Ambulance UK October 2021

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EDITOR’S COMMENT EDITOR’S COMMENT Welcome to the autumnal issue of AUK. AMBULANCE UK - OCTOBER “Politics aside I just feel its time to re-think our value system and recognise the importance of health above any other aspect of our lives.” I’ve worked in the NHS long enough to remember the miners’ strike, and the first nurses strike. I’m not sure we had a summer this year, but I feel we are definitely moving to a winter of discontent, no Shakespearian pun intended. The last year and a half has been horrendous for NHS staff and as I sit here writing this comment with Winter imminent, I do feel aggrieved at the 3% pay increase followed swiftly with a 1.5% increase in NI. It may be my age and I understand the economics of the public services but, if truth be told, I’m struggling to comprehend the logic of the ‘pressure of Covid’ on the NHS this winter when in reality the pressure is there because there aren’t enough Doctors, Nurses, Paramedics or Allied Health Professionals. Isn’t it time to think carefully about recruitment and retention to the NHS and whilst many will argue that a vocation is worth more than money, we still need to at least keep up with price increases. I am truly saddened when I hear that a Nurse giving her all has to utilise a food bank, or when young people leave the NHS to find better employment in the private sector. Politics aside I just feel its time to re-think our value system and recognise the importance of health above any other aspect of our lives. So, I’ve completed 35 years this year and it’s worth looking back at my introduction to the Sabre Saturn, Neil Robertson and the S&W defibs that had a Sony Walkman attached to make sure you voiced the protocol as you applied it. Paramedics were a novelty, we had just two! and there was a clear emphasis on ensuring your shoes were polished and your cap worn at all times, even in the heat of a resuscitation. They were simpler times when IPC meant gloves and we only wore Tyvek suits for cleaning the ambulance. Its nice though to see just how far we’ve come in those years and how opportunities abound for todays ambulance staff, not forgetting all the aligned jobs from legal, through procurement to digital and innovation. I don’t think 35 years ago I’d ever have imagined ending up looking at things like artificial intelligence to support dispatch or video consultation from patient’s living rooms. So whilst it might be a glum winter ahead, keep up the good work and look forward to better times to come. Sam English, Co-Editor Ambulance UK 140 For more news visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
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Page 1 and 2: Volume 36 No. 5 October 2021 DEDICA
Page 3: CONTENTS CONTENTS Ambulance UK 140
Page 7 and 8: FEATURE FREE EDUCATIONAL PODCASTS I
Page 9 and 10: FEATURE very cold water this can ta
Page 11 and 12: FEATURE Rescue • Avoid entry into
Page 13 and 14: NEWSLINE WMAS Jo Gideon MP official
Page 15 and 16: NEWSLINE services in the south-east
Page 17 and 18: NEWSLINE helps to explain why some
Page 19 and 20: NEWSLINE their GP, phone 111 or use
Page 21 and 22: NEWSLINE be able to take part. The
Page 23 and 24: NEWSLINE well before the NHS finds
Page 25 and 26: NEWSLINE The reporting platform wil
Page 27 and 28: IN PERSON Dr Helen Bowcock OBE in 2
Page 29 and 30: COMPANY NEWS Suitable operating ele
Page 31 and 32: COMPANY NEWS WHY 4,438 DAILY FALLS

Ambulance UK October 2021

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