Ambulance UK February 2021

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
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