil has been integral to the charity’s
development, putting GWAAC at the forefront
of advances in critical care. He worked to
develop the Specialist Paramedic role to
ensure that critically-ill patients receive the
highest level of specialist care from the team,
and rolled this out across other South West
air ambulances. He has developed career
paths and advanced pre-hospital emergency
medicine across the charity and further afield.
CEO of Great Western Air Ambulance Charity,
Anna Perry, said: “I am delighted Phil has been
recognised for his outstanding and extensive
contribution to Pre-Hospital Emergency Care. We
are extremely proud that Phil has been honoured
with an MBE, and I would like to thank him for his
inspirational efforts and congratulate him on his
thoroughly deserved award.
“Phil is a humble person, and feels he only
achieves what he does with the help of the
whole Critical Care Team at GWAAC. We value
all our Critical Care Doctors and Specialist
Paramedics and know our service wouldn’t
be possible without their time and dedication.
Throughout the pandemic, they have remained
right here and ready alongside other frontline
NHS workers, putting their own lives at risk - to
save the lives of others in urgent need during
these incredibly challenging times.”
To find out more about the work of Great
Western Air Ambulance Charity, visit
www.gwaac.com.
YAS News
Queen’s Ambulance Medal
for Distinguished Service
awarded to Yorkshire
Ambulance Service Manager
Cathryn James, Paramedic and Clinical
Pathways Manager 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.
Cathryn is a long-serving and highly respected
member of staff, not just within Yorkshire
Ambulance Service, but also for the clinical
policy work she has been involved in on a
national basis.
Cathryn started working for the ambulance
service in 1981, originally as an ambulance
cadet and becoming a qualified paramedic in
1987. She is a highly experienced advanced
paramedic who continues to work clinically on
the frontline and as a clinical manager, leading
on alternative patient pathways.
In addition to her work in Yorkshire, since
2014 she has been seconded part-time from
Yorkshire Ambulance Service to the Association
of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE)
to provide clinical support to the National
Ambulance Medical Directors’ Group. She has
been pivotal in progressing national clinical
policy issues directly related to improving the
standards of care for patients across the UK
and also coordinates the ongoing development
of the UK Ambulance Services’ Clinical Practice
Guidelines (JRCALC).
She has played an integral role in making
improvements for older people who experience
a fall, working with partners to ensure that
patients receive a prompt and appropriate
response, establishing robust referral
pathways towards preventing further falls and
recently leading on the AACE national falls
response governance framework.
She is also registered for the British pool of
clinical volunteers who can be called upon to
provide assistance at natural disasters and
humanitarian emergencies overseas. She
has accompanied school trips as a volunteer
to support overseas charitable work and is
committed to helping young people to develop
their own skills.
Rod Barnes, Chief Executive of Yorkshire
Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “This is a
great honour which recognises Cathryn’s valued
contribution and nearly 40 years of dedicated
service to the people of Yorkshire. It also makes
her part of a select group of ambulance service
staff who have been recognised for exceptional
devotion to duty, outstanding ability, merit and
conduct in their roles.
“It would be difficult to find someone as
unassuming as Cathryn who has been so
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
For the latest Ambulance Service News visit: www.ambulancenewsdesk.com
29
IN PERSON
instrumental in developing services to ensure
patients receive the care they really need.
“Cathryn is a consummate professional and
her dedication to improving patient care is
truly outstanding. She is held in the highest
esteem by her clinical colleagues both within
and external to the ambulance sector. Her
work with AACE and other national groups has
undoubtedly improved the standards of care
delivered to patients by the ambulance sector
nationally.
“On behalf of Yorkshire Ambulance Service
I would like to thank her for all she has done
and continues to do for the benefit of patients.
She should be very proud of this brilliant
achievement.”
Cathryn James said: “I am so proud and
very humbled to be awarded the Queen’s
Ambulance Medal. I would not have received
this if it wasn’t for the support of all my
amazing colleagues and my family and friends
and I can’t thank them enough.
“My late father took me to the local ambulance
station in 1981 for an application form and
I have never looked back thanks to him. I
feel privileged to do a job that I love, caring
for others and playing a part in supporting
improvements to patient care.”
