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Volume 37 No. 1<br />
<strong>February</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />
DEDICATED TO THE AMBULANCE SERVICE AND ITS SUPPLIERS<br />
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CONTENTS<br />
CONTENTS<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> <strong>UK</strong><br />
4 EDITOR’S COMMENT<br />
7 FEATURES<br />
Lessons learned from the first 50 COVID-19 critical care transfer<br />
missions<br />
16 NEWSLINE<br />
26 IN PERSON<br />
31 COMPANY NEWS<br />
COVER STORY<br />
SEAMLESS SYNCHRONISATION – THE PERFECT INTERACTION<br />
BETWEEN CORPULS 3 & CORPULS CPR DURING RESUSCITATION<br />
corpuls 3 / C3T<br />
With its revolutionary modular design, the corpuls3 & C3T can be used<br />
as a compact unit or separated into the Monitoring Unit, Patient Box and<br />
Defi brillator/Pacer. The modules communicate wirelessly and adapt to<br />
the requirements of the paramedic on scene, or inside the ambulance.<br />
This issue edited by:<br />
Sam English<br />
c/o Media Publishing Company<br />
Greenoaks, Lockhill<br />
Upper Sapey, Worcester, WR6 6XR<br />
ADVERTISING:<br />
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PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY:<br />
<strong>February</strong>, April, June, August,<br />
October, December<br />
COPYRIGHT:<br />
Media Publishing Company<br />
Greenoaks<br />
Lockhill<br />
Upper Sapey, Worcester, WR6 6XR<br />
corpuls cpr<br />
The unique rotating arm of the corpuls cpr grants free access to the patient’s thorax<br />
at all times, meaning the emergency responders are able to provide additional lifesaving<br />
therapy during CPR. The various back boards are designed for fl exibility on scene and<br />
during patient transport.<br />
The corpuls cpr ensures fully automatic, fatigue proof thorax compressions, and the<br />
compression depth, rate and mode can be tailored to the patient. The device can<br />
accommodate a thorax height of 14-34cm with no restrictions regarding the patient’s<br />
weight and breadth of the thorax.<br />
Synchronised Therapy<br />
Thanks to the Bluetooth connectivity, the corpuls cpr is effectively the fourth module of the<br />
corpuls 3 . The modular design of the corpuls 3 allows the monitor to be taken by a medic to<br />
a safe distance to observe the patient’s vitals and control the corpuls cpr and defi brillator.<br />
With corpuls synchronised resuscitation, chances of ROSC can be higher thanks to<br />
automatic pre-shock CPR capabilities. Stress amongst the team can also be signifi cantly<br />
reduced with shorter hands-off time.<br />
This can reduce the number of rescuers needed in the event of a<br />
cardiac arrest. It is a huge benefi t during prolonged resuscitation,<br />
especially when providing treatment in small, confi ned spaces<br />
and during patient transport in an ambulance. Built-in connectivity<br />
functions of the corpuls 3 / C3T are ideal for telemedicine and the<br />
corpuls communication platform corpuls.mission.<br />
Learn more at: https://pages.theortusgroup.com/synchronisation<br />
PUBLISHERS STATEMENT:<br />
The views and opinions expressed in<br />
this issue are not necessarily those of<br />
the Publisher, the Editors or Media<br />
Publishing Company.<br />
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3
EDITOR’S COMMENT<br />
EDITOR’S COMMENT<br />
Welcome to this issue of A<strong>UK</strong>.<br />
Let me start by passing on condolences from the team here at A<strong>UK</strong> to the family, friends, colleagues and all<br />
at SECAM on the tragic loss of a young Paramedic, Alice Clark, who lost her life in a crash early in January.<br />
Our thoughts are with you all at this sad time and we wish her colleagues, who were also involved, a speedy<br />
recovery. At times like these you reflect on the family that is the ambulance service and share in the shock<br />
and grief.<br />
“But we<br />
must look<br />
forward, not<br />
backward, and<br />
remember<br />
the Chinese<br />
proverb, ‘in<br />
the midst of<br />
chaos there<br />
is always<br />
opportunity’...”<br />
<strong>February</strong> is a particularly grim month, not just because of the post New Year lull and the gloomy outlook<br />
with little hope of decent weather for another two months, but also because the pressures do not get any<br />
better. I’ve just watched a story on TV about the mother of a young man who died waiting for a delayed<br />
response. There was nothing that could have been done to match demand and supply during that awful<br />
couple of months around Christmas, especially with the staff absence factor created by Covid. It was not an<br />
isolated incident, nor specific to any particular region, the point is that there doesn’t seem to be any way to<br />
keep up with rising demand and public expectations.<br />
Furthermore the vicious circle of delayed discharge, delayed admission, delayed handover is seemingly<br />
impossible to break without significant input into a social care system which has been broken for years<br />
and will not get any better with the staffing pressures brought into place with mandatory vaccination.<br />
It’s just my opinion but when I hear such stories I’m disappointed and saddened because no-one wants<br />
to make patients wait. I’ve been in the Control room and watched the pressure on dispatchers struggling<br />
to find something, anything, to send out and I’ve seen them cry when there isn’t anything available.<br />
They take it personally as do the Paramedics who know they’re arriving way out of the time frame and<br />
spend the first minutes of an interaction apologising and sometimes, as the front end, becoming the object<br />
of their frustrations for those who have had to wait. I don’t know what the answer is, I’m not sure anyone<br />
really does. We work at handover schemes and put as much into resource as we can but the simple truth<br />
is there is a clear gap between what we need and when we can have it. It takes two years to address the<br />
increased Paramedic resource needed to meet this year’s growth, not to mention the funding. But we must<br />
look forward, not backward, and remember the Chinese proverb, ‘in the midst of chaos there is always<br />
opportunity’…<br />
Anyway, on a less depressing note, travel restrictions are slowly being removed so with luck some of you<br />
might get a well-deserved holiday abroad this year. It’s been a long slog over the last two years and it really<br />
is time for all of us to recharge the batteries…<br />
Sam English, Co-Editor <strong>Ambulance</strong> <strong>UK</strong><br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
4<br />
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FEATURE<br />
LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE FIRST 50 COVID-19 CRITICAL<br />
CARE TRANSFER MISSIONS CONDUCTED BY A CIVILIAN <strong>UK</strong><br />
HELICOPTER EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE TEAM<br />
J. Jeyanathan 1 , D. Bootland 1 , A. Al-Rais 1 , J. Leung 1 , J. Wijesuriya 1 , L. Banks 1 , T. Breen 1 , R. DeCoverly 1 , L. Curtis 1 ,<br />
A. McHenry 1 , D. Wright 1 , J. E. Griggs 1,2 and R. M. Lyon 1,2*<br />
Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med (<strong>2022</strong>) 30:6 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-022-00994-7 © The Author(s) <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
Abstract<br />
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has placed exceptional<br />
demand on Intensive Care Units, necessitating the critical care<br />
transfer of patients on a regional and national scale. Performing these<br />
transfers required specialist expertise and involved moving patients<br />
over signifi cant distances. Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> Kent Surrey Sussex<br />
created a designated critical care transfer team and was one of the<br />
fi rst civilian air ambulances in the United Kingdom to move ventilated<br />
COVID-19 patients by air. We describe the practical set up of such a<br />
service and the key lessons learned from the fi rst 50 transfers.<br />
Methods: Retrospective review of air critical care transfer service set<br />
up and case review of fi rst 50 transfers.<br />
Results: We describe key elements of the critical care transfer<br />
service, including coordination and activation; case interrogation;<br />
workforce; training; equipment; aircraft modifications; human factors<br />
and clinical governance. A total of 50 missions are described<br />
between 18 December 2020 and 1 <strong>February</strong> 2021. 94% of the<br />
transfer missions were conducted by road. The mean age of these<br />
patients was 58 years (29–83). 30 (60%) were male and 20 (40%)<br />
were female. The mean total mission cycle (time of referral until the<br />
time team declared free at receiving hospital) was 264 min (range<br />
149–440 min). The mean time spent at the referring hospital prior<br />
to leaving for the receiving unit was 72 min (31–158). The mean<br />
transfer transit time between referring and receiving units was<br />
72 min (9–182).<br />
Conclusion: Critically ill COVID-19 patients have highly complex<br />
medical needs during transport. Critical care transfer of COVID-19-<br />
positive patients by civilian HEMS services, including air transfer, can<br />
be achieved safely with specifi c planning, protocols and precautions.<br />
Regional planning of COVID-19 critical care transfers is required to<br />
optimise the time available of critical care transfer teams.<br />
Keywords: COVID-19, Critical care, Transfer medicine, Helicopter<br />
Emergency Medical Services, Intensive care<br />
Background<br />
The coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic (COVID-19) has challenged<br />
health systems across the globe [1]. In particular, a major demand<br />
has been placed on critical care facilities. A signifi cant proportion of<br />
COVID-19 patients required treatment with critical care interventions,<br />
including ventilatory support [2]. This unprecedented demand led to<br />
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) resources being put under signifi cant strain<br />
on both regional and national levels. At a local level, ICU bed pressures<br />
necessitated the rapid creation of acute surge capacity. Despite<br />
these expanded footprints, the critical care capacity in many hospitals<br />
remained under signifi cant pressure. In order to preserve standards<br />
of critical care and mitigate these demands, it became necessary for<br />
hospitals experiencing acute demand to request critical care transfers<br />
to other ICUs, utilising system resources across the region and then<br />
beyond. During the height of the pandemic in early 2021, there were<br />
several requests on a daily basis within our region requesting critical<br />
care transfers of COVID-19 patients. These demands could not be met<br />
by the existing hospital workforce. The unprecedented level of demand<br />
led to resource strain at both regional and national levels and mandated<br />
the creation of de novo critical care transport teams in order to maintain<br />
equitable access to intensive care. The number of necessitated transfers<br />
also meant that many of these were undertaken over large distances to<br />
other regions [3].<br />
The demand for critical care transfers during the height of the pandemic<br />
was unprecedented [2]. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) with<br />
experience and capability to undertake critical care transfers were<br />
asked, at very short notice, to increase their capacity and adapt to being<br />
able to transfer critically unwell COVID-19 positive patients. The highly<br />
infectious nature of COVID-19, particularly in relation to performing<br />
Aerosol Generating Procedures (AGPs), required specifi c protective<br />
measures to be taken to safely transfer COVID-19 patients, without<br />
putting EMS or associated personnel, such as pilots, at risk [4]. In the<br />
<strong>UK</strong>, pre-hospital critical care teams such as Helicopter Emergency<br />
Medical Services (HEMS) have adapted, overcome, and continued to<br />
deliver high acuity trauma and medical care to patients at their time of<br />
need. In addition, several HEMS services rapidly adapted to provide<br />
a critical care transfer capability. Indeed, the combination of highly<br />
experienced senior clinicians working within a mature governance<br />
framework alongside an established transport platform, lent itself well to<br />
HEMS services adapting to undertake work of this nature.<br />
Critical care transfer medicine has several essential areas which<br />
require careful consideration [5]. These considerations were especially<br />
highlighted in the context of ICU-level COVID-19 patients, due to their<br />
need for complex multi-organ support, particularly advanced ventilatory<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
Do you have anything you would like to add or include in Features? Please contact us and let us know.<br />
7
FEATURE<br />
support, and their physiological fragility. The challenge of these<br />
transfer cases was often exacerbated by short notice, urgent referrals<br />
for transfers over significant distances and the need for escorting<br />
clinicians to wear level 3 /ICU Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)<br />
throughout. This paper provides a descriptive overview of how our <strong>UK</strong><br />
HEMS service, in collaboration with our local National Health Service<br />
(NHS) ambulance provider (South East Coast <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service NHS<br />
Foundation Trust—SECAmb), rapidly evolved to provide an aeromedical<br />
transfer capability for COVID-19 patients. We present a pragmatic<br />
review of the first 50 COVID-19 transfers undertaken by Air <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Kent Surrey Sussex and highlight key lessons learned that would be<br />
useful to other EMS services tasked with setting up such a service.<br />
Methods<br />
Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> Kent Surrey Sussex (AAKSS) delivers care to a mixed<br />
urban and rural area, covering 4.5 million people across the south east<br />
of England. The HEMS team comprises of an experienced physician<br />
and paramedic, capable of delivering enhanced care, including<br />
pre-hospital emergency anaesthesia, blood product administration,<br />
procedural sedation and emergency surgery. These interventions<br />
cannot be routinely performed by land ambulance crews. The HEMS<br />
service operates from two separate bases, responds 24/7 and can<br />
respond in either a helicopter or response car, depending on geography<br />
and weather limitations. Patients are transported to hospital either by<br />
helicopter or land ambulance.<br />
In December 2020, a so-called “Kent” variant (subsequently known as<br />
B.1.1.7.) of COVID-19 which appeared more contagious than other<br />
variants, rapidly spread through the south east of England, the region<br />
which AAKSS serves. The number of critically unwell patients rapidly<br />
challenged the intensive care unit (ICU) capacities within many of the<br />
hospitals of Kent, Surrey and Sussex. As part of a national strategy,<br />
overseen by the NHS, to maintain equitable access to critical care,<br />
coordination and provision of a robust critical care transfer capability<br />
became a necessity [3]. With a notice period of just a few weeks,<br />
AAKSS developed a Critical Care Transfer Service to dovetail with<br />
its primary pre-hospital emergency medicine (PHEM) duties. To build<br />
in layers of safety, a number of standardised processes were rapidly<br />
implemented.<br />
Results<br />
The key elements that needed to be established for a dedicated<br />
aeromedical transfer service to launch are described below. These<br />
elements were considered by all authors as the most important when<br />
having to rapidly adapt from primary HEMS work to secondary COVID<br />
transfers.<br />
Coordination and activation of a specifically tailored and<br />
rehearsed level 3 COVID-19 transfer process<br />
Transfer requests were identified via a central process to SECAmb<br />
following a daily regional meeting and subsequently passed to the<br />
AAKSS Duty Clinical Manager. This would commence a chain of defined<br />
concurrent activity in order to plan the conduct of the tasking. Each<br />
individual transfer request was overseen by the Duty Clinical Manager<br />
and an on-call AAKSS HEMS Transfer Consultant (with experience<br />
in both pre-hospital emergency medicine and current ICU COVID-19<br />
care). The Duty Transfer crew consisted of a Transfer Doctor (who<br />
was an AAKSS HEMS doctor from an ICU-Anaesthesia specialty) and<br />
an AAKSS Transfer Paramedic. The temporal nature of identifying<br />
and tasking a transfer following the receipt of requests after regional<br />
meetings meant that transfers typically occurred in the afternoon and<br />
evening. The process overview is shown in Fig. 1.<br />
Case “Interrogation” process<br />
Requests for COVID-19 transfers were coordinated at regional level<br />
