Ambulance UK December 2022

Volume 37 No. 6 

December 2022 

DEDICATED TO THE AMBULANCE SERVICE AND ITS SUPPLIERS 

In this issue 

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xxx 

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O)stJohn 

Join the heartbeat 

of Western Australia. 

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The part you'll play 

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• Recent experience employed and working within 

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• Hold a full driver's license with no restrictions. 

Successful candidates are required to obtain a light 

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employment. Costs associated with obtaining the 

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• Candidates that do not hold current Australian working 

rights, must meet the visa eligibility requirements, as 

outlined by the Department of Home Affairs. 

• Be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and Influenza. 

For candidates to successfully be employed as an 

ambulance paramedic, they must meet the following 

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• Professional registration as a paramedic with the 

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• Degree in Paramedicine from a recognised AHPRA 

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search stjohnwa.com.au/directentry 

Scan to learn more:

CONTENTS 

CONTENTS 

Ambulance UK 

180 EDITOR’S COMMENT 

182 FEATURES 

182 Protecting your AED – Shockingly Obvious! 

184 Praying for the survival of the NHS will not be 

enough to save it 

186 NEWSLINE 

201 IN PERSON 

207 COMPANY NEWS 

This issue edited by: 

Dr Matt House 

c/o Media Publishing Company 

Greenoaks, Lockhill 

Upper Sapey, Worcester, WR6 6XR 

ADVERTISING: 

Terry Gardner, Samantha Marsh 

CIRCULATION: 

Media Publishing Company 

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179

EDITOR’S COMMENT 

EDITOR’S COMMENT 

A good friend of mine, who is a doctor, recently attended a long course with the 

military. The course was clinical but designed to push the candidates by reducing 

their sleep and increasing their physical activity. It is known to be very testing. 

I met up with him once he had successfully completed the course. His refl ections were thought-provoking. 

He said that while it was good to have passed this notoriously diffi cult course, his take-away was that it isn’t 

your destination that is important. Nor is it the journey. The important thing is the people you are with on the 

journey. 


“However 

hard things 

get, we can 

get through 

it, provided 

we look 

after each 

other and 

remember 

that no one 

is alone: 

there is a 

whole tribe 

of us on 

the same 

journey.” 

This struck a chord with me. Pre-hospital workers, and particularly ambulance clinicians are a tribe. I am 

lucky enough to meet with and talk to ambulance people from across the country, and occasionally from 

across the world. We all have the same issues, worries and problems to deal with, but there is defi nitely a 

sense of belonging among road staff. They ‘get’ each other. It’s something about that shared experience; 

that understanding that everyone is experiencing similar issues. 

Unfortunately, various CQC reports, and staff surveys recently have shown that this sense of understanding 

and connection may not extend to senior leadership within organisations. I guess this is understandable: I 

suffer from too much time in meetings and on emails, which is the curse of anyone who moves away from 

the shop fl oor. As leaders and managers in any organisation, the ability to maintain that connection with the 

bulk of the workforce has its challenges. That also results to a greater or lesser extent to a loss of that sense 

of tribe. One almost feels as if you are looking in on the tribe, rather than being part of it. 

However, it doesn’t take much; whether that’s a clinical incident, a face-to-face, or a course, to realise that 

that the tribe is still there, and that sense of belonging can be rekindled. 

We all know that things are not as good as they should be out there. I don’t need to list the reasons! It is 

hard for a lot of us in very different ways. However hard things get, we can get through it, provided we look 

after each other and remember that no one is alone: there is a whole tribe of us on the same journey. 

Dr Matt House, Co-Editor Ambulance UK 

180 

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FEATURE 

PROTECTING YOUR AED – 

SHOCKINGLY OBVIOUS! 

By Steve Jelfs, Defibrillation & Resuscitation Consultant 

With the ever-increasing number of automated external 

defibrillators (AEDs) appearing in public places across the UK, 

Europe and globally, ensuring your AEDs are ready for rescue and 

are permanently tracked has never been more important. 

The two operational elements of an AED, the battery and defi brillation 

pads, must be present and in full working order. This can, of course, 

be done by the person responsible for the AED(s) carrying out a visual 

inspection to ensure the device’s indicator shows that both battery and 

pads are useable. However, this is labour-intensive, especially if the 

person responsible has multiple AEDs to check. 

A matter of choice 

There are several AEDs available in the market for the 

end-user to buy; similarly, there are a wide range of 

cabinets in which to store the device — many of which 

monitor the readiness of both pads and battery. Once 

the device is removed from the cabinet this type of 

monitoring is no longer an option, neither is any form 

of tracking possible. 

identifi ed that 70,000 additional AEDs are unknown to The Circuit. 

The fact that so many AEDs are still unregistered underlines that relying 

on the end-user to register their device(s) is a haphazard approach. 

Automate the process 

The use of an automatic system would solve this at a stroke. 