Cathryn will be presented with her medal at
Buckingham Palace in due course.
Other recipients of the Queen’s Ambulance
Medal in the New Year’s Honours List are:
• Lee Brooks, Director of Operations, Frontline
Emergency Ambulance Response, Non-
Emergency Patient Transport Service and
Clinical Contact Centre Services, Welsh
Ambulance Service NHS Trust
• Martin Flaherty OBE, Managing Director,
LAS News
London Ambulance Service
appoints senior paramedic to
its board to boost patient care
London Ambulance Service has announced
that Dr John Martin will join the Trust as its
Chief Paramedic and Quality Officer.
This newly-created role will see Dr Martin
also join the board of the country’s busiest
ambulance service. He will provide professional
development and guidance to paramedics and
other clinical staff. His brief will also help further
improve standards of patient care.
Dr Martin, is a registered and practising
paramedic and currently a director at
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS
Foundation Trust. He is also President of the
College of Paramedics. He takes up his post
on 1 March 2021.
The role brings together for the first time
responsibility for both clinical quality at the Trust
and for ensuring paramedics and ambulance
clinicians have access to world-class training,
education and professional development.
This post is a return to London for Dr Martin
who was based at Edmonton, Bounds Green,
Whipps Cross and Isleworth stations while
completing his three year Paramedic Science
degree at the University of Hertfordshire
almost 20 years ago.
Dr John Martin said:
“After a phenomenal but difficult year across
the NHS, I’m very excited to be coming back to
the London Ambulance Service where I trained
as a paramedic and back to ambulance
services more generally.
“After several years in wider healthcare roles,
I’m keen to explore innovative ways of working
that benefit our patients and can improve the
wellbeing and professional development of
staff and volunteers.”
Commenting on his appointment, Heather
Lawrence OBE, chair of the Trust Board, said:
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome John
to our trust board. London Ambulance Service
is constantly challenging itself to improve the
care we provide and outstanding patient care
requires exceptional clinicians.
“This appointment – the first of its kind in
the country bringing together the quality and
clinical education portfolios – is an investment
in developing our people for the benefit of
Londoners.”
Dr Martin will report to Chief Executive Officer
Garrett Emmerson who said:
“I’m delighted John is coming to London
Ambulance Service and bringing impressive
leadership to our quality and education
agendas so we can deliver outstanding patient
care to Londoners.
“His formidable breadth of experience - from
ambulance trusts to community care and
acute hospitals - make him well suited to build
partnerships and deliver new ways of working
as we create a world class ambulance service.”
The board-level position was created following
the decision of Chief Quality Officer Dr Trisha
Bain to retire at the end of February.
Paying tribute to Dr Bain, Garrett Emmerson said:
“When Trisha and I joined several years ago,
London Ambulance was in special measures. Her
work in the leadership team has helped to turn
the service into the high performing organisation
it is today and driven real improvements in patient
care. I would like to thank her for her work and
wish her well in her retirement.”
Dr Martin is married to Pippa, a Science
technician, and has three children. He enjoys
cycling, swimming and, occasionally, running.
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
Association of Ambulance Chief Executives
• Clare Langshaw, Ambulance Operations
Manager, Resilience and Specialist
Operations, Welsh Ambulance Service NHS
Trust
• Keith Prior, National Director, National
Ambulance Resilience Unit (NARU), West
Midlands Ambulance Service University
NHS Foundation Trust
• Margaret Barclay, Resource Manager,
Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.
Dr Martin brings a wealth of experience
gleaned from work at ambulance trusts, acute
hospitals and in the community including
development of mental health care provision.
Following a career as a paramedic with East
of England Ambulance Service between 2002
and 2014, Dr Martin was selected for an NHS
executive leadership programme. In the six
years since, he has performed a number
of director roles at Cambridge University
Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and latterly
with his current employer.
Dr John Martin
30
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
COMPANY NEWS
Terrafix, in
partnership with
Centerprise
International, have
been awarded the
Ambulance Radio
Programme, National
Ambulance In-
Vehicle Hardware
Contract (MP5)
Over the summer of 2020 The
Ambulance Radio Programme
(ARP) awarded Terrafix
Limited and Centerprise
International the contract to
develop, supply and support an
in-vehicle system comprising
of a resilient ‘smart’ vehicle
router, the Terrafix Vehicle
Router (TVR) and tablet device
capable of running the National
Mobilisation Application
(NMA).