by the NHS England Improvement critical care coordination cell and<br />
SECAmb. Each request was considered on an individual basis by<br />
AAKSS. A patient selection proforma utilised a specifically tailored case<br />
interrogation template, as shown in Fig. 2. The complexity, instability and<br />
physiological fragility of COVID-19 patients meant that rigorous clinical<br />
interrogation, with case-by-case consideration of the challenges posed<br />
by moving these patients was required on each occasion.<br />
Prior to deploying on a transfer tasking, a “command huddle” was<br />
conducted. At the command huddle the transfer team, duty transfer<br />
consultant and duty clinical manager would appraise the clinical and<br />
logistic aspects of the case, identify potential risks and pitfalls, discuss<br />
mitigation strategies, and decide the most appropriate course of action.<br />
Particularly complex or high risk transfers were escalated to the Medical<br />
Director for further review and final decision making.<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
At the time of implementation, ICUs in the south east of England were<br />
under unprecedented pressure. There would often be several patients<br />
on particular hospital sites requiring admission to ICU when the local<br />
unit was already at capacity. To manage system capacity, patients were<br />
transferred between ICUs, with the most stable patients being selected<br />
for transfer. These would often involve non-COVID patients.<br />
We review the steps required to set up an aeromedical transfer service<br />
capable of safely and robustly moving Level 3 COVID-19 positive<br />
patients; the training, operational and medical elements needed to<br />
deliver such a service safely and effectively and we present key lessons<br />
learned from the first 50 COVID-19 transfers. The key elements were<br />
based on internal expert opinion and we sought to present a pragmatic,<br />
descriptive approach to inform other pre-hospital services involved in the<br />
transport of COVID-19 patients.<br />
Workforce<br />
The AAKSS crew was a doctor and paramedic. The doctors were all<br />
experienced, long-standing AAKSS PHEM doctors and were additionally<br />
Consultants in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine and had recent<br />
and regular ongoing exposure to patients who were critically unwell with<br />
COVID-19. The AAKSS paramedics had undertaken concurrent training<br />
in specific elements of critical care and COVID-19 [6]. This specific crew<br />
configuration allowed for a familiarity in caring for the critically unwell<br />
patient in the out-of-hospital environment. Familiarity between members<br />
of the workforce was a particularly important factor in overcoming the<br />
additional and significant challenges posed by operating in full Level 3<br />
PPE. Personal protective equipment need to be in-line with standard<br />
hospital practice including eye protection, FFP3 masks and surgical<br />
gowns. Crews were also given the option of wearing Positive Airway<br />
Pressure Respirator hoods.<br />
8<br />
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
FEATURE<br />
AAKSSCCTT Request<br />
AAKSS Critical Care Transfer Team (CCTT) Process<br />
SECAmb Critical Care Transfer desk<br />
request<br />
Duty Manager<br />
Initial AAKSS Call Handler. Attains:-<br />
1)Patient demographics and basic clinical<br />
synopsis. 2) Details and contacts of<br />
Referring and Receiving ICU Consultants<br />
andNurses-In-Charge<br />
Critical Care<br />
Transfer Team<br />
Activation<br />
Flowchart<br />
CCTT Pre-Alert<br />
Transfer Doctor Paramedic Duty Manager&HEMS Pilot<br />
Case Interrogation &Preparation<br />
Communication&CCTT Activation<br />
Clinical Interrogation<br />
Process, viaReferring<br />
andreceiving ICU<br />
Consultants.<br />
Issue Transfer “Wish-<br />
List” request<br />
Equipmentand<br />
logistical<br />
preparation.<br />
CCTT Pre-missionCommand Huddle<br />
Tactical &Logistic<br />
assessment:-<br />
Land<br />
Aviation<br />
Hybrid –Land-<br />
Aviation<br />
Oncall Transfer Consultant,Critical Care Transfer Team,Duty Manager<br />
+/- Pilots.<br />
Discussthe case together,assessing theclinical, transfer andaviation<br />
riskswithappropriate mitigation strategies. Concludewitha“plan<br />
proposed”for theTransferMission Cycle<br />
Transfer Doctor<br />
Inform ReferringICU of<br />
CCTT activation andETA<br />
Reaffirm Communication<br />
on Comprehensive<br />
DischargeSummary,<br />
Equipment, Packaging<br />
andDrugpreparation:-<br />
- Infusions<br />
- Emergency drug<br />
Transfer accepted<br />
Paramedic<br />
Inform HEMS desk<br />
on CCTT activation<br />
andthe proposed<br />
logistical details<br />
Pre-Departure<br />
Checklist<br />
Transfer declined<br />
Duty Managerinforms<br />
HEMS desk &SECAmb<br />
Critical Care transfer<br />
desk<br />
Doctor informs<br />
ReferringICU<br />
30 mins<br />
15 mins 10 mins<br />
Team Activation<br />
Team StandDown<br />
Fig. 1 AAKSS critical care transfer process<br />
Training<br />
A competency-based critical care transfer training module was<br />
developed and instituted to ensure specific training and currency in<br />
critical care practice and the management of patients with multi-organ<br />
dysfunction. Training built upon the pre-existing PHEM practices and<br />
expertise and, as the service developed, was further enhanced, and<br />
standardised to a formal training pathway for Critical Care Transfer<br />
Medicine. All transfer team members undertook a HEMS Transfer<br />
Training day, alongside a half day Critical Care COVID Transfer Medicine<br />
Package, with a specific focus on the physiology, pharmacology and<br />
practical techniques required to manage complex and critically ill<br />
patients. Individual crew members were then required to complete a<br />
curriculum of core clinical topics, equipment competencies and logistic<br />
considerations. It took varying amounts of time for crew members to<br />
develop competence and confidence in critical care transfer and while<br />
there was no set time to complete the training log, 2–4 weeks was<br />
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FEATURE<br />
AAKSSCriticalCareTransfer TeamInterrogation Template<br />
Transfer Details [Completed by HEMS Duty Clinical Manager]<br />
Date of transfer<br />
Time<br />
request<br />
Referring<br />
Name andcontact<br />
Hospital<br />
Referringhospital<br />
Consultant and<br />
Nurse-in-charge<br />
Contactnumber:<br />
Receiving<br />
Hospital<br />
Precise<br />
DestinationDetails<br />
Name andcontact<br />
Receiving hospital<br />
Consultant and<br />
Nurse-in-charge<br />
PatientDetails [Completed by HEMS Duty Clinical Manager]<br />
Name : DoB :<br />
Reasonsfor<br />
Transfer<br />
Specialist<br />
requirement:<br />
COVIDStatus<br />
Briefclinical<br />
synopsis<br />
Capacity<br />
Clinical<br />
Repatriation<br />
Positive<br />
Negative<br />
Patient’sWeight<br />
(Kg)<br />
Specific access<br />
instruction:<br />
Clinical information [Completed by Duty Crew Transfer Doctor]<br />
ReferringHospital<br />
ReceivingHospital<br />
andprecise<br />
andprecise<br />
location<br />
location<br />
Referring<br />
Consultant<br />
Receiving<br />
Consultant<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
Family informed<br />
Clinical Overview<br />
Clinical history:<br />
Fig. 2 AAKSS critical care transfer planning sheet<br />
Yes<br />
No<br />
suggested. During this period the crew member also undertook at<br />
least four transfer shifts under the supervision of a Transfer Consultant.<br />
Family Contacts<br />
[Ifavailable]<br />
Name:<br />
Contactnumber:<br />
Training culminated in a full day sign-off assessment, including a clinical<br />
viva, equipment test and clinical long case discussion.<br />
10<br />
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Equipment<br />
A specific, dedicated set of transfer equipment and bags were<br />
assembled. The content was based on the need to maintain the highest<br />
standards of intensive care throughout the duration of the transfer.<br />
Ventilation was provided with a Dräger Oxylog 3000 ventilator in line with<br />
our primary HEMS work and monitoring maintained using the Tempus<br />
Pro Monitor (Phillips RDT). This allowed for the added advantage of<br />
recording physiological data directly into the electronic clinical record.<br />
Infused medicines were delivered via Braun perfusor syringe drivers.<br />
Using identical equipment to that used in primary HEMS work was<br />
an important consideration in order to enhance the safety of this type<br />
of work and minimise the cognitive load that comes with managing<br />
patients of this complexity. The transfer kit was physically entirely<br />
separate to the HEMS kit and could be deployed onto a land ambulance<br />
or helicopter.<br />
Transfer platform and infrastructure<br />
All critical care transfers were considered for transfer via land, air or<br />
a land-air hybrid. Given the complicated geography in our region,<br />
with a mix of urban areas within rural and coastal settings, the<br />
potential opportunity for air or hybrid transfer mission cycles allowed<br />
an enhancement in care by decreasing the period a sick COVID-19<br />
patient was out of a hospital ICU environment. This also accelerated the<br />
regeneration of the critical care transfer crew. Several transfers, including<br />
the long distance mission cycles, whilst considered for air transfers,<br />
often resulted in either pure land or hybrid transfers. Overall, 94% of the<br />
transfer missions were conducted by land. This was due to the time<br />
of year being winter (December-<strong>February</strong>), with both light and weather<br />
restrictions, which made long distance critical care transfers by air using<br />
visual flight rules challenging to undertake.<br />
Care of the COVID-19 patient during transfer<br />
Meticulous handling of the COVID-19 patient was required prior to,<br />
during, and after transfer. Respiratory failure was the overwhelming<br />
organ failure, requiring multi-faceted management strategies, particularly<br />
for refractory hypoxia. Stabilising the patient on the transport ventilator<br />
was a particular challenge for some patients and was typically<br />
attempted early in the transfer process. In practice, our transfer team<br />
most commonly encountered pressure-controlled ventilation. Our team<br />
mirror the pressure setting as the initial step of ventilator transition.<br />
We then closely observe the changes of the patient’s minute volume.<br />
If minute volume reduced, our team will implement an incremental<br />
increase to inspiratory pressure until the desired minute volume is<br />
achieved. We allowed permissive hypercapnia. We obtained an arterial<br />
blood gas sample 15 min after the transition to the transport ventilator<br />
(Oxylog 3000). To avoid patient-ventilator asynchrony during the mission,<br />
deep sedation and paralysis were used for the entire transfer journey.<br />
Interpersonal relationships, human factors and communication<br />
The management of a COVID-19 patient is made harder by the need<br />
to work carefully in full PPE. Clear communication was therefore<br />
imperative. As a Critical Care Transfer Team, it was important to forge<br />
relationships with referring critical care teams, clearly communicate<br />
with the receiving ICU and work cohesively alongside a number of new<br />
groups of health professionals and team members. The primary PHEM<br />
training and practices, particularly in crew resource management (CRM)<br />
and communication skills, proved a core strength and foundation for the<br />
critical care transfer capability response.<br />
Aircraft modification<br />
To protect the pilots, a sealed barrier curtain was installed between<br />
the cockpit and cabin section of the AW169 helicopter. This achieved<br />
a hermetic seal with different air supplies to the pilot and patient cabin<br />
sections. Pilots flew with standard surgical masks, following testing<br />
and approval of radio communications whilst wearing them. The size<br />
and specification of the AW169 cabin allowed for excellent access to<br />
the patients throughout flight, and the ability to maintain monitoring<br />
and titrate infusions presented no problems. A closed suction system<br />
allowed for in-flight suction of the trachea if required.<br />
Clinical Governance<br />
A specific Clinical Governance framework was established that<br />
mirrored that of AAKSS primary missions but stood as an independent<br />
framework. Whilst this specific process was created de novo to address<br />
a specific challenge in the critical care transfer of level 3 COVID-19<br />
patients (Fig. 1), it was embedded in a mature system of standard<br />
operating procedures, governance and logistics. A dedicated Transfer<br />
Consultant was on-call for remote support and all cases underwent<br />
detailed case review.<br />
Analysis of the 50 critical care transfers<br />
during the <strong>UK</strong> COVID-19 s wave<br />
Between 18 December 2020 and 1 <strong>February</strong> 2021, AAKSS in<br />
collaboration with SECAmb performed 50 adult critical care transfers in<br />
support of the <strong>UK</strong> COVID-19 response.<br />
All 50 of these critical care transfers were undertaken to urgently help<br />
with ICU capacity across the region. These ICUs were all managing<br />
patient numbers significantly beyond their normal footprint. As a result,<br />
through a nationally coordinated initiative, other ICUs with capacity were<br />
identified to provide mutual aid, often in areas a significant distance<br />
away.<br />
The complex implications of COVID-19 on the vascular structure and<br />
haematological dynamics, often with a pro-thrombotic propensity,<br />
gave these patients a uniquely precarious physiological fragility. The<br />
interrogation process between the referring ICU consultant and transfer<br />
team was important, but a further dynamic assessment of the patient<br />
was essential on transfer team arrival at the referring ICU. Gentle<br />
bridging on to transfer specific infusion pumps, ventilator, monitoring<br />
and bed was essential followed by careful handling of the patient’s<br />
complex pathophysiology. Pre-arrival requests were structured, as<br />
shown in Fig. 3.<br />
Of the 50 critical care transfers, 45 (90%) were critically unwell patients<br />
receiving Level 3 multi-organ support. 5 (10%) patients were receiving<br />
Level 2 care and all of these were for non-COVID-19 disease processes.<br />
All missions had data entered in real time into the AAKSS patient record/<br />
mission data system (HEMSbase, Medic One Systems Ltd). A specific<br />
section had already been created to record secondary transfer missions.<br />
All data were then analysed retrospectively.<br />
The mean age of these patients was 58 years (range 29–83). 30 (60%)<br />
were male and 20 (40%) were female.<br />
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FEATURE<br />
Transfer team communicationchecklist and“wish list”<br />
Airway<br />
ETT/ Tracheostomy well secured<br />
Sparetracheostomypackwithinner cannula<br />
In-linesuction catheter<br />
NewHME filter made ready for transfer<br />
Blue Soft-tooth blue clamp/metalclamp with gauze<br />
Breathing<br />
Stable on ventilator<br />
CD cylinder<br />
Circulation<br />
CentralAccess(ideallyright Internal jugular)<br />
Twoperipheralcannula (ideally oneright sided)<br />
Arterial line (ideally rightradial)<br />
Rationalisenon-essential infusions<br />
Capoff allunusedlines<br />
1x 1000ml Crystalloidattachedtodedicated line (orlumen of CVC)<br />
Disability<br />
Ensure patientsedation+/- muscle relaxation<br />
Exposure and NG tube aspirated&capped<br />
packaging<br />
Urinarycatheterinsitu&Catheter bagemptied<br />
2x sheets /blankets<br />
Drugs&infusion preparation Will need to be Tailored to MissionCycle<br />
Infusions<br />
Propofol 1% in 50ml Luer lock syringex2<br />
Fentanyl 50mcg/ml in 50ml Luer lock syringes x1<br />
Noradrenaline4mg in 50ml Luer lock syringes x2<br />
Otheressential drug spareinfusion<br />
Boluses<br />
Rocuronium 100mgin10mlx2<br />
Propofol 1% in 20ml x1<br />
Fentanyl 500mcg in 10ml x1<br />
Emergencydrugs Metaraminol10mgin20mlx1<br />
Adrenaline 1mgin10mlmini-jet<br />
Documentation&Communication<br />
Comprehensivedischarge summarycopiesx2<br />
Allclinicalnotes photocopied/printed<br />
Family informed<br />
Fig. 3 Transfer team communication checklist<br />
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The AAKSS aircraft was used for 3 (6%) transfers and 47 (94%) were<br />
moved by road. To our knowledge, this represented the first civilian air<br />
transfers of COVID-19 positive patients in the <strong>UK</strong>.<br />
All of these patients were invasively ventilated with mandatory or<br />
pressure support ventilation. 45 (90%) of these patients had an<br />
endotracheal tube in situ and 5 (10%) had a tracheostomy sited to<br />
facilitate weaning from mechanical ventilation.<br />
The mean FiO 2<br />
at referral was 0.45 (0.21–0.8). 17 (34%) patients were<br />
established on vasopressor support at the point of referral, versus 33<br />