A further advantage of an automatic platform is to provide cloud-based 

post-rescue clinical data that an increasing number of emergency 

physicians and ambulance service clinicians are requiring as a 

minimum data set. The data can also be made accessible for multiple 

stakeholders in line with the chain of survival. 

The international CardiLink team has developed a 

multi-stakeholder platform https://www.cardi-link. 

com/ which is useable across all AED platforms, 

regardless of manufacturer, and will provide a 

comprehensive solution to all the issues discussed 

above. The platform uses cellular technology and will, 

as well as monitoring the AED, track any movement 

the device makes from its normal location in real-time. 


By implementing an automatic system within the 

AED itself, manufacturers can provide the end-user 

with a reassuring system for device monitoring, geofencing 

and geo-location to track the device. This 

latter functionality ensures that no matter the reason 

the device is removed from its normal location, it can 

be tracked in real-time and successfully retrieved. Recently in the UK 

several AEDs have been stolen from cabinets and have proved diffi cult 

to locate due to the absence of a tracking system. Many of the devices 

in public places have been provided through charity fund-raising, making 

such thefts not only callous in the extreme but also posing a serious 

risk to the life of a member of the community suffering a sudden cardiac 

arrest (SCA). 

Information is king 

In addition to the advantages stated above, an automatic system will 

remove the problem of end-users informing their local ambulance 

service about the placement of their AED(s). This is vital when an SCA 

occurs so the ambulance service dispatcher can immediately inform the 

caller where the nearest AED is located. 

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has created The Circuit which is 

designed for end-users to report the location of their AED(s) so the 

local ambulance service can identify it and signpost the caller to the 

nearest AED in the event of an SCA. So far, 13 out of 14 UK ambulance 

services are signed up to The Circuit. At the time of writing, the BHF has 

The end-user, ambulance dispatch centre and other 

interested parties can monitor each device in real-time 

as well as track movement and a host of other related 

device information through a user-friendly app available 

on both iOS and Android platforms. 

If we are to save more lives from SCA and ensure AEDs are always 

ready and available, it makes sense for all AED manufacturers to 

incorporate this platform into their devices. 

Steve Jelfs – Bio 

Steve Jelfs is currently working as a Defi brillation & Resuscitation 

consultant and has worked in the industry for over twenty years in sales, 

international marketing and as a clinical specialist. He has worked for 

the British Red Cross and had a twenty-three-year career in various UK 

ambulance services from paramedic to chief offi cer starting his service in 

his native Devon in 1973. 

He is passionate about saving lives from sudden cardiac arrest and has 

introduced several initiatives around automated external defi brillators 

(AEDs) across the UK and Europe. 

He is a member of the European Resuscitation Council and the UK 

Resuscitation Council and a past president of the Ambulance Service 

Institute He currently lives in central Scotland. 

182 

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183

FEATURE 

PRAYING FOR THE SURVIVAL OF 

THE NHS WILL NOT BE ENOUGH 

TO SAVE IT 

By Ivor Campbell 


It’s often said that the National Health 

Service is the closest thing Britain has to a 

unifying religion. If that is the case, then the 

faith of the population is being tested like 

never before. 

With budgets already stretched before the 

Covid pandemic, additional cost pressures since 

heaped on health boards across the country by double-digit inflation has 

brought the NHS closer to breaking point than at any time in its history. 

Every passing day seems to bring bleaker news for the beleaguered 

service, with a seemingly endless rollcall of damning statistics and 

publication of official reports charting yet higher levels of institutional 

failure. 

If anything, the relentless flow of anecdotes of patient betrayal, 

breathlessly reported in the pages of local press, is more shocking. 

In the past few weeks we learned that four patients had waited more 

than 20 hours in the back of ambulances outside Royal Shrewsbury 

Hospital in England; that GPs in Peterborough are now responsible for 

the care of more than 2,000 patients each; and that Stockport NHS 

Foundation Trust is offering food bank vouchers to hospital workers 

struggling to get by on poverty wages. 

In the same week a British Medical Association (BMA) survey found 

that 44% of senior doctors are planning to leave their roles “in some 

capacity” over the next 12 months, while the Care Quality Commission 

(CQC) reported 132,000 NHS and 165,000 social care vacancies, 

meaning a workforce the size of the population of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne 

is needed to fix the logjam. 

Meanwhile, the average wait for category two, 999 calls for an 

ambulance — including for chest pains and strokes — in England and 

Wales is now 60 minutes, compared with a target of 18 minutes. And in 

Scotland, throughout August, one in ten operations was cancelled due 

to lack of resources. 

Traditionally, the response of politicians to complaints of a ‘crisis’ in 

the NHS has been to throw more money at it, and right now there’s no 

money to spare. 

While both Conservative and Labour governments have previously toyed 

with reform, none has dared challenge the universally free, taxpayerfunded 

model upon which the health service was founded – until now. 

This week it was reported that NHS chief executives in Scotland 

– one of four autonomous health service areas in the UK – have 

discussed abandoning its founding principles by having wealthier 

patients pay for treatment. 