The consortium was chosen by
competitive tender as the group
that best met the requirements for
the delivery of a resilient and reliable
state of the art, mission critical invehicle
mobile data solution.
Chris Green, Managing Director
of Terrafix:
“Winning the contract to
supply The Ambulance Radio
Programme with the Terrafix TVR
is a fantastic achievement for
the company. We, as one of the
leading Development Engineering
companies in the UK are proud
to keep Staffordshire very firmly
on the map for Innovation. We
are excited to have be chosen
and we will be utilising our
knowledge of the ambulance
mobile environment accumulated
over the past 28 years to ensure
that we provide Ambulances
across the UK with a resilient
Mobile Data and Vehicle Solution
to communicate, efficiently and
effectively with the control rooms
and dispatchers in a timely and
accurate manner.”
Jon Elliott, Director Government
for Centerprise:
“Centerprise are delighted
to partner with Terrafix and
complement their in-house
capability to deliver this nationally
significant programme to ARP”
The contract is part of The
Ambulance Radio Programme
(ARP) Mobile Data Vehicle
System (MDVS) for the UK NHS
Ambulance Trusts. The principle
of which is to provide resilient
mobile data communication
hardware suitable for vehicles
such as Ambulances, Rapid
Response and other emergency
vehicles, providing the in-vehicle
connectivity and functional
Terrafix Vehicle Router (TVR) & NMA Software in-vehicle solution
capabilities needed for the NMA Terrafix Limited
(National Mobilisation Application)
and other in-vehicle applications. Terrafix are a Staffordshire based
company that has over 30 years’
Designed and developed by experience in developing and
Terrafix the TVR is a bespoke providing bespoke automatic
engineered ‘smart’ mobile router vehicle location, mobile data and
that is capable of connecting to real-time information systems to
multiple mobile communications the public and commercial sectors.
bearers including ESN and the
legacy Airwave system.
TERRAFIX LIMITED
Bladon House,
Providing extensive capabilities,
Festival Way,
connectivity and interfaces the
Etruria,
TVR and in-vehicle tablet will then
Stoke-on-Trent,
give the users a full ruggedised
Staffordshire ST1 5SH
touch screen platform, running
Follow on www.terrafix.co.uk
the NMA software alongside other
in-vehicle applications.
Follow on twitter @TerrafixLimited
The System will ensure
that responding resources,
Paramedics, Community
Responders, even GP’s have
a common platform across the
UK to communicate with control
rooms. It will ultimately provide
a powerful communications tool
that will create a secure critical
communications system for all
the UK Ambulance Trusts and
Services.
For more information call Terrafix
on +44 (0) 1782 577015 or email
enquiries@terrafix.co.uk
About Centerprise International
For over 35 years Centerprise
(CI) has been acknowledged
as one of the largest and most
respected IT providers in the UK.
A real British success story, CI has
developed a steadfast reputation
for delivering large scale IT
projects within the Business,
Defence, Education, Government
and Healthcare sectors.
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
For the latest Ambulance Service News visit: www.ambulancenewsdesk.com
31
The Number 1 in the
German Resuscitation Register
In more than 60% of all resuscitation cases, the
Mönchengladbach Fire Department achieved a positive result.
This is one of the highest ROSC rates in Germany.
But how exactly do they achieve this success?
The Mönchengladbach Fire Brigade team measures
the quality of its resuscitations in real time, thus has
the information necessary to save more lives.
In addition, all resuscitation cases are subsequently
analysed in detail with regard to the depth of the
compression, frequency, relief of the chest and
handoff times during resuscitation and used for
training and further education measures.
Here you can see how the Mönchengladbach Fire
Department measures the quality of their resuscitation
and what they have achieved as a result:
www.zoll.com/moenchengladbach
© 2020 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. ZOLL is a registered trademark of ZOLL Medical
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other brands are the property of their respective
owners.