(66%) on no cardiovascular support. All 17 patients on vasopressor<br />
support were receiving noradrenaline, with 1 patient also receiving<br />
dobutamine.<br />
The mean total mission cycle (time of referral until the time team<br />
declared free at receiving hospital) was 264 min (range 149–440 min).<br />
The mean time spent at the referring hospital prior to leaving for the<br />
receiving unit was 72 min (31–158). The mean transfer transit time<br />
between referring and receiving units was 72 min (9–182).<br />
During this period, no significant adverse events occurred and there<br />
were no instances of transfer team members or pilots contracting<br />
COVID-19 as a result of a transfer mission.<br />
Discussion<br />
AAKSS successfully implemented a fully functional critical care<br />
transfer service capable of moving critically ill COVID-19 patients by<br />
air. The majority of these patients were in multi-organ failure due to<br />
COVID-19 infection. The adherence to a standardised pathway with an<br />
interrogation process allowed for an efficient service, which focussed on<br />
patient safety. The investment in the workforce and subsequent crew<br />
configuration was labour intensive, but ensured a robust and consistent<br />
service. The training elements and governance were imperative in<br />
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FEATURE<br />
ensuring responsive practices, especially as our clinical approach to<br />
COVID-19 evolved. Having a dedicated AAKSS Transfer Consultant and<br />
the ability to activate “Command Huddles” throughout a critical care<br />
mission were both useful for patient care but also for supporting crews<br />
and fostering interpersonal relationships across healthcare providers<br />
during a very challenging time. The authors of this paper would<br />
recommend using these interventions, which we believe enhanced<br />
mission and organisational safety.<br />
The need for local, regional and national coordination of critical care<br />
assets and transfer requirements is imperative for future pandemic<br />
initiatives. To optimise the available time of the critical care transfer<br />
teams, planning should ideally occur on an ongoing basis, with patients<br />
identified for transfer the preceding night. This allows transfer teams<br />
to maximise their impact. This is particularly important for aeromedical<br />
teams who may be better operated in daylight conditions. The<br />
number of COVID-19 transfers conducted by air was limited, largely<br />
by environmental factors. As familiarity and efficiency of the transfer<br />
systems evolves, we anticipate increased air transfers.<br />
To our knowledge, AAKSS was the first civilian air ambulance service to<br />
move COVID-19 patients by air in the <strong>UK</strong>. This was achieved through<br />
early engagement with the required authorities to gain approval for the<br />
safety procedures put in place to protect pilots from the risk of infection.<br />
The use of an aeromedical transport platform has the potential to<br />
confer a significant advantage for patients moved over large distances.<br />
Any concerns regarding the potential physiological insult posed by<br />
altitude are negligible by helicopter transport in our region, with flights<br />
undertaken at around 1000 ft above sea level.<br />
Our teams spent a significant amount of time on arrival at the referring<br />
hospital when compared to our scene times for primary HEMS work.<br />
The time was largely due to the physiological complexity of COVID-19<br />
patients, including, for example, the careful transfer of the patient from an<br />
ICU to a transport ventilator and the associated interventions required to<br />
ensure a safe and stable critical care transfer. In this particular example,<br />
although the assessment of stability and suitability to be moved on a<br />
transport ventilator could be streamlined by having the referring hospital<br />
undertake ventilator exchange prior to transfer team arrival.<br />
presented in this paper will likely be useful to other services.<br />
Further research is warranted, particularly with regards PPE and how<br />
best to prevent cross-infection during transfer of COVID-19 patients [9,<br />
10]. As further waves of COVID-19 patients stretch emergency medical<br />
services globally, sharing of experience will be invaluable.<br />
Conclusions<br />
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented pressures on<br />
critical care resources, necessitating the rapid establishment of adult<br />
critical care transfer services to decompress overwhelmed hospitals,<br />
to support clinicians and minimise preventable loss of life due to<br />
resource depletion. Critically ill COVID-19 patients have highly complex<br />
medical needs during transport. Critical care transfer of COVID-19<br />
positive patients by civilian HEMS services, including air-transfer, can<br />
be achieved safely with specific planning, protocols and precautions.<br />
Regional planning of COVID-19 critical care transfers is required to<br />
optimise the time available of critical care transfer teams.<br />
Abbreviations<br />
AAKSS: Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> Kent Surrey Sussex; AGP: Aerosol generating<br />
procedure; EMS: Emergency Medical Service; HEMS: Helicopter<br />
Emergency Medical Service; ICU: Intensive Care Unit; PHEM: Pre-hospital<br />
emergency medicine; PIU: Patient isolation unit; PPE: Personal protective<br />
equipment; SECAmb: South East Coast <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service Trust.<br />
Acknowledgements<br />
At AAKSS we would like to acknowledge and thank South East Coast<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service NHS Trust for its support in setting up of our Critical<br />
Care Transfer capability. Similarly, thank you to the Independent <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Providers, Platinum and Medi-4. We also wish to thank Specialist Aviation<br />
Services, who supported the aircraft modification process, allowing for air<br />
transfer of COVID-19 confirmed or suspected patients.<br />
Authors’ contributions<br />
All authors were involved in the service provision, data collection, analysis<br />
and manuscript writing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.<br />
Other pre-hospital services have published their experience of<br />
transferring critical COVID-19 patients [1, 7]. Several providers described<br />
the effective use of patient isolation units (PIU) [1]. AAKSS was<br />
concerned about the limitations of being able to treat critically unwell<br />
patients whilst in a PIU and therefore focussed on securing the entire<br />
rear of the helicopter to prevent infection. Similar to other published<br />
research, only a minority of transfers were completed by air, highlighting<br />
the technical challenges of air transport of COVID-19 patients. However,<br />
for long distance transfer of COVID-19 patients, air is likely to be the<br />
faster and more effective transport platform [8].<br />
We recognise that this is a relatively small descriptive study over a short<br />
time period. We acknowledge that our experience will not necessarily be<br />
applicable to all services, particularly outside the <strong>UK</strong>. However, we have<br />
demonstrated a method for a HEMS service to rapidly, effectively and<br />
safely stand up a critical care transfer service capable of moving level 3<br />
COVID-19 patients by both land, air or a hybrid model. We have shown<br />
this is possible in the civilian setting and the policies and protocols<br />
Funding<br />
No funding was received for this study.<br />
Availability of data and materials<br />
All data is presented.<br />
Declarations<br />
Ethical approval and consent to participate<br />
This study met criteria for service evaluation, as defined by the <strong>UK</strong> National<br />
Institute of Healthcare Research. Formal ethical approval was therefore<br />
not required. All data was sourced from the internal AAKSS database. No<br />
competing interests were declared. No funding was received for this study.<br />
All authors contributed to data review and manuscript writing.<br />
Consent for publication<br />
All authors give consent for publication. Patient consent is not required<br />
as this paper met <strong>UK</strong> NIHR criteria as a service evaluation.<br />
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FEATURE<br />
Competing interests<br />
None to declare.<br />
Author details<br />
*<br />
Correspondence: RichardL@aakss.org.uk<br />
1<br />
Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> Kent Surrey Sussex, Redhill Aerodrome, Redhill, Surrey<br />
RH1 5YP, <strong>UK</strong>.<br />
2<br />
University of Surrey, Guildford, <strong>UK</strong>.<br />
Received: 25 September 2021 Accepted: 4 January <strong>2022</strong><br />
Published online: 15 January <strong>2022</strong><br />
References<br />
1. Hilbert-Carius P, Braun J, Abu-Zidan F, Adler J, Knapp J,<br />
Dandrifosse D, et al. Pre-hospital care & interfacility transport of<br />
385 COVID-19 emergency patients: an air ambulance perspective.<br />
Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2020;28(1):94.<br />
2. Martin-Loeches I, Arabi Y, Citerio G. If not now, when? A clinical<br />
perspective on the unprecedented challenges facing ICUs during<br />
the COVID-19 pandemic. Intensive Care Med. 2021;47(5):588–90.<br />
3. Pett E, Leung HL, Taylor E, Chong MSF, Hla TTW, Sartori G,<br />
Sathianathan V, Husain T, Suntharalingam G, Rosenberg A, Walsh<br />
A, Wigmore T. Critical care transfers and COVID-19: managing<br />
capacity challenges through critical care networks. 2020.<br />
2020100125. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202010.0125.v1.<br />
4. El-Boghdadly K, Wong DJN, Owen R, Neuman MD, Pocock S,<br />
Carlisle JB, et al. Risks to healthcare workers following tracheal<br />
intubation of patients with COVID-19: a prospective international<br />
multicentre cohort study. Anaesthesia. 2020;75(11):1437–47.<br />
5. Intensive Care Society. Clinical Guidance: Assessing<br />
whether COVID-19 patients will benefi t from critical care,<br />
and an objective approach to capacity challenges. 2020.<br />
www.wcctn.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/documents/1210/<br />
COVID%5F19%5Fcare%5Fguidance%5F5may%5Fendorsed.pdf.<br />
Accessed 13 July 2020.<br />
6. Foex B, Van Zwanenberg G, Handy J et al. Guidance on: the<br />
transfer of the critically ill adult. The Faculty of Intensive Care<br />
Medicine. 2019. www.fi cm.ac.uk/sites/default/fi les/transfer_<br />
critically_ill_adult_2019.pdf. Accessed 15 June 2020.<br />
7. Albrecht R, Knapp J, Theiler L, Eder M, Pietsch U. Transport of<br />
COVID-19 and other highly contagious patients by helicopter and<br />
fi xed-wing air ambulance: a narrative review and experience of<br />
the Swiss air rescue Rega. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med.<br />
2020;28(1):40.<br />
8. Reimer AP, Dalton JE. Predictive accuracy of medical transport<br />
information for in-hospital mortality. J Crit Care. 2018;44:238–42.<br />
9. COVID-19 infection prevention and control guidance: aerosol<br />
generating procedures [Internet]. GOV.<strong>UK</strong>. Cited 8 May 2021.<br />
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novelcoronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/covid-19-infectionprevention-and-control-guidance-aerosol-generating-procedures<br />
10. Liu Z, Wu Z, Zhao H, Zuo M. Personal protective equipment during<br />
tracheal intubation in patients with COVID-19 in China: a crosssectional<br />
survey. Br J Anaesth. 2020;125(5):e420–2.<br />
Publisher’s Note<br />
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in<br />
published maps and institutional affi liations.<br />
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Seamless Synchronisation<br />
The perfect interaction between corpuls 3<br />
and corpuls cpr during resuscitation.<br />
In the <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Emergency transport carries risk<br />
for the patient and the responding<br />
team. With synchronised therapy,<br />
the emergency team can remain<br />
seated whilst in transit. Rhythm<br />
control and shock delivery can be<br />
performed on the corpuls 3 while<br />
the medic is seated.<br />
In tight spaces<br />
Whether in a lift, a stairwell, or<br />
on tricky terrain, synchronised<br />
resuscitation means that therapy<br />
can continue where it wouldn’t<br />
have been possible before. Once<br />
in place, a medic can control the<br />
corpuls 3 monitor, defibrillator and<br />
CPR parameters of the corpuls cpr.<br />
In the air<br />
Patient access is extremely limited<br />
in air rescue. Thanks to the perfect<br />
interaction of the corpuls 3 with<br />
the corpuls cpr, movement within<br />
the cabin is reduced. Synchronised<br />
mechanical chest compressions<br />
can be given, without having to<br />
accept long hands-off times.<br />
• Shorter hands-off time.<br />
• Automated pre-shock compressions.<br />
• Can be used in manual and AED mode.<br />
• Increased safety & minimised interruptions.<br />
• Less resources required.<br />
• Easier operation.<br />
• Data transmission.<br />
• Post mission analysis.<br />
Learn more:<br />
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E: hello@ortus.co.uk<br />
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15
NEWSLINE<br />
County Air<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> HELP<br />
Appeal makes third<br />
£250,000 donation to<br />
British Association<br />
for Immediate Care<br />
In addition to new RRVs<br />
and PPE, the main focus for<br />
schemes eligible for funding this<br />
year, will be acquiring lifesaving<br />
capital equipment such as<br />
defibrillators and monitors.<br />
The County Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> HELP<br />
Appeal, the only charity in the<br />
country dedicated to funding<br />
hospital helipads and to ensuring<br />
patients with life threatening<br />
conditions get the fastest<br />
treatment possible, has given its<br />
third annual grant of £250,000<br />
to the British Association for<br />
Immediate Care.<br />
Divided into 32 regional schemes,<br />
the Association is a national<br />
network of medical, nursing and<br />
paramedic volunteers, who give<br />
up their free time to be on call to<br />
help NHS <strong>Ambulance</strong> Services,<br />
ensuring they get support for<br />
critical incidents 24 / 7. This<br />
third grant from the County Air<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> HELP Appeal, brings<br />
the total amount donated to<br />
£750,000.<br />
All schemes across the country<br />
were invited to apply for a share<br />
of the latest £250,000 donation.<br />
Previous grant rounds have funded<br />
emergency response vehicles in<br />
different parts of the <strong>UK</strong> along with<br />
essential clinical and protective<br />
equipment. This round of funds<br />
has been similarly available with the<br />
focus being on capital equipment<br />
such as defibrillators and monitors<br />
- each costing in the region of<br />
£12,000 to £15,000.<br />
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive<br />
of the County Air <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
HELP Appeal said: “Our donations<br />
support these wonderful<br />
volunteers in making huge,<br />
practical improvements to their<br />
lifesaving services. New rapid<br />
response vehicles enable more<br />
medics to join their schemes,<br />
which increases the number of<br />
emergency incidents they can<br />
respond to. Meanwhile, new<br />
state-of-the-art technology for<br />
volunteers’ own vehicles, help<br />
them to arrive at a critical scene<br />
quickly and safely – a must during<br />
the winter months when driving<br />
conditions can be treacherous.<br />
I’m delighted that our funding this<br />
year will support patients directly<br />
through the purchase of lifesaving<br />
defibrillators and monitors.”<br />
Tony Kemp, Chief Officer, British<br />
Association for Immediate Care<br />
said: “The work of the British<br />
Association for Immediate Care<br />
has benefited so much from<br />
the previous two donations<br />
from the HELP Appeal and I am<br />
delighted that once again, on the<br />
back of what has been a very<br />
difficult 18-months, we are again<br />
beneficiaries of a further £250,000<br />
donation. The work of the<br />
Association’s affiliated schemes<br />
has continued throughout the<br />
pandemic and in common with<br />
so many other areas of life, the<br />
cost of lifesaving equipment has<br />
increased. This donation, being<br />
shared by a number of schemes<br />
will ensure that their lifesaving<br />
work continues, we are so grateful<br />
to the HELP Appeal for their<br />
ongoing generosity.”<br />
Paul Gates, Chairman, British<br />
Association for Immediate Care<br />
said: “This year the grant will be<br />
used for a range of lifesaving<br />
equipment to be used as our<br />
volunteers respond to 999 calls for<br />
their local NHS <strong>Ambulance</strong> service.”<br />
The County Air <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
