Ambulance UK October 2021

NEWSLINE
their GP, phone 111 or use 111
online if they are experiencing
these symptoms and want to
get a professional opinion,” he
explained.
“However, if they truly think
they’ve got sepsis – particularly
if they are a person in a high risk
group – that is an emergency and
it’s perfectly appropriate to phone
999 in those circumstances where
our expert staff will ensure they
get the treatment they need as
quickly as possible.”
Mr Ainsworth-Smith said
ambulance services across
the UK have developed
extensive guidance and training
programmes for staff on
recognising sepsis, with SCAS the
first to adopt the second version
of the National Early Warning
Score 2 (NEWS2) system in the
UK to identify a person’s need for
hospital treatment.
“We have done a lot of education
with our staff to help them to
recognise patients with sepsis.
When sepsis is diagnosed, our
staff are well trained to start initial
treatment before transporting
seriously unwell patients rapidly to
hospital. Our crews will alert the
hospital so that sepsis specialists
are ready and waiting when they
arrive.
“When we assess a patient we’ll
have a look at their vital signs,
including their blood pressure,
heart rate, temperature and blood
sugar. NEWS2 is a scoring matrix
we use to identify the sickest
patients; the higher the score
the more unwell they are and the
more likely they are to require
intensive care.
“If patients have a score less than
that then we can decide what to
do and some of those patients,
particularly if they don’t have signs
of sepsis, may be suitable to stay
at home under close supervision
from their GP. Patients who do
actually have sepsis will end up
being transported to hospital.”
For more information,
visit the SCAS YouTube
channel (www.youtube.com/
watch?v=JK56CUU3TkE) to hear
more from Mr Ainsworth-Smith or
visit www.worldsepsisday.org.
SECAmb
Work starts on
new multi-purpose
ambulance, 999 and
NHS 111 centre in
Medway
Building work has started on
South East Coast Ambulance
Service NHS Foundation Trust’s
(SECAmb’s) new multi-purpose
ambulance, 999 and NHS 111
centre in Gillingham.
The development will include 999
and 111 call centre operations
as well as a Make Ready Centre
- the only one of its kind to bring
all three functions together
under one roof. Building work at
the Bredgar Road site follows
planning permission being
granted last year.
The contractor, Westridge
Construction, is now on site
carrying out groundworks ahead
of construction. The centre
is expected to become fully
operational in Autumn 2022.
SECAmb’s Make Ready vehicle
preparation and maintenance
system will occupy the two lower
floors while staff currently based
at the Trust’s East 999 Emergency
Operations Centre (EOC) in
Coxheath and Trust NHS 111 staff,
currently based in Ashford, Kent,
will benefit from modern openplan
offices above.
Integrating both 999 and
111 services is a key part of
SECAmb’s strategy to deliver
more joined up integrated care
and to increase efficiency. The
development will also bring the
east of SECAmb’s region in
line with its West Emergency
Operations Centre (including NHS
111), based in Crawley, which
opened in 2017.
SECAmb’s Make Ready system,
which is already in place across
much of its region, is a vehicle
preparation system which sees
specialist teams of staff employed
to clean, restock and maintain the
Trust’s fleet.
Ambulance crews currently
starting and ending their shifts at
Medway Ambulance Station in
Chatham will, instead, start and
finish at the new centre. They will
then respond from ambulance
community response posts
across the region with suitable
rest facilities for crews between
calls and when on a break.
Staff based in Sheppey will
continue to start and end their
shifts from the ambulance
station on the island, which has
undergone a major refurbishment
and upgrade to provide new
educational and training facilities.
SECAmb currently operates nine
Make Ready Centres across its
region with Brighton the latest
centre to open in December 2020.
SECAmb Executive Director of
Operations Emma Williams said:
“It’s really great that building
work is now under way on this
important development for
SECAmb. Our current building
at Coxheath is outdated and not
adequate for our requirements.
Having operations centres for
999 and 111 under one roof
will ensure we further optimise
functions between the services.
“The new centre provides us
with greater capacity, means
we can improve the ratio of 999
call taking across our two EOCs
and will bring local recruitment
opportunities for people across
both 999 and 111 services.
“Not only is our Make Ready
system more efficient but the new
building will also provide staff
with access to modern facilities
for training. We understand any
change has an impact on staff
and we will continue to fully
engage with everyone affected
ahead of the move next year.”
What is Make Ready?
• SECAmb’s Make Ready
initiative significantly enhances
and improves the service it
provides to the community
• It minimises the risk of crossinfection,
frees up front-line
staff – who traditionally cleaned
and re-stocked ambulances
– to spend more time treating
patients, and keeps vehicles on
the road for longer
• The initiative ensures that
specially-trained operatives
regularly deep-clean, restock
and check vehicles for
mechanical faults
• Make Ready Centres are
supported by a network
of Ambulance Community
Responses Posts (ACRPs)
across the area with staff
beginning and ending their
shifts at the new centre
• During their shifts, staff will
respond from the ACRPs which
will provide facilities for staff.
These are located based on
patient demand
• Crews continue to respond
from the same towns under the
system but begin and end their
shifts at staggered times with a
vehicle that is fully prepared for
them
• The system ensures crews have
access to improved training
facilities and opportunities
and increased support from
managers.
AMBULANCE UK - OCTOBER
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