Ambulance UK April 2022

NEWSLINE
AMBULANCE UK - APRIL
Critically unwell patients
continued to be taken to hospital
after assessment without having
diagnostic blood tests and
patients who did not require any
further clinical input were referred
to community services without
participating.
The study, published in the
Journal of Paramedic Practice,
showed that over a three-month
period the frailty response unit
saw 42 patients who were either
too critically unwell or not in need
of hospital assessment and 56
selected for point-of-care testing.
Out of the 56 enrolled, 27 were
transferred for further assessment
in hospital but 29 (52%) remained
in their usual care environment. Of
these, four presented to hospital
within the next 30 days but with
no adverse events recorded as a
result of non-transfer to hospital.
Dr John Black (pictured), Medical
Director for SCAS and one of
the study authors, said: “These
results suggest it is feasible to
perform bedside diagnostics in
the community as part of the
clinical assessment offered by
ambulance services and that a
proportion of older patients could
potentially be managed in a home
or community setting without
physically attending hospital and
without adding significantly to the
burden on community services.
“The beauty of this model is
that the potentially complex
interpretation of the blood tests
is undertaken by a hospital
medical team remotely who can
contextualise the results with the
paramedic’s clinical findings and
observations in the community at
the time of referral.
“As well as the benefits of keeping
frail and elderly patients out of
hospital if clinically appropriate
to do so, there is a real potential
for this to relieve pressure and
financial costs on busy hospital
emergency departments and
acute medical units.”
He added: “Serious consideration
must be given to innovations
such as this to ensure the best
possible care and environment for
patients but also to help address
the ongoing issue of hospital
pressures and capacity which
continues to be such a significant
problem.”
Dr Alex Novak, Consultant
in Emergency Medicine and
Ambulatory Care at Oxford
University Hospitals NHS
Foundation Trust and coauthor
of the study, said: “This
pilot project demonstrated the
feasibility of providing linked
community-based diagnostic
testing with acute secondary care
decision support and indicates
the potential for this to have a
positive impact on the healthcare
provided to some of our most
vulnerable patients.”
EHAAT
Their Royal
Highnesses the Earl
and Countess of
Wessex visit Essex &
Herts Air Ambulance
On Tuesday 1st March 2022,
North Weald: Essex and
Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT)
hosted a visit by Their Royal
Highnesses The Earl and
Countess of Wessex.
EHAAT is a local life-saving
charity and works alongside the
hospitals, emergency services
and supporting organisations
across the region. Today’s visit
was an opportunity to bring
everyone together at EHAAT’s
new airbase at North Weald,
enabling The Earl and Countess
to say thank you to some of
these organisations for their
outstanding hard work during the
pandemic.
On first arriving at North
thank them for the work they do.
Weald, The Lord Lieutenant
of Hertfordshire and Vice Lord Jane Gurney was thrilled that The
Lieutenant of Essex greeted The Earl and Countess of Wessex had
Earl and Countess of Wessex, visited. She said:
and introduced them to Jane
Gurney, CEO of EHAAT. Their “This is a real milestone in our
Royal Highnesses then toured charity’s history, as it is the first
the new airbase, where they met time that Essex and Herts Air
members of EHAAT’s critical care Ambulance has hosted a Royal
team, charity staff and volunteers. visit. It was a fantastic opportunity
The Earl and Countess also to bring together all of the
heard about EHAAT’s vision for a organisations who have worked
‘Centre for Excellence’ at North so hard during these challenging
Weald, which would enable the times of the pandemic. I am truly
charity to push the boundaries honoured that we have been able
in innovation, research and to showcase our new airbase at
education for the advancement of North Weald and share our vision
pre-hospital care.
for a Centre for Excellence that will
continue to develop pre-hospital
Their Royal Highnesses spent care into the future.”
time with representatives from the Chair of Trustees at EHAAT,
local hospitals in the region and Jonathan Trower, added:
then spoke to air lifted patients
and their families to hear firsthand
about their experiences. to have welcomed Their Royal
“We are absolutely delighted
Highnesses The Earl and
The highlight of the Royal visit Countess of Wessex to our new
took place at the front of the airbase in North Weald, and we
building where people had are very grateful for their interest
gathered representing the
and support for our charity. We
emergency services and voluntary were able to show them our
support organisations, together outstanding new facilities for our
with the members of the armed team and to discuss our exciting
forces and many EHAAT charity plans for the further development
staff and volunteers. The Earl and of our emergency medical
Countess took the opportunity to services across Essex and
stop and speak to individuals and Hertfordshire.”
Photo courtesy of Doug Blanks
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