HELP Appeal’s latest grant has<br />
been distributed to the following<br />
schemes, which so far totals<br />
£134,000:<br />
• BASICS Dorset<br />
• BASICS Essex<br />
• BHECCS (Bedfordshire &<br />
Hertfordshire)<br />
• BRAVO Medics (Bristol)<br />
• CSI BASICS (Cheshire &<br />
Shropshire)<br />
• LIVES (Lincolnshire)<br />
• MARS BASICS (Mercia)<br />
• SWIFT Medics (Wiltshire)<br />
• West Yorkshire Medic<br />
Response Team<br />
The remaining £116,000 will be<br />
distributed to schemes early next<br />
year.<br />
Joe Blissett from LIVES in<br />
Lincolnshire said on receiving<br />
£10,000, which will fund<br />
dedicated blood transport bags<br />
for transporting blood to the<br />
scene of accidents across the<br />
county, “Fantastic news…this<br />
project is going to save many lives<br />
every year.”<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
(L-R) Dr Jon Barratt (Trustee), Mr Paul Gates (chair) & Dr Andy Pountney (vice-chair) with a cheque<br />
from the County Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> HELP Appeal.<br />
Junaid Mughal, speaking on<br />
behalf of the newly formed Beds<br />
and Herts Emergency Critical<br />
Care Scheme (BHECCS) said:<br />
“This is fantastic news, it will help<br />
a new scheme like BHECCS go a<br />
long way. It’s an early Christmas<br />
present for us as this grant will<br />
definitely be put to good use<br />
serving the people of Bedfordshire<br />
and Hertfordshire.”<br />
16<br />
For more news visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
NEWSLINE<br />
Gordon Tollefson, West Yorkshire<br />
Medic Response Team added:<br />
“This grant from BASICS, enabled<br />
by a donation from the HELP<br />
appeal, allows us to go ahead<br />
with the purchase of the ventilator<br />
and this will be a major step for<br />
us in saving lives when West<br />
Yorkshire Medic Response Team<br />
is first on scene.”<br />
NWAS<br />
NWAS helps develop<br />
a new mental health<br />
support programme<br />
for male NHS<br />
frontline workers<br />
We will be involved in the codevelopment<br />
of a new research<br />
project to support male NHS<br />
frontline workers, particularly<br />
those who have experienced<br />
emotional and mental health<br />
problems due to the COVID-19<br />
pandemic.<br />
The programme, called behavioural<br />
activation for low mood and<br />
anxiety in male NHS frontline<br />
workers, know and BALM, is<br />
funded by Movember and The<br />
Distinguished Gentleman’s<br />
Ride. BALM is being led by the<br />
University of York, delivered in<br />
partnership with our trust, York<br />
and Scarborough Teaching<br />
Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust<br />
and Tees Esk & Wear Valleys NHS<br />
Foundation Trust.<br />
Research from previous infectious<br />
disease epidemics shows that<br />
frontline health workers are at<br />
increased risk of developing<br />
both short and long-term mental<br />
health problems, with up to onethird<br />
experiencing high levels of<br />
distress.<br />
To combat this, the researchers<br />
will develop, deliver and evaluate<br />
this early intervention programme<br />
that aims to improve common<br />
mental health challenges such as<br />
low mood, burn-out, anxiety and<br />
depression faced by male frontline<br />
NHS workers. Around 45 male<br />
NHS frontline workers at risk of<br />
low mood will be recruited for the<br />
pilot, which starts in <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
They will receive a behavioural<br />
activation booklet and support<br />
from specially trained experts on<br />
how to get the most out of the<br />
programme. It’s expected to be<br />
rolled out across the NHS towards<br />
the end of the project in two<br />
years’ time.<br />
Consultant Paramedic, Steve<br />
Bell, who is a co-investigator<br />
of this programme and our<br />
Research Lead said, “It is clear<br />
that the COVID-19 pandemic has<br />
placed extreme demands on the<br />
emergency services provided<br />
by the NHS, and those frontline<br />
workers in these services have<br />
faced unprecedented pressures<br />
over this time. Ensuring male<br />
frontline workers, who are often<br />
disinclined to speak out and seek<br />
help, are supported is vital and<br />
this project offers the opportunity<br />
to study proven behavioural<br />
activation methods to support<br />
this potentially vulnerable group of<br />
NHS staff.”<br />
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AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
For the latest <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service <strong>Ambulance</strong><strong>UK</strong>_Ad_FINAL.indd News visit: www.ambulancenewsdesk.com<br />
1 13/01/<strong>2022</strong> 15:32<br />
17
NEWSLINE<br />
YAS<br />
‘Significant progress’<br />
for apprenticeships at<br />
region’s ambulance<br />
service<br />
benefi cial impact on learners.<br />
Less than 10% of apprenticeship<br />
providers have achieved<br />
signifi cant progress across all<br />
three inspection themes.<br />
The Trust has been offering<br />
apprentices developing a wide<br />
range of substantial new skills and<br />
knowledge which they successfully<br />
put into practice in their jobs.<br />
Dawn Adams, Head of YAS<br />
Academy, said:<br />
Earlier last year, the Trust’s<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Support Worker role<br />
won the gold Apprenticeship<br />
Programme of the Year award,<br />
ahead of seven other public and<br />
private sector fi nalists, at the<br />
national 2021 Learning Awards.<br />
Following an Ofsted (Office<br />
for Standards in Education,<br />
Children’s Services and Skills)<br />
inspection which took place<br />
in October 2021, Yorkshire<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service NHS Trust<br />
(YAS) has formally achieved<br />
significant progress in the three<br />
themes assessed.<br />
apprenticeships since October<br />
2018 and there are currently<br />
298 apprentices enrolled on<br />
level 3 and level 4 standardsbased<br />
apprenticeships including<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Support Worker and<br />
Associate <strong>Ambulance</strong> Practitioner.<br />
The Ofsted inspection lasted two<br />
days and the areas which were<br />
“We are delighted with the<br />
outcome of the Ofsted inspection,<br />
and I am very proud of our<br />
Academy team. The Trust is<br />
highly committed to the provision<br />
of learning and apprenticeships,<br />
and the excellent support we<br />
have from stakeholders, learners<br />
and clinicians has helped us<br />
In addition, Morrisons has<br />
agreed to transfer £2.1m of its<br />
Apprenticeship Levy fund to<br />
Yorkshire <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service NHS<br />
Trust to help train the county’s<br />
future paramedics. The two-year<br />
programme is helping to pay for<br />
200 apprentices to be trained and<br />
means that the Trust will not have<br />
The Trust was commended for<br />
having a clear vision, an ambitious<br />
curriculum for apprenticeship<br />
provision which goes beyond<br />
the requirements of the<br />
qualifi cation, and experienced<br />
and knowledgeable educators<br />
delivering high quality training.<br />
assessed were quality of education,<br />
leadership and management and<br />
effectiveness of safeguarding<br />
arrangements in place.<br />
The inspection report highlighted<br />
many positives, including<br />
helpful careers guidance with<br />
a clear progression pathway to<br />
to develop and deliver the<br />
programmes.<br />
“We started the journey three<br />
years ago and, after a lot of<br />
hard work, being recognised<br />
by Ofsted with this rating is a<br />
huge achievement for everyone<br />
involved. We welcome the<br />
to access additional Government<br />
Apprenticeship Levy funding; the<br />
cost of this to the Trust would<br />
have been £100,000 (5%) and this<br />
is now being re-invested in patient<br />
care in the region.<br />
Mike Long, ESFA (Education and<br />
Skills Funding Agency) Senior<br />
Progress is deemed signifi cant<br />
paramedic, rigorous governance<br />
very positive feedback and look<br />
Skills Development Manager, said:<br />
when it has been rapid and is<br />
arrangements, exceptionally<br />
forward to building future success<br />
“It is great to see a new employer<br />
already having considerable<br />
well-planned curriculum with<br />
on this fi rm foundation.”<br />
provider being recognised as<br />
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making signifi cant progress<br />
with the implementation of<br />
an ambitious and high-quality<br />
apprenticeship programme which<br />
shows how apprenticeships can<br />
help tackle skills shortages in<br />
critical roles in the community.<br />
The programme has been<br />
well planned and excellently<br />
implemented in the most<br />
challenging of circumstances and<br />
times and the Academy team fully<br />
deserves this recognition and I<br />
look forward to continuing to work<br />
with the team as the programme<br />
develops further.”<br />
Information on both clinical and<br />
non-clinical apprenticeships<br />
is available on the Yorkshire<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service website:<br />
www.yas.nhs.uk<br />
The Inspection report can be<br />
viewed at:<br />
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/<br />
provider/30/2539228<br />
WAST<br />
New technology<br />
to better support<br />
victims of domestic<br />
violence<br />
The Welsh <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service<br />
has introduced new technology<br />
to better support victims of<br />
domestic violence.<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> crews have been<br />
supporting patients to access<br />
Live Fear Free for help and advice<br />
on domestic violence since<br />
its creation using a bespoke<br />
telephone number.<br />
Now crews now have the ability to<br />
assist patients via an app on their<br />
Trust-issue iPad to speed up and<br />
streamline the process.<br />
Live Fear Free is a 24/7 helpline<br />
for women, children and men<br />
experiencing domestic abuse,<br />
sexual violence or other forms of<br />
violence against women.<br />
It is a main point of contact<br />
in Wales to access support,<br />
information, safety-planning,<br />
advocacy, refuge and counselling<br />
services.<br />
Nikki Harvey, the Welsh<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service’s Head of<br />
Safeguarding, said: “The Live Fear<br />
Free helpline is a free, confi dential<br />
24/7 specialist resource that<br />
anyone can access, at any time.<br />
“Welsh <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service crews<br />
have been using it for some<br />
years to signpost patients to help<br />
and support, using the good old<br />
fashioned telephone – until now.<br />
“Having the technology to refer<br />
patients digitally using iPads is not<br />
only more effi cient for crews, but<br />
it means that vulnerable patients<br />
get the support they need more<br />
quickly.<br />
“We all deserve to live without fear<br />
and in an environment which is<br />
safe, and modernising this referral<br />
pathway brings us a step closer<br />
to that.”<br />
Live Fear Free helpline manager,<br />
Ann Williams, said: “We are<br />
delighted to be working alongside<br />
the Welsh <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service,<br />
making our joint support of those<br />
most in need across Wales even<br />
more effi cient.<br />
“For staff at the helpline and the<br />
ambulance service alike, time is<br />
critical.<br />
“Using updated technology means<br />
that we can strengthen vital, timesaving<br />
communication methods,<br />
which will directly benefi t the<br />
women, men and children getting<br />
in touch, for whom support can<br />
often be life changing or even<br />
life-saving.”<br />
You can contact Live Fear Free by<br />
calling 0808 80 10 800, texting<br />
07860 077333, emailing info@<br />
livefearfreehelpline.wales or by<br />
using its 24/7 live chat service.<br />
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19
NEWSLINE<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
Stroke Association<br />
warns number of<br />
untreated strokes<br />
likely to increase<br />
during winter, due to<br />
rise in Omicron cases<br />
The <strong>UK</strong>’s largest stroke charity<br />
is warning people not to delay<br />
seeking treatment for stroke<br />
due to fear of Omicron.<br />
The Stroke Association is<br />
concerned that public fear of<br />
increasing COVID-19 rates, due to<br />
the Omicron variant, is likely to see<br />
a similar drop in stroke admissions<br />
seen at the start of the pandemic.<br />
During the first wave of the<br />
pandemic there was a significant<br />
decrease in admissions to stroke<br />
wards, when the COVID-19<br />
infection rate rose rapidly. The<br />
Stroke Association’s Recoveries<br />
at Risk report found this was due<br />
to patient worries over catching<br />
COVID-19 or being a burden on<br />
the NHS. Nearly a third (32%)<br />
of people who survived a stroke<br />
between March and June 2020<br />
said they delayed seeking medical<br />
attention due to COVID-19 (i) .<br />
With the added impact of reported<br />
ambulance delays, this is likely to<br />
intensify feelings of being a burden<br />
on the NHS, causing people to<br />
delay seeking medical treatment.<br />
To add to this potential crisis,<br />
new data shows that more<br />
people are living with unmanaged<br />
hypertension (high blood pressure)<br />
and other major stroke risk<br />
factors due to fewer regular<br />
in-person appointments where<br />
cardiovascular conditions (like<br />
high blood pressure) are spotted.<br />
Hypertension is the biggest risk<br />
factor for stroke, contributing to<br />
55.4% of stroke cases (ii) . This<br />
means that the stroke rate could<br />
rise as more people live with<br />
unmanaged hypertension than in<br />
previous years.<br />
In the <strong>UK</strong> there are over 100,000<br />
strokes per year and 1.3 million<br />
stroke survivors. A stroke is a<br />
medical emergency which is<br />
caused by a blockage or bleed<br />
in the brain cutting off blood<br />
supply. For every minute a stroke<br />
is untreated, 1.9 million brain cells<br />
die (iii) . Stroke is fatal in over one in<br />
eight (13.1%) patients (iv) . The main<br />
treatments for stroke, thrombolysis<br />
and thrombectomy, must be<br />
delivered as soon as possible<br />
within four and a half hours of<br />
symptoms starting, which is why<br />
is it vital to call 999 as soon as any<br />
sign of stroke appears. Stroke is<br />
the <strong>UK</strong>’s fourth biggest killer and<br />
the leading cause of adult disability.<br />
Key stats:<br />
• Acute stroke admissions fell by<br />
10.3% in England, Wales and<br />
Northern Ireland in the period<br />
23rd March to the end of May<br />
2020 (iv) , meaning a drop of over<br />
2,000 admissions in just over<br />
two months<br />
• This may have caused the<br />
54% rise in at home deaths for<br />
stroke in England and Wales (v) .<br />
• Of those who delayed seeking<br />
emergency medical attention,<br />
42% hadn’t wanted to burden<br />
emergency services (i)<br />
• And 34% of those who delayed<br />
seeking emergency medical<br />
attention were afraid of catching<br />
COVID-19 in hospital. (i)<br />
• 43% reduction in the rate of<br />
diagnosis of cardiovascular<br />
conditions (including high<br />
blood pressure) and a 29-52%<br />
reduction in first prescriptions<br />
of medications in March – May<br />
2020 (vi)<br />
• In 2015, it was reported that<br />
high blood pressure affected<br />
more than 1 in 4 adults in<br />
England (31% of men; 26% of<br />
women), which is around 13.5<br />
million people (vii)<br />
Juliet Bouverie, Chief Executive of<br />
the Stroke Association said: “When<br />
COVID cases rise as quickly as<br />
they are doing now, that sets<br />
off alarm bells at our charity and<br />
everyone involved in the treatment<br />
of stroke. More Omicron cases is<br />
likely to mean more preventable<br />
deaths and disability due to<br />
stroke, as people delay seeking<br />
emergency medical attention.<br />
“We know that people get scared to<br />
go to hospital when cases rise but<br />
stroke is a life-threatening condition.<br />
Fear of catching COVID and feeling<br />
like a burden on the NHS stopped<br />
people calling 999 in the past. This<br />
is likely to be even worse due to<br />
the news about ambulance delays.<br />
Stroke is an emergency medical<br />
condition and should be treated as<br />
an emergency from the moment<br />
you ring 999.<br />
“You have to remember that stroke<br />
is a brain attack and when you see<br />
any of the FAST signs of stroke in<br />
someone, this means that their brain<br />
is dying. You must raise the alarm;<br />
you must call 999 immediately.<br />
“After nearly two years in the<br />
pandemic we know that many<br />
people haven’t had their high blood<br />
pressure diagnosed because there<br />
haven’t been as many regular, inperson<br />
appointments with medical<br />
professionals such as GPs. That<br />
means more people are living with<br />
undetected high blood pressure<br />
and are at high risk of stroke. As<br />
a result, we could see even more<br />
people having a stroke than in<br />
previous years.”<br />
“Stroke clinicians and nurses as<br />
well as paramedics and therapists<br />
have worked tirelessly throughout<br />
the pandemic to maintain stroke<br />
services. Everyone at our charity<br />
is thankful for their hard work and<br />
support.”<br />
Gerald McMullen, Cardiff: “I had<br />
my stroke during lockdown and<br />
I’m so glad that my wife called<br />
999. It was a lifesaver. If you’re<br />
with someone who might be<br />
showing the symptoms of stroke,<br />
please make that 999 call. It’s vital<br />
that you do.<br />
“I got up in the morning and<br />
felt OK. I was sitting in my chair<br />
having a cup of tea when my wife,<br />
Linda, suddenly asked if I was OK.<br />
I said ‘yes’. However, she noticed<br />
that something was amiss. My<br />
outstretched arm, holding my cup,<br />
seemed rigid to her.”<br />
McMullen’s speech became “a little<br />
slurry”, and despite his insistence<br />
he was fine, his wife ignored him<br />
and called an ambulance. “Thank<br />
goodness,” he says.<br />
“She was on the phone to 999<br />
and was asked if my face had<br />
dropped – it hadn’t – and whether<br />
I could lift my arms, which by then<br />
I couldn’t. My speech did not<br />
make sense by this time either.”<br />
About 15 minutes later, two<br />
paramedics arrived and examined<br />
McMullen in his chair. “One of the<br />
paramedics got on the phone to<br />
hurry the ambulance along. The<br />
ambulance arrived and I managed<br />
to walk to it with support from a<br />
paramedic and my wife,”<br />
Due to the coronavirus pandemic,<br />
Linda could not accompany<br />
McMullen to the hospital, adding<br />
to an already scary situation. In<br />
the ambulance, his symptoms<br />
worsened.<br />
On arrival, he was taken for a<br />
scan, then taken to another<br />
department where his head<br />
was taped to a table and the<br />
thrombectomy carried out.<br />
“The stroke has left me with a<br />
legacy of a weak right arm,”<br />
McMullen says, “but I’m getting<br />
that back now too.” A minor<br />
inconvenience, he notes, which is<br />
much better than the alternative.<br />
“My foot is slightly swollen but<br />
that’s nothing, nothing at all.<br />
Without the thrombectomy I<br />
would have been in a much<br />
worse state. The doctors said I<br />
would have been catastrophically<br />
damaged. I could have died. I<br />
came through and I’m here now.<br />
“I thought ‘my God, I’ve had a<br />
stroke’. I’m so grateful that I was<br />
able to be up and about so quickly.<br />
Friends couldn’t believe it.”<br />
20<br />
For more news visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
NEWSLINE<br />
London’s Air<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> launches<br />
extra team to reach<br />
more critically-injured<br />
patients during winter<br />
months<br />
• New advanced trauma team<br />
on call for London during peak<br />
hours, bringing the hospital to<br />
the roadside<br />
• Additional team, ‘Medic 3’, will<br />
help London’s Air <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
reach hundreds more trauma<br />
patients<br />
For the first time in its 32-year<br />
history, London’s Air <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
is now operating with two duty<br />
teams on call for London this<br />
winter. Beginning in December,<br />
an additional medical team will<br />
support the service, responding<br />
to the most critically injured<br />
trauma patients in the capital<br />
by rapid response car.<br />
The extra team, known as<br />
‘Medic 3’, will operate Monday<br />
to Saturday from 14:00 to 24:00<br />
helping the advanced trauma<br />
teams of London’s Air <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
be more resilient and ultimately<br />
reach more critically injured<br />
patients and respond more quickly<br />
during the winter rush hour. The<br />
team will consist of one senior<br />
doctor and one paramedic and<br />
the arrangement will be trialled<br />
for twelve months to analyse its<br />
impact.<br />
London’s Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> currently<br />
provides one advanced trauma<br />
team 24 hours per day, 365 days<br />
per year and attends around<br />
1,700 patients each year. The<br />
service uses a helicopter from<br />
08:00 to sunset switching to<br />
rapid response cars at night or<br />
in adverse weather conditions.<br />
London’s Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> expert<br />
teams can deliver complex lifesaving<br />
interventions at the scene<br />
of an incident such as pre-hospital<br />
emergency anaesthesia; blood<br />
transfusion; thoracotomy (a<br />
surgical procedure which opens<br />
up the rib cage cavity to manually<br />
massage the heart) and REBOA<br />
(where a balloon is fed into the<br />
major blood vessels through an<br />
injection into the leg), all of which<br />
are known to have increased<br />
patient survival rates after<br />
traumatic injury.<br />
London’s Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> forms<br />
part of the blue light community<br />
alongside its partners Barts NHS<br />
Health Trust and the London<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service (LAS), working<br />
collaboratively to deliver the best<br />
possible care to all major trauma<br />
patients, and this additional<br />
resource will operate as part of<br />
this wider team.<br />
As winter evenings draw in<br />
the aircraft goes offline earlier,<br />
currently around 16:00, meaning<br />
the team moves to deliver<br />
the service by rapid response<br />
vehicle at this time, significantly<br />
before rush hour and leaving the<br />
service reliant on only one team<br />
operating by road for the whole of<br />
London. Analysis of response time<br />
data, based on a single team,<br />
demonstrates that patients more<br />
distant from central London are<br />
not always reached as quickly<br />
during this window. Alongside<br />
this, the team may already be<br />
on scene with a patient when<br />
required elsewhere which results<br />
in cancelled missions for the<br />
service.<br />
This has meant that London’s Air<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> has been unable to<br />
attend all the patients who could<br />
have benefited from their expertise<br />
and on-scene interventions. The<br />
service estimates that in 2019,<br />
there were 195 additional patients<br />
to whom London’s Air <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
would have gone to, which<br />
equates to around 60 additional<br />
emergency anaesthetics, 5<br />
thoracotomies and 18 code<br />
red patients (when a patient is<br />
bleeding to death and needs<br />
immediate intervention). The extra<br />
team will be able to respond to<br />
these sorts of emergencies as<br />
well as providing greater resilience<br />
for the service in the event of a<br />
major incident. Currently in these<br />
instances the London <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Service (LAS) will work alongside<br />
London’s Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> to ensure<br />
patients are treated as quickly as<br />
possible.<br />
Medical Director of London’s Air<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong>, Dr Tom Hurst, said:<br />
“Time is precious when a life is on<br />
the line and we know that during<br />
the winter when the hours of dark<br />
overlap with peak travel times we<br />
are constrained in our response,<br />
particularly when our one team is<br />
already on scene with a patient.<br />
This additional team will help<br />
us reach more critically injured<br />
patients quickly when time is of<br />
the essence.<br />
“London’s Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> does<br />
not stand still and is constantly<br />
striving to better the service we<br />
provide to the people of London.<br />
Thanks to our partners at Barts<br />
NHS Health Trust and the London<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service and of course<br />
to our incredible supporters<br />
we’ve been able to get this extra<br />
team up and running, providing<br />
much-needed clinical support<br />
and helping ensure that, should<br />
the worst happen, London’s Air<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> will be there.”<br />
London <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service<br />
Deputy Chief Executive and Chief<br />
Medical Officer, Dr Fenella Wrigley<br />
said:<br />
“The introduction of an additional<br />
advanced trauma team this winter<br />
will be an incredibly valuable<br />
resource for the people of<br />
London.<br />
“The team, operated by a London<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> paramedic and<br />
Barts Health senior doctor, is an<br />
excellent example of collaborative<br />
working to help achieve the best<br />
possible care for trauma patients<br />
in the capital. The timing of<br />
this new expansion is also very<br />
welcome as the reduction in day<br />
light hours reduces the time the<br />
aircraft can operate. As we head<br />
into a challenging winter it will<br />
help us continue to bring clinical<br />
expertise to trauma scenes to<br />
help our most seriously injured<br />
patients.”<br />
Alistair Chesser, Group Chief<br />
Medical Officer at Barts Health<br />
NHS Trust, said:<br />
“The extra London Air <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
team is well timed coming into<br />
winter and will be a great help<br />
in ensuring the most seriously<br />
injured patients get the specialist,<br />
life-saving care they need as<br />
soon as possible, both on the<br />
scene and in hospital.<br />
“We’re very happy to be working<br />
in collaboration with the London<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service and London<br />
Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> to allow us to<br />
reach hundreds more trauma<br />
patients.”<br />
London’s Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> is a<br />
charity, operating in partnership<br />
with Barts NHS Health Trust<br />
and London <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service<br />
(LAS) NHS Trust. Barts Health<br />
NHS Trust employs and pays<br />
the doctors who will form part<br />
of the Medic 3 team and LAS<br />
provide the paramedics who will<br />
also form part of the duty team,<br />
as well as the flight paramedic<br />
situated in the control room who<br />
is responsible for dispatching<br />
London’s Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> to the<br />
most critically injured people in<br />
London, 24 hours a day.<br />
Since its inception London’s<br />
Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> has developed<br />
cutting-edge medical care<br />
normally only found in the<br />
hospital Emergency Department<br />
for use at the roadside. The<br />
innovations and procedures it has<br />
developed have been adopted<br />
across the world.<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
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21
NEWSLINE<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
HELP Appeal funds<br />
new rapid response<br />
vehicle for BASICS<br />
Devon<br />
Thanks to the HELP Appeal<br />
- BASICS Devon, a network<br />
of volunteer doctors,<br />
who support the South<br />
Western <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service<br />
NHS Foundation Trust at<br />
emergency incidents, have<br />
launched their very own rapid<br />
response vehicle to support<br />
their emergency responders<br />
across Devon.<br />
BASICS Devon is one of a<br />
national network of 32 regional<br />
schemes across the <strong>UK</strong>, which<br />
operates under the umbrella<br />
of the British Association for<br />
Immediate Care. The new<br />
vehicle has been made possible<br />
after the group successfully<br />
bid for a total of £44,000 from<br />
a grant of £250,000, which<br />
is given to the Association<br />
every year by the County Air<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> HELP Appeal - the<br />
only charity in the country<br />
dedicated to funding NHS<br />
hospital helipads.<br />
The vehicle has hi-visibility and<br />
reflective markings; fitted with<br />
communication and navigation<br />
equipment; blue lights, sirens,<br />
and a dash cam, to ensure its<br />
volunteer doctors can drive<br />
safely to an emergency incident.<br />
The 4 x 4 Skoda Kodiaq, is now<br />
active across Devon, carrying<br />
volunteer doctors, to the<br />
scene of critically ill or injured<br />
patients in the community or<br />
at the roadside. This vehicle<br />
also provides the opportunity<br />
for education in pre-hospital<br />
medicine to other healthcare<br />
professionals.<br />
This will be the first scheme<br />
response vehicle for BASICS<br />
Devon. Having their own<br />
emergency response vehicle<br />
to access critical, isolated,<br />
sick, and injured patients will<br />
help to ease pain and suffering<br />
and save lives across one of<br />
the most rural counties in the<br />
country. It will enable their<br />
volunteers to reach remote<br />
communities with ease, safely<br />
and quickly, in all weather<br />
conditions and in most cases<br />
arrive before the ambulance.<br />
Since January the volunteer<br />
doctors have responded to 415<br />
call outs, 144 of which were at<br />
night, arriving first on the scene<br />
at 31% of them.<br />
BASICS Devon volunteer<br />
Immediate Care Doctor and<br />
Chair, Dr Simon Scott Hayward<br />
said: ‘The doctors are all so<br />
pleased with the vehicle. It has<br />
already been put to good use<br />
with 31 shifts, responding to<br />
callouts across the county. With<br />
winter setting in, we are pleased<br />
to have a vehicle fit for purpose<br />
both practical and safe. It is<br />
also a platform for clinicians<br />
interested in pre-hospital care<br />
to attend as observers. The<br />
recent branding of the car we<br />
hope, reflects the community<br />
that we serve. We would like to<br />
thank our funders and everyone<br />
that helped to get the car on<br />
the road.’<br />
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive<br />
of the County Air <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
HELP Appeal added: “These<br />
volunteers are the unsung<br />
heroes of emergency care<br />
– giving up their free time to<br />
support their local ambulance<br />
service. This donation ensures<br />
they have the highest standard<br />
of transport at their disposal to<br />
ensure they can treat patients<br />
quickly and safely, giving them<br />
the best possible chance of<br />
survival and recovery.”<br />
Last year, BASICS Devon<br />
also secured £39,000 from<br />
the County Air <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
HELP Appeal’s annual grant of<br />
£250,000 given to the British<br />
Association of Immediate<br />
Care. It was used to equip<br />
members’ existing vehicles for<br />
an emergency role, such as the<br />
installation of CCTV technology<br />
and winter tyres. The funding<br />
also enabled one new doctor<br />
to join the scheme after their<br />
vehicles were equipped to<br />
reach emergency incidents. This<br />
has helped with callouts in the<br />
North Devon area enabling the<br />
scheme to reach more people in<br />
the community to save lives.<br />
The HELP Appeal was created<br />
12 years ago by the County<br />
Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> Trust. It is the<br />
only charity in the country<br />
dedicated to funding NHS<br />
hospital helipads. To date it<br />
has funded over 40 helipads,<br />
which have received almost<br />
20,000 landings, including at<br />
Derriford Hospital, Plymouth<br />
and the Royal Devon and Exeter<br />
Hospital. The HELP Appeal<br />
relies solely on charitable<br />
donations and does not receive<br />
any government funding or<br />
money from the National<br />
Lottery.<br />
SAS<br />
SAS’s Mobile Testing<br />
Units deliver 2 million<br />
tests<br />
The Scottish <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Service’s Mobile Testing<br />
Units (MTUs) have reached<br />
the monumental milestone<br />
of delivering 2 million tests<br />
across Scotland, since the<br />
service was launched at the<br />
end of August 2020.<br />
As the country faces further<br />
challenges with the Omicron<br />
variant of the Covid-19 virus,<br />
the MTUs have been delivering<br />
15,000 tests a day, helping the<br />
country to tackle the newest<br />
threat in the ongoing pandemic.<br />
The MTUs have been one of<br />
biggest projects ever carried<br />
out at the Scottish <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Service (SAS) and is one of<br />
the key measures in place to<br />
support the <strong>UK</strong>’s action plan<br />
against COVID-19. There are<br />
now 39 SAS-run MTU teams<br />
across the country and more<br />
than 1100 people employed<br />
by the Scottish <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Service, providing a vital service<br />
to Scotland.<br />
The MTUS can be dispatched<br />
quickly across the country<br />
so people in urban, rural and<br />
remote areas have easy access<br />
to a coronavirus test. The<br />
location of the units, which are<br />
22<br />
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NEWSLINE<br />
requested by National Services<br />
Scotland through the Scottish<br />
Government, local authorities<br />
and health Boards, changes<br />
regularly to reflect demand.<br />
John Alexander, General<br />
Manager for the<br />
Mobile Testing Units<br />
(MTUs), said: “Our<br />
dedicated MTU staff<br />
have been working<br />
tirelessly across<br />
Scotland to deliver<br />
tests, particularly<br />
over the last month<br />
as the programme<br />
has been ramped<br />
up to combat the<br />
Omicron virus.<br />
“All of our MTU<br />
staff have done<br />
a fantastic job in<br />
providing tests<br />
to the people of<br />
Scotland over the<br />
past year and I’m<br />
extremely proud<br />
they’ve delivered<br />
two million tests<br />
since August 2020.<br />
We reached the<br />
1 million mark on<br />
1st September<br />
2021, one year and<br />
one day from the<br />
date of the MTUs<br />
going live, so to<br />
carry out another<br />
million tests in just<br />
over four months<br />
is a considerable<br />
achievement, and<br />
it’s testament to<br />
their dedication and<br />
hard work.”<br />
Cabinet Secretary<br />
for Health and<br />
Social Care Humza<br />
Yousaf said:<br />
“Our COVID-19<br />
Mobile Testing<br />
units continue<br />
to play a crucial<br />
role in bringing<br />
testing capacity<br />
to communities who need it<br />
most. And reaching two million<br />
tests is incredible work. This is<br />
a reflection of the hard work,<br />
dedication and professionalism<br />
of Scottish <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Service staff who are doing<br />
a challenging job in difficult<br />
circumstances.<br />
“Through the work they are<br />
doing they are helping to<br />
identify and isolate cases and<br />
breaking chains of transmission.<br />
My thanks goes to every<br />
member of SAS staff for all<br />
that they are doing to care and<br />
support people across Scotland<br />
– and for working throughout<br />
the festive break to ensure that<br />
testing continued.”<br />
IPRS Aeromed are now recruiting Paramedics & Nurses<br />
What sets us apart is the<br />
experience and skills of our<br />
valued clinicians who are<br />
well-versed in managing<br />
repatriations to and from<br />
some of the most interesting<br />
countries around the world.<br />
Primarily established to work in<br />
the world of international<br />
medical repatriation, the<br />
business has evolved to provide<br />
expert clinical solutions across<br />
a variety of specialist sectors<br />
and services.<br />
Join a team that's really going places!<br />
https://iprsaeromed.com/jobs/ or email IPRS Aeromed<br />
Recruitment aeromed.recruitment@iprsgroup.com<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
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23
NEWSLINE<br />
SWAST<br />
Patient helps buy<br />
defibrillator after<br />
community first<br />
responder and<br />
paramedic save her<br />
life<br />
A grateful patient inspired by<br />
the South Western <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Service NHS Foundation Trust<br />
(SWASFT) team who saved her<br />
life, has helped raised funds to<br />
buy a defibrillator.<br />
Dulcie, from Penzance, Cornwall,<br />
suffered a cardiac arrest and<br />
collapsed, falling off her fixed<br />
exercise bike at home. She was<br />
treated with a defibrillator by a<br />
community first responder and a<br />
paramedic, convincing her that<br />
a community defibrillator was<br />
needed at her gym.<br />
Luckily for her, expert help<br />
was only seconds away when<br />
SWASFT volunteer community<br />
first responder Jack Bushell<br />
responded to a 999 call on his<br />
way from helping another casualty.<br />
He took over from Dulcie’s partner<br />
who was giving effective CPR and<br />
immediately applied defibrillator<br />
pads and gave CPR himself to try<br />
and restart her heart and breathing.<br />
the ambulance service is, but<br />
when there is a life-threatening<br />
emergency they are still able to<br />
respond magnificently.<br />
“I can’t really put into words<br />
how grateful I am to my partner,<br />
to Jack, and to the ambulance<br />
service for their quick response,<br />
skill, professionalism and kindness<br />
that they showed. I clearly would<br />
not be here today was it not for all<br />
of them.’’<br />
Jack said: “I was just heading<br />
back from another incident when<br />
I received the top priority category<br />
1 response call to Dulcie. At the<br />
time the only details I had was that<br />
it was a person who’d fallen off a<br />
bike and was in cardiac arrest.<br />
“I’ve been to a number of arrests<br />
so felt calm and collected enroute<br />
and on arrival, this meant I<br />
could think about what I’d need<br />
to do and whether this may be a<br />
traumatic or medical arrest.’’<br />
He said Dulcie was fighting to<br />
recover as she was being treated<br />
and he was confident at the time<br />
that emergency treatment would<br />
get results. His patient had also<br />
been given the best chance of<br />
recovery due to the prompt and<br />
effective CPR care by her partner.<br />
“It was an incredibly surreal<br />
and rare moment to go from a<br />
resuscitation attempt to talking<br />
to that patient. It was a fantastic<br />
outcome and I’m proud to be part<br />
of the team which treated Dulcie.<br />
WMAS<br />
Top award for going<br />
above and beyond<br />
during the pandemic<br />
A University of Wolverhampton<br />
Paramedic Science graduate<br />
has scooped a top award<br />
recently for going above and<br />
beyond during the pandemic.<br />
Will Matthews, 22 from Gloucester,<br />
graduated from the Paramedic<br />
Science degree course which was<br />
delivered at the University’s Walsall<br />
Campus earlier last year and was<br />
named Outstanding Direct Entry<br />
Student Paramedic of the Year by<br />
West Midlands <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service<br />
(WMAS).<br />
He picked up his award from<br />
Anthony Marsh, Chief Executive<br />
Officer at WMAS.<br />
Will was nominated by his<br />
lecturer, Richard Howarth, for his<br />
commitment and dedication to<br />
learning and his excellent grades<br />
and he was chosen as the winner<br />
out of hundreds of nominations from<br />
five universities across the region.<br />
Will said: “When I heard that I’d<br />
won the award I just sat smiling<br />
and couldn’t believe it - especially<br />
considering how competitive<br />
these awards are locally.<br />
biomedical science, and I’m so<br />
glad I didn’t.<br />
“I really loved Paramedic the<br />
course, it was the most difficult<br />
thing I’ve ever done, but I put<br />
myself forward for all kinds of<br />
things, helping out in lecturers and<br />
mentoring other students.<br />
“I love my job. There’s something<br />
different happening every<br />
day, the team bonding and<br />
spirit is amazing and you build<br />
relationships really quickly.<br />
“I’m hoping to continue to expand<br />
on my knowledge, gain more<br />
experience, and then hopefully move<br />
fields to specialise in minor injuries.”<br />
Richard Howarth, Lecturer in<br />
Paramedic Science at the University,<br />
said: “I was Will’s personal tutor<br />
throughout the majority of his course<br />
and he is an exemplary student who<br />
always strives for the best in both<br />
his academic work and practice<br />
placement.<br />
“The feedback received from Will’s<br />
mentors has been amazing and<br />
despite the pandemic causing<br />
Will to miss a period of placement<br />
he has never lost his drive and<br />
determination to succeed. He is<br />
always a highly reflective student<br />
who is always looking at ways<br />
to improve himself in an effort to<br />
improve the patient care he delivers.<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
When his colleague, paramedic<br />
Jess Leah arrived, they delivered a<br />
further defibrillator shock and Dulcie<br />
started breathing herself shortly<br />
before regaining consciousness<br />
and soon began talking to the<br />
paramedics. Further help arrived<br />
with a second ambulance crew and<br />
the air ambulance with a doctor on<br />
board to help stabilise Dulcie and<br />
take over her care.<br />
Dulcie, a public health doctor<br />
working for Cornwall Council,<br />
thanked the SWASFT team<br />
and stressed how important<br />
defibrillators and trained<br />
community volunteer paramedics<br />
were to saving her life. She said:<br />
“We all know how under pressure<br />
“Having since spoken to Dulcie<br />
and found out she’s fully recovered<br />
and raised money to fund a<br />
defibrillator, I think it’s amazing and<br />
an important reminder of good<br />
“bystander” CPR. These outcomes<br />
are very rare and it reminded me of<br />
why I do this job.’’<br />
The public defibrillator, outside<br />
Crossfit Penzance, was paid<br />
through a community effort<br />
including a sponsored gym<br />
competition and prize raffle<br />
donated to by local businesses.<br />
“I had kind of fallen into the career<br />
as no one in my immediate family is<br />
medically trained. I just went for it.<br />
“I studied chemistry and biology<br />
at A Level but didn’t get into my<br />
first-choice university to study<br />
“Will is always willing to go above<br />
and beyond in the support of<br />
his peers, he is a peer mentor<br />
for both First and Second year<br />
students and is always happy<br />
to share his knowledge and<br />
experiences with them. I have<br />
24<br />
For more news visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
NEWSLINE<br />
no doubt that Will is going to be<br />
an exemplary paramedic and an<br />
asset to the profession.”<br />
West Midlands <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service<br />
Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh,<br />
said: “I wanted to demonstrate<br />
my personal appreciation for<br />
everything the winners of these<br />
awards, like Will, have done and<br />
continue to do. The NHS is under<br />
more pressure now than it has<br />
been before, and I know that<br />
each of our staff, students and<br />
volunteers, feel that every day.<br />
“The last 18 months or so have not<br />
been easy for external students,<br />
with tough decisions having to be<br />
made around their placements in<br />
order to best protect the patients<br />
we serve. However, people like<br />
Will are an absolute testament to<br />
the NHS, always striving to do<br />
their utmost regardless of any<br />
adversities that come their way.<br />
“The winners of last year’s awards<br />
have demonstrated a dedication<br />
to their role and the patients of<br />
the West Midlands, whether that<br />
be out on the road or behind the<br />
scenes. A huge congratulations<br />
once again to all the winners.”<br />
Anyone looking to study at the<br />
University of Wolverhampton<br />
should register for one of our<br />
forthcoming Open Days.<br />
For more information contact the<br />
Corporate Communications Team<br />
comms@wlv.ac.uk.<br />
Guernsey’s<br />
Emergency<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service<br />
takes delivery of two<br />
new ambulances<br />
Guernsey’s Emergency<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service has taken<br />
delivery of two new ambulances<br />
in a ceremony that recreated<br />
the scenes of 84 years ago,<br />
when the St John <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Brigade received its new Morris<br />
ambulance.<br />
As the reprint of a Guernsey<br />
Press article from June 1937<br />
illustrates, a dedication ceremony<br />
was held on the Albert Pier, St<br />
Peter Port where the Morris<br />
ambulance was handed over, by<br />
the island government (the States<br />
of Guernsey) to St John which<br />
had taken on the responsibility of<br />
running the ambulance service for<br />
the island just a year before.<br />
The two modern day, state-ofthe-art<br />
WAS 500 Mercedes Benz<br />
Sprinter emergency ambulances<br />
were officially presented to St John<br />
Emergency <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service by<br />
the States of Guernsey and were<br />
blessed by the Chaplain of St John<br />
Guernsey, in a similar event at<br />
virtually the same spot in St Peter<br />
Port. The ceremony was attended<br />
by local dignitaries, representatives<br />
of the States of Guernsey and<br />
frontline staff from the Emergency<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service.<br />
Mark Mapp, Guernsey’s Chief<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Officer, took official<br />
delivery of two new vehicles for St<br />
John. “I am delighted and grateful<br />
to take delivery of two new<br />
emergency ambulances funded<br />
by the States of Guernsey. These<br />
two new ambulances replace two<br />
of our existing fleet which are now<br />
over 12 years old and which have<br />
now exceeded the practical lives<br />
as frontline ambulances with high<br />
demands we place on them.”<br />
He added, “My colleagues and<br />
I at St John thank the States for<br />
their responsive procurement<br />
efforts, which have enabled<br />
this to happen more promptly<br />
than we had initially feared.<br />
These are specialist vehicles,<br />
somewhat narrower than standard<br />
international vehicles in order to<br />
better operate on Guernsey’s<br />
narrow roads. Delivery timescales<br />
can sometimes be prolonged,<br />
because these specialist versions<br />
are produced in Germany,<br />
generally in change-over gaps<br />
between longer production runs.<br />
However, with the assistance of<br />
the States, we have managed to<br />
secure delivery more promptly<br />
than usual.”<br />
The new ambulances are fitted<br />
with state-of-the-art diagnostic<br />
and treatment equipment which<br />
allows clinicians to administer<br />
urgent and emergency prehospital<br />
care on scene at a<br />
patient’s home or by the roadside.<br />
The vehicles are designed to give<br />
maximum comfort for patients and<br />
a practical working environment<br />
for medical crews.<br />
Guernsey is not part of the NHS<br />
so under current arrangements,<br />
users of an Emergency<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> in Guernsey are<br />
charged a government-subsidised<br />
cost for call-outs and treatment by<br />
paramedics, and for conveyance<br />
to hospital. However, St John<br />
offers an annual subscription<br />
scheme which covers individuals<br />
for up to 50 emergency<br />
ambulance call outs in that year.<br />
The States of Guernsey provides<br />
an annual grant to fund the<br />
balance of the costs of St<br />
John providing the Emergency<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service, subject to<br />
various operational performance<br />
indicators being met.<br />
Deputy Al Brouard, President of<br />
Health & Social Care (HSC) was<br />
the senior politician present at<br />
the new ambulance handover<br />
ceremony. “As we are seeing in<br />
many jurisdictions, the funding of<br />
health and social care services<br />
is one of the most challenging<br />
issues for governments in our<br />
time. Difficult priorities have to be<br />
set as we aim to provide the full<br />
range of services needed by the<br />
community in the most costeffective<br />
manner. St John is a key<br />
partner and I am pleased that<br />
we are able to invest to keep our<br />
services properly equipped for the<br />
demands they face.”<br />
Mark de Garis, interim CEO of the<br />
States of Guernsey and former<br />
Chief Secretary for HSC said:<br />
“During 2018, HSC worked with a<br />
range of service providers to offer<br />
better coordination for the care<br />
islanders receive on a daily basis.<br />
Our joint aim was to provide new<br />
ways of working and solutions<br />
which address the core pressures<br />
of an ageing demographic, fewer<br />
working age tax payers, and the<br />
long-term inherent trend of above<br />
inflation healthcare cost increases<br />
which lead to real term impacts<br />
upon public expenditure unless<br />
positively addressed. Later that<br />
year, HSC and St John defined and<br />
agreed a future operating model<br />
for ‘Patient-intense Emergency<br />
Response’ and ambulance services<br />
over the following years and we<br />
continue to implement that model<br />
in a phased manner. As with many<br />
things, the arrival of Covid-19<br />
delayed some initiatives, but we are<br />
grateful for the responsiveness of<br />
all parts of the St John operation<br />
during the pandemic.<br />
During the Covid pandemic<br />
frontline ambulance crews were<br />
supported by St John volunteers<br />
who took on tasks including the<br />
deep cleaning of ambulance<br />
vehicles.<br />
Thanks to the Guernsey Press for giving permission for the use<br />
of this 1937 photograph<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
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25
IN PERSON<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
SAS News<br />
Scottish <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service<br />
staff member awarded<br />
Queen’s <strong>Ambulance</strong> Medal in<br />
<strong>2022</strong> New Year Honours list<br />
A Scottish <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service (SAS) staff<br />
member who has been instrumental in<br />
dealing with some of Scotland’s biggest<br />
incidents has today been awarded the<br />
Queen’s <strong>Ambulance</strong> Medal (QAM).<br />
The prestigious honour - which acknowledges<br />
ambulance personnel who have shown<br />
exceptional devotion to duty, merit and<br />
conduct - has been awarded to Patrick (Pat)<br />
O’Meara, General Manager of Events.<br />
Pat, 57, joined SAS in 1998, after 17 years at<br />
the London <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service.<br />
Throughout the past four decades, he has<br />
been involved in some of the <strong>UK</strong>’s most<br />
significant incidents, including the Clutha Bar<br />
crash where he was incident commander,<br />
the George Square bin lorry tragedy, and the<br />
Stockline Plastics Factory explosion.<br />
Most recently, he has led the Service’s<br />
planning and response to COP26 and in<br />
the early stages of the pandemic, led on<br />
the development and implementation of the<br />
Service’s Mobile Testing Units.<br />
Speaking of the award, Pat, who lives in East<br />
Kilbride, said: “I am very humbled and grateful<br />
and it’s a great honour to receive the award.<br />
In saying that, you never work on your own<br />
and any success is always down to being a<br />
member of a team.”<br />
Pat started with the Scottish <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Service as an Operations Room Officer,<br />
where he was responsible for control room<br />
emergency operations across Glasgow. Over<br />
the years at SAS, he has worked as a General<br />
Manager for <strong>Ambulance</strong> Control Centres,<br />
Community Resilience, and South East<br />
Scotland, which included the responsibility<br />
for the visit of Pope Benedict. Pat is also<br />
the Chief Medical Support Officer of the<br />
Army Cadet Force and is a Trustee of the<br />
Poppyscotland charity.<br />
The dad-of-one joined the London <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Service in 1981. Growing up wanting to be<br />
a policeman, he said: “I learnt first aid as an<br />
Army Cadet and had to use those skills with a<br />
serious leg wound on a fellow pupil who was<br />
pushed from a second floor window and later<br />
on another pupil having a fit. I then felt that<br />
the ambulance service was a career I should<br />
look at.<br />
“The ambulance service was very different<br />
to today. The skills were not as advanced as<br />
they are now, we did not have defibrillators<br />
and there was no such role as a paramedic,<br />
only advanced trained ambulance men.”<br />
Speaking on some of his memorable jobs<br />
throughout his career - in addition to Clutha<br />
and the Glasgow Bin Lorry incident - he said:<br />
“A young man aged 15 had been stabbed<br />
with a machete and despite my efforts and<br />
those of others, he sadly died. I remember<br />
him pleading with me not to let him die. I have<br />
also attended a bombing, an aircraft crash at<br />
Heathrow Airport, I’ve been held hostage and<br />
attended an incident where I was chased with<br />
a knife!”<br />
SAS Chief Operating Officer Paul Bassett<br />
said: “Pat has been an amazing ambassador<br />
for the Scottish <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service over the<br />
past 23 years and this award is testament<br />
to Pat’s dedication and professionalism. He<br />
has been heavily involved in several major<br />
incidents, leading as incident commander, and<br />
most recently, he successfully led the Service<br />
provision to COP26. We are truly grateful for<br />
everything he has done for the Service.”<br />
LAS News<br />
LAS appoints new Director of<br />
Strategy & Transformation<br />
London <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service has appointed<br />
Roger Davidson as its new Director of<br />
Strategy and Transformation.<br />
Roger will join the Service on Monday 31<br />
January from NHS England, where he is<br />
currently Director of System Partnerships,<br />
working to join up health and care and<br />
improve population health through<br />
development of integrated care systems<br />
(ICSs) across England.<br />
In his new leadership role at LAS, he will<br />
focus on developing a strategic vision for<br />
London <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service to build beyond<br />
the existing organisational strategy which<br />
comes to an end in 2023.<br />
In his most recent position at NHS England,<br />
Roger has played a national leadership role in<br />
the development of the 42 ICSs, which now<br />
cover the whole of England and are set to be<br />
put on a statutory footing next year.<br />
Since the start of 2016, he has worked with<br />
health and care leaders across the country<br />
on system transformation strategy and policy,<br />
system leadership development, clinical and<br />
professional leadership, local government<br />
and voluntary sector partnerships,<br />
public involvement, communications and<br />
stakeholder relationships.<br />
Prior to this, Roger was Director of<br />
Communications and Head of Media and<br />
Public Affairs at NHS England.<br />
In 2013, he helped to establish the newlyindependent<br />
organisation and then to set a<br />
new strategic direction for the NHS focussed<br />
on integrated care through the NHS Five Year<br />
Forward View.<br />
26<br />
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
IN PERSON<br />
Earlier in his career, Roger also held<br />
senior communications and public affairs<br />
roles at organisations including the<br />
NHS Confederation, the Care Quality<br />
Commission and the Confederation of<br />
British Industry.<br />
He is also a Trustee at the English Football<br />
League (EFL) Trust, the charity overseeing<br />
the community organisations of the 72 EFL<br />
football clubs in England which run health<br />
and wellbeing initiatives across the country.<br />
Speaking about his new appointment at<br />
LAS, Roger said:<br />
“As a Londoner, I am excited to be joining<br />
one of the most visible healthcare providers<br />
in the capital and making a positive<br />
difference to the lives of patients.<br />
“It’s a challenging time to be joining and<br />
I am looking forward to working with<br />
dedicated colleagues to help build the<br />
ambulance service London needs in the<br />
years ahead.”<br />
London <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service chief executive<br />
Daniel Elkeles said:<br />
“While we continue to manage the<br />
unprecedented pressure created by the<br />
coronavirus pandemic, it’s essential we do<br />
not lose sight of the vital change needed<br />
to drive forward our vision for London<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service.<br />
“Roger brings a wealth of experience of<br />
strategy, public affairs and transformational<br />
change and I’m delighted to welcome him<br />
to the team.”<br />
WAS News<br />
Long-serving paramedic<br />
recognised in Queen’s New<br />
Year Honours List<br />
A long-serving paramedic at the Welsh<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service has been recognised in<br />
the Queen’s New Year Honours List.<br />
Paramedic and Duty Operations Manager<br />
Jenny Lewis has been awarded the Queen’s<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service Medal for distinguished<br />
service, which was announced on Friday 31<br />
January 2021.<br />
The mother-of-two, who is based in Dobshill,<br />
Flintshire, has more than 30 years of service<br />
having joined Clwyd <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service as an<br />
Emergency Medical Technician in 1991.<br />
Jenny played an instrumental role in the move<br />
to the purpose-built Area <strong>Ambulance</strong> Centre in<br />
Dobshill in 2012, home to the Trust’s flagship<br />
Make Ready Depot.<br />
In November, Jenny and her Operations<br />
Manager colleagues in North East Wales won a<br />
WAST Award for delivering outstanding patient<br />
care and supporting frontline colleagues.<br />
Chief Executive Jason Killens said: “We’re<br />
beyond thrilled that Jenny has been<br />
recognised in the Queen’s New Year Honours<br />
List.<br />
“It is testament not just to her contribution<br />
through the Covid-19 pandemic but to her<br />
broader commitment to the NHS in Wales over<br />
her 30-year career.<br />
“We’re incredibly proud of all colleagues who<br />
go that extra mile for patients and contribute<br />
to the development and progression of the<br />
ambulance service, at all levels.<br />
and management skills, and has led the<br />
Flintshire team through adversity in recent<br />
years following the unexpected death of two<br />
colleagues.<br />
“We are delighted that Jenny is being<br />
celebrated for her enduring and positive<br />
contribution to the Trust and its people.”<br />
The Queen’s New Year Honours List has<br />
recognised 1,278 people for their exceptional<br />
contributions to business, charity, culture,<br />
development, education, foreign policy, health,<br />
security and sport.<br />
Among the other Welsh emergency service<br />
colleagues recognised is South Wales Police<br />
Constable Anne Overton, who has been<br />
awarded the Queen’s Police Medal, and<br />
Jennifer Griffiths, Group Manager at South<br />
Wales Fire and Rescue Service, who is the<br />
recipient of a Queen’s Fire Service Medal.<br />
Meanwhile, Wales’ Chief Medical Officer Dr<br />
Frank Atherton has been given a knighthood<br />
for services to public health.<br />
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “These<br />
recipients have inspired and entertained us and<br />
given so much to their communities in the <strong>UK</strong><br />
or in many cases around the world.<br />
“The honours are an opportunity for us to<br />
thank them, as a country, for their dedication<br />
and outstanding contribution.”<br />
SCAS News<br />
SCAS Board of Directors –<br />
Appointment of new Chair<br />
and Non-Executive Director<br />
“These awards recognise the hard work and<br />
dedication of some of our very best ambulance<br />
professionals, and I’d like to extend a huge<br />
congratulations to Jenny.”<br />
Jonathan Sweet, Head of Service for the<br />
Trust’s Operational Delivery Unit, who<br />
nominated Jenny, added: “Jenny is a<br />
respected leader and a trusted peer among<br />
colleagues in North Wales, not to mention a<br />
compassionate paramedic.<br />
“She has worked relentlessly throughout her<br />
career to sharpen her clinical knowledge<br />
South Central <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service NHS<br />
Foundation Trust’s Council of Governors has<br />
approved the appointment of Professor Sir<br />
Keith Willett CBE as the new Chair of SCAS<br />
with effect from 1 April.<br />
For the latest <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service News visit: www.ambulancenewsdesk.com<br />
>>><br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
27
IN PERSON<br />
He will replace current Chair Lena Samuels<br />
who will be leaving SCAS at the end of March<br />
to take up the role of Chair of the Hampshire<br />
and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System (ICS).<br />
Professor Sir Keith is a highly experienced<br />
and respected clinician having worked in<br />
the NHS for over 40 years. As Professor of<br />
Trauma Surgery at the University of Oxford,<br />
he has extensive experience of trauma and<br />
emergency care, healthcare management<br />
and has been instrumental in driving service<br />
transformation, working collaboratively with<br />
partners in the NHS and beyond.<br />
He will join SCAS from his role as the National<br />
Director for Emergency Planning and Incident<br />
Response at NHSE/I. In January 2020, he was<br />
appointed as the Strategic Incident Director,<br />
responsible for the operational response to the<br />
coronavirus pandemic across the whole NHS<br />
in England. He also led the Covid Vaccination<br />
Deployment programme from July to October<br />
2021.<br />
Professor Sir Keith, who resides in Oxfordshire<br />
and has been appointed initially for three years,<br />
said: “I am delighted and privileged to be<br />
appointed the new Chair of SCAS and build<br />
on the outstanding work of Lena Samuels, the<br />
Board and everyone in SCAS. I am acutely<br />
aware of the enormous contributions and<br />
sacrifices made in recent times. SCAS, like all<br />
the NHS, is made up of people treating people,<br />
so I look forward to working with all of you<br />
as we collectively restore ourselves and our<br />
services for an exciting future.”<br />
In addition, Dr Henrietta Hughes has been<br />
appointed by the Council of Governors as<br />
a new Non-Executive Director for SCAS to<br />
replace Priya Singh who left at the end of<br />
December to take up the role of Chair of<br />
Frimley Integrated Care System. Dr Hughes will<br />
join SCAS on 1 <strong>February</strong>.<br />
In 2016, Dr Hughes was appointed as the<br />
National Guardian for the NHS and set up<br />
Freedom to Speak Up across England into<br />
more than 400 NHS and Independent sector<br />
organisations. Guardians have handled over<br />
50,000 cases relating to patient safety and<br />
worker wellbeing with a view to making<br />
speaking up business as usual.<br />
Previously a Medical Director at NHS<br />
England, she continues her clinical role as a<br />
GP in central London. She has an excellent<br />
understanding of the health care landscape<br />
and the challenges affecting the NHS.<br />
She said: “I am deeply honoured to be joining<br />
SCAS at this important time and would like<br />
to send my heartfelt thanks to everyone for<br />
the amazing work that you have been doing<br />
throughout the Pandemic. I look forward to<br />
seeing you soon, learning more about your<br />
work and contributing to keeping patients, and<br />
those who care for them, safe and well.”<br />
Dr Hughes resides in London and has also<br />
been appointed for an initial three-year term.<br />
Ms Samuels said: “It has been an enormous<br />
privilege to work for the last five years<br />
with CEO Will Hancock, the SCAS Board,<br />
Governors and a truly amazing body of<br />
professionals who are so passionate about<br />
supporting and delivering the best possible<br />
care for our patients and their families.<br />
“Our vision and values have always placed<br />
the best interests of patients at the very<br />
centre of everything we do and for that reason<br />
we couldn’t be more delighted with these<br />
appointments.”<br />
Mr Hancock said: “I am delighted to welcome<br />
both Keith and Henrietta to the SCAS Board.<br />
These are outstanding appointments for the<br />
Trust and both individuals bring a fabulous<br />
breadth of experience and skills which will<br />
support SCAS with the delivery of its future<br />
strategy and ambitions.”<br />
has been awarded the Queen’s <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Medal for Distinguished Service (QAM) in<br />
the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.<br />
Julian qualified in Medicine from Leeds<br />
University in 1994 (BSc Hons, MB ChB)<br />
and has been a senior leader at the region’s<br />
ambulance service for 14 years. He has been<br />
the Trust’s Executive Medical Director since<br />
October 2013.<br />
During the last two years he has been at<br />
the forefront of the <strong>UK</strong> ambulance sector’s<br />
response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading<br />
national work, as well as the clinical response<br />
in Yorkshire. He has supported colleagues<br />
through the challenging clinical environment of<br />
COVID-19, rising to the challenge of being at<br />
the helm of the national ambulance response<br />
as Chair of the National <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service<br />
Medical Directors (NASMeD) group, a subgroup<br />
of the Association of <strong>Ambulance</strong> Chief<br />
Executives (AACE).<br />
Julian has been Chair of NASMeD since<br />
March 2015 and was unanimously re-elected<br />
for a further three-year term in 2018. His<br />
numerous achievements include developing<br />
national clinical best practice including airway<br />
management, care of children, standardising<br />
equipment for paediatric and maternity care,<br />
leading the establishment of learning from<br />
deaths processes and complex coroners’<br />
inquests.<br />
He is passionate about ensuring patient<br />
safety and reducing harm. In his quest for<br />
safe, evidence-based, high-quality patient<br />
care, Julian engages and liaises with many<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
YAS News<br />
Queen’s <strong>Ambulance</strong> Medal<br />
for Distinguished Service<br />
awarded to Yorkshire<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service Doctor<br />
Dr Julian Mark, Executive Medical Director<br />
at Yorkshire <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service NHS Trust,<br />
28<br />
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
IN PERSON<br />
organisations and partners at local and<br />
national levels, including the Healthcare Safety<br />
Investigation Branch (HSIB), NHS England/<br />
Improvement and the Department of Health<br />
and Social Care. Julian also sits on the <strong>UK</strong><br />
Council of Caldicott Guardians and co-chairs<br />
the National Advisory Board for The Circuit<br />
(British Heart Foundation).<br />
Rod Barnes, Chief Executive of Yorkshire<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service NHS Trust, said: “This<br />
is a huge honour which recognises Julian’s<br />
tremendous contribution to the ambulance<br />
sector’s response to the pandemic. It also<br />
makes Julian one of a very small number<br />
of ambulance service staff who have been<br />
recognised for exceptional dedication to duty,<br />
outstanding ability, merit and conduct in their<br />
roles.<br />
“Julian is a consummate professional and his<br />
dedication to improving patient care has been<br />
outstanding. He is held in the highest esteem<br />
by his colleagues both within and outside the<br />
ambulance sector. His work with AACE and<br />
NASMeD, as well as other national groups, has<br />
undoubtedly improved the standards of care<br />
delivered to patients by the ambulance sector<br />
nationally and has been pivotal in helping<br />
ambulance services navigate the enormous<br />
clinical challenges of the pandemic.<br />
“On behalf of Yorkshire <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service<br />
and all ambulance services across the <strong>UK</strong>, I<br />
would like to thank Julian for all he has done<br />
for the benefit of patients over many years. He<br />
thoroughly deserves this honour and should be<br />
rightly proud of this fantastic achievement.”<br />
Dr Julian Mark said: “I am proud to play my<br />
part in the development of the ambulance<br />
sector response to the public in their time of<br />
greatest need. The past two years have been<br />
particularly challenging and I would like to<br />
pay tribute to all ambulance service staff for<br />
their continued dedication to patient care in<br />
these difficult times. I am humbled for being<br />
recognised for my contribution, which would<br />
have been impossible without the unwavering<br />
support from my colleagues in YAS, NASMeD,<br />
AACE and NHS England.”<br />
Julian also holds the Diploma in Immediate<br />
Medical Care (DIMC) from the Faculty of<br />
Pre-Hospital Care of the Royal College of<br />
Surgeons of Edinburgh (2010) and a Post<br />
Graduate Certificate in Medical Law from<br />
Northumbria University (2012). In 2017 he<br />
was awarded Founding Senior Fellowship<br />
of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and<br />
Management (SFFMLM). His base clinical<br />
speciality was in Anaesthesia and held the<br />
post of honorary Senior Staff Anaesthetist<br />
at Harrogate and District Hospital NHS<br />
Foundation Trust until April 2014, subsequently<br />
continuing to practise clinically in immediate<br />
medical care as a member of his local British<br />
Association for Immediate Care (BASICS)<br />
scheme. He is a former member of the Clinical<br />
Advisory Board for the Faculty of Pre-Hospital<br />
Care (RCSEd), the Clinical Advisory Forum<br />
for NHS Improvement, the Department of<br />
Health Clinical Advisory Group for Major<br />
Trauma in England, and contributed to the<br />
development of the national Hazardous Area<br />
Response Team capability and NHS England’s<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Response Programme. He is<br />
currently a member of the Out of Hospital<br />
Cardiac Arrest steering group and the Adult<br />
Critical Care Transport oversight group.<br />
Julian will be presented with his medal at<br />
Buckingham Palace in due course.<br />
LAS News<br />
Chief Executive of London<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service<br />
appointed permanently<br />
The Chair of the London <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Service (LAS), Heather Lawrence OBE, has<br />
announced the permanent appointment of<br />
Daniel Elkeles as the Trust’s Chief Executive.<br />
Daniel joined the Service in August 2021 on<br />
secondment, and following a competitive<br />
recruitment process that concluded on<br />
Thursday 27 January, has now been appointed<br />
substantively.<br />
Heather Lawrence OBE, Trust Chair, said: “I<br />
am delighted to announce Daniel’s permanent<br />
appointment as Chief Executive following a<br />
rigorous interview process.<br />
“Daniel joined the Service at a very challenging<br />
time and has led us through the latest wave<br />
of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw<br />
demand for our services increase dramatically,<br />
combined with significant levels of staff and<br />
volunteer sickness and isolations. Working<br />
with teams from across the Service, he has<br />
supported our staff and volunteers to rise to<br />
the challenge and, despite the pressure, deliver<br />
the best possible care for our patients.<br />
“Not only that but in the six months since he<br />
joined us, Daniel has proved a genuine drive to<br />
protect the health and wellbeing of our teams,<br />
kick-starting a dedicated programme of work<br />
with all of our staff that is designed to improve<br />
working lives and make LAS an even better<br />
place to work.<br />
“Daniel has already made a positive impact on<br />
our staff and Service, and as he takes up the<br />
mantle of the permanent position, we can be<br />
confident that is set to continue.”<br />
Daniel Elkeles said: “London <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
Service plays a vital role in providing care for<br />
nearly nine million people across the capital,<br />
and it as an absolute honour to serve as the<br />
Chief Executive of this incredible organisation.<br />
“I am very passionate about the future strategy<br />
for LAS, including ensuring staff and volunteers<br />
receive the best possible support after what<br />
has been the most challenging couple of years<br />
in the NHS’s history.”<br />
The interview panel included representatives<br />
from within the organisation, as well as from<br />
NHS England (London) and the Association<br />
of <strong>Ambulance</strong> Chief Executives (AACE).<br />
Prior to being interviewed, Daniel addressed<br />
and answered questions from a 30 strong<br />
stakeholder panel including our staff unions<br />
and patient representatives.<br />
Heather added: “Daniel’s 25 years’ experience<br />
in the NHS and his hard work, commitment<br />
and enthusiasm since joining us at the London<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Service made him the perfect<br />
candidate for the permanent position. The<br />
decision of the interview panel was unanimous.”<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
Do you have anything you would like to add or include? Please contact us and let us know.<br />
29
IN PERSON<br />
GWAAC News<br />
Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> Advanced<br />
Practitioner in Critical Care,<br />
Vicki Brown, breaks barriers<br />
Vicki Brown, Advanced Practitioner<br />
in Critical Care at Great Western Air<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> Charity, has become the first<br />
person in the country to get on the Faculty<br />
of Pre Hospital Care (FPHC) Register<br />
of Consultant (Level 8) Practitioners<br />
by qualifying from a purely, paramedic<br />
background. She is also the first female<br />
paramedic on the list.<br />
This is an amazing achievement for Vicki and is<br />
a wonderful recognition of years of hard work<br />
and expertise. This is also a big achievement<br />
for the paramedic profession and is great<br />
for Great Western Air <strong>Ambulance</strong> Charity<br />
(GWAAC). Its crew’s capabilities and combined<br />
experience as a team are constantly growing<br />
and evolving, meaning the best possible care<br />
can be delivered to patients.<br />
Vicki joins GWAAC Drs Matt Campbell, Matt<br />
Thomas, and Cosmo Scurr on the very short<br />
list of people qualified. Other doctors, who<br />
completed their training with GWAAC, are also<br />
on the register.<br />
Since the first registration in 2015, there<br />
are only 70 individuals on the list. Just 20%<br />
of these are female, which makes Vicki’s<br />
achievement even more unique.<br />
paramedic background, and being the first<br />
female paramedic on the register, means she<br />
will be an inspiration to other paramedics up<br />
and down the country.<br />
After achieving the Diploma in Immediate Care,<br />
Vicki spent a few years going through the<br />
process of providing evidence to the Faculty<br />
of Pre-Hospital Care of her experience and<br />
knowledge. This culminated in submitting<br />
portfolios of clinical and operational<br />
experience, and attending an interview.<br />
She found out she’d made it on the Register<br />
after an interview (on Friday 17th December<br />
2021) with the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care,<br />
which is associated with the Royal College of<br />
Surgeons of Edinburgh.<br />
Vicki said: “I’m feeling very proud to have<br />
achieved this level and hope other paramedics<br />
will follow as pre-hospital medicine is very<br />
much multi-professional. I hope this shows that<br />
paramedics can achieve this level of practice.<br />
I intend to continue pushing the boundaries<br />
of paramedic practice and hope there is more<br />
success to come.”<br />
Getting on the FPHC Register of Consultant<br />
(Level 8) Practitioners, after just 18 months of<br />
being appointed the first Advanced Practitioner<br />
in Critical Care (APCC) in the South West, is<br />
even more remarkable.<br />
Vicki’s quest to keep on reaching new heights<br />
is why she’s an inspiration to all of us at<br />
GWAAC, as well as aspiring paramedics.<br />
EEAST News<br />
EEAST Paramedic awarded<br />
Station Commander’s<br />
Commendation<br />
EEAST Paramedic, Paul Chittock, has<br />
been awarded a Station Commander’s<br />
Commendation, marking 15 years of<br />
voluntary support for RAF colleagues<br />
based at Marham air force base in Norfolk.<br />
Paul’s volunteering has seen him working on<br />
everything from events and first aid training to<br />
critical incident scenarios, this is all alongside<br />
his day job with EEAST as a Paramedic, based<br />
at Kings Lynn.<br />
Over the years Paul has provided medical cover<br />
and education for Family and Friends Days at the<br />
base, regularly facilitates the use of fully equipped<br />
ambulances and is passionate about passing on<br />
life-saving skills for Marham staff who frequently<br />
come across road traffic incidents on Norfolk’s<br />
roads. He also encourages colleagues from<br />
EEAST to offer their support as well.<br />
In addition, Paul is actively involved with the<br />
Co-Response Team, who offer support at major<br />
incidents, spending hundreds of hours mentoring<br />
and developing them, with members benefitting<br />
from his training and experience as a paramedic.<br />
In 2015, Paul oversaw the training of 30+ RAF<br />
personnel in a large and complex road collision<br />
scene management exercise. His expertise<br />
ensured that the Fire Section, Medical Centre<br />
and Co-Response Team were fully prepared for<br />
challenging winter conditions going forward.<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
Vicki’s ambitions and desire to be the best she<br />
can be in her profession, is helping GWAAC<br />
meet two strategic objectives:<br />
• To act Locally to provide an excellent and<br />
innovative Pre-Hospital Emergency Care<br />
service that supplements and supports NHS<br />
services<br />
• To impact Nationally and Influence Globally<br />
by improving Pre-Hospital Emergency Care<br />
for the benefit of all patients, identifying<br />
effective interventions, promoting good<br />
practice, and developing innovative new<br />
approaches<br />
On a local level, Vicki is delivering first-class<br />
pre-hospital care to patients wherever they are<br />
and whenever they need it. And on a national<br />
level, her ground-breaking achievement<br />
of being the first to qualify with a purely<br />
Paul received the award from Air Commodore<br />
Townsend. The award citation read:<br />
‘Mr Chittock is the linchpin of the team, keeping<br />
the Station highly trained in first aid response,<br />
and his support to Station major events has<br />
been first class. At no cost to the Station,<br />
advanced life-saving medical care has always<br />
been seconds away. What a great friend and<br />
ally for the Station to have, and what a fantastic<br />
contribution he has made over many years.’<br />
30<br />
For more news visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
COMPANY NEWS<br />
First electric<br />
ambulance for<br />
Homerton University<br />
Hospital<br />
ERS Medical, the <strong>UK</strong>’s<br />
leading health and social<br />
care transport provider, has<br />
rolled out its first electric<br />
ambulance for Homerton<br />
University Hospital and its<br />
community services.<br />
transport. The vehicle’s charging<br />
time means that this is a practical<br />
and long-term solution for<br />
greener patient transport.”<br />
Back to life Defibs<br />
Welcoming the first patient on<br />
board on Friday 19 November,<br />
this is another step in supporting<br />
the NHS’s net zero goals.<br />
To mark the occasion, ERS<br />
Medical welcomed Mr Rodrigues<br />
as the very first patient to be<br />
transported on their electric<br />
ambulance. He said: “It’s very<br />
nice and I’ve enjoyed going on it.”<br />
The electric ambulance has a<br />
range of 219/185 miles (city/<br />
combined) and saves over<br />
4000kg of CO 2<br />
emissions per<br />
year when compared to a diesel<br />
vehicle equivalent driving 10,000<br />
miles per annum. This saving of<br />
CO 2<br />
per annum is equivalent to<br />
424 gallons of diesel consumed<br />
or 4769 pounds of coal burned.<br />
Graham Snowling, Environmental<br />
Sustainability Manager at<br />
Homerton, said: “This is another<br />
stage in our journey to net zero.<br />
This new electric ambulance is<br />
dedicated to our patients being<br />
transported to and from the<br />
hospital for their appointments<br />
and also to clinics at our<br />
community sites. It not only<br />
reflects our commitment to net<br />
zero, but it is also a pledge to the<br />
residents of Hackney to improve<br />
the air quality in the area.”<br />
ERS Medical’s electric ambulance<br />
boasts a charging time of 45<br />
minutes to reach 80% battery<br />
with a DC charge – making it<br />
convenient and practical for<br />
continuous use on patient<br />
transport journeys.<br />
Andrew Pooley, Chief Executive<br />
at ERS Medical, added: “As the<br />
leading non-emergency patient<br />
transport provider for the <strong>UK</strong>,<br />
our electric ambulance paves<br />
the path for greener patient<br />
Horsham based business<br />
Trimbio felt it was time to<br />
stop disposing of Medical<br />
Devices just because they<br />
were deemd to be old, after<br />
seeing many older devices<br />
such as defibrillators<br />
and suction units being<br />
disposed of in landfill<br />
after coming out of the<br />
manufacturer’s warranty.<br />
They decided that this really<br />
was not acceptable and that<br />
they should be recycled. With<br />
a history of over 30 years of<br />
working with Medical Devices<br />
across many sectors, Simon<br />
Francis, the business owner,<br />
invested in additional test<br />
equipment, internal tracking<br />
systems and training for staff<br />
to ensure they conformed to<br />
the insurance requirements for<br />
recycling these devices. The<br />
business now supplies a wide<br />
range of Automated External<br />
Defibrillators and <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />
based Defibrillators / Monitors.<br />
During the process, the devices<br />
will have new batteries and<br />
accessories fitted, be fully tested<br />
ready to be deployed back into<br />
the public and medical sectors.<br />
These recycled devices can<br />
deliver many years of continued<br />
service at a fraction of the cost<br />
of new. Price for an AED starts<br />
from around £375+vat for a unit<br />
with new battery & pads. Trimbio -<br />
www.trimbio.co.uk<br />
Tel: 01403 597597.<br />
AMBULANCE <strong>UK</strong> - FEBRUARY<br />
For the latest <strong>Ambulance</strong> Service News visit: www.ambulancenewsdesk.com<br />
31
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