The prospect of the first ‘two-tier’ health service in the UK since 

its founding in 1948 is raised in draft minutes of a meeting of NHS 

Scotland health board leaders in September. They also discussed 

the possibility of curtailing some free prescriptions. 

While Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s Health Secretary, sought to play 

down the reports – insisting NHS Scotland would stay publicly 

owned and operated and free at the point of delivery – the reports 

represent something of a watershed. 

Yousaf’s comments were only to be expected. If there is a single, 

immutable reality of British political life it is that the NHS is an 

untouchable shibboleth, and any party that says otherwise risks 

courting electoral oblivion. 

Even if there was a prime minister mad, or drunk, enough to 

suggest privatising the service, they would surpass the ends of the 

earth several times over before finding a private operator madder, 

or drunker, enough to take-on the job. 

Yet, there is a dynamic to the latest spot in which the NHS finds 

itself, which appears materially different to anything in the past. 

Again, you need only scroll through some of the local press articles 

to discover that waits are longer, levels of basic care poorer and 

patient experiences grimmer than ever before. 

Figures published by NHS Wales last week revealed more than 

60,000 patients are waiting more than two years for treatment. Ian 

Hembrow, 53, from Maesteg, in Bridgend was told the waiting list 

for his urgent hip operation was four-and-a -half-years. 

In Bonhill, West Dunbartonshire, 69-year-old grandmother Mary 

Travis has already lived in crippling pain for more than two years, 

waiting for a back operation to straighten her twisted spine. Earlier 

this month she was told that, despite being at the top of a waiting 

list, she could face a further, two-year wait. 

The NHS has endured because there is an almost spiritual belief 

in its universality. People of all classes and backgrounds accept 

the same level of treatment as a right and consequence of being 

British. 

184 


FEATURE 

Those principals have survived because NHS care, as well as being 

universal, was also universally excellent. That can no longer be said 

to be the case. The withholding of treatment for years is worse than 

receiving poor treatment and those who can afford to pay privately 

for a better service will inevitably opt to do so. 

The most compelling argument against privatising the NHS has 

always been that the provision of healthcare should not be left to 

the vagaries of market forces. The irony of the current crisis is that 

those very market forces may now compel its demise. 

No matter how strongly Britons support the NHS, few will be 

prepared to wait months or years to have an ingrowing toenail 

treated or a cyst removed if they can have it done privately the 

following week for a few hundred pounds. 

And while we may be happy and willing to pay European levels of 

taxes in return for a European-style health service, we’re unlikely to 

do the same for a US-style system. 

With the growing development of robotics and telemedicine, as well 

as an expansion of over-the-counter diagnostics, more people are 

now seeking remedies, for a greater range of treatments, from their 

local chemist or from a private therapist or practitioner. 

More is being done online than was the case a few years ago. 

Much of it remains minor, but the direction of travel is such that, 

before long, more serious illnesses will be diagnosed remotely and 

by high street providers. 

If patients can be diagnosed with prostate or breast cancer sooner, 

and treated more effectively, then the way in which the health 

service is configured and funded will no longer be as important. 

We may end up with something approaching the German health 

service model where a private service handles minor and routine 

complaints, while accidents and serious illnesses are treated by 

a publicly funded service, similar to the NHS, which is free at the 

point of delivery. 

It’s unlikely the NHS will ever be wholly privatised, but we could see 

– slowly and over time – some of its more routine functions being 

taken over by private companies. 

Even the most traditional religions are forced to adapt and evolve to 

remain relevant and the NHS is no different. How it responds to the 

current crisis will determine its role in treating the next generations 

of patients and whether they will hold it with the same reverence for 

another 70 years. 

By spending a small amount each month, they can have more-orless 

unlimited telephone or video access to a private GP. 

Ivor Campbell is Managing Director of Stirlingshire-based Snedden 

Campbell, a search company for the medical technology industry. 

WHY NOT WRITE FOR US? 

Ambulance UK welcomes the submission of 

clinical papers and case reports or news that 

you feel will be of interest to your colleagues. 

Material submitted will be seen by those working within the public and private 

sector of the Ambulance Service, Air Ambulance Operators, BASICS Doctors etc. 

All submissions should be forwarded to info@mediapublishingcompany.com 

If you have any queries please contact the publisher Terry Gardner via: 

info@mediapublishingcompany.com 


Do you have anything you would like to add or include in Features? Please contact us and let us know. 

185

NEWSLINE 

EEAST 

Plans for new stateof-the-art 

base 

unveiled 

The East of England Ambulance 

Service NHS Trust (EEAST) 

has drawn up plans to create 

a state-of-the-art hub on the 

outskirts of Bury St Edmunds to 

further improve the response it 

can provide to patients. 

The revamped station – which will 

be known as a central reporting 

hub – will be developed at Suffolk 

Park on the Moreton Hall estate, 

which neighbours the A14 if 

planning permission for the project 

is granted later this year. 

The modern building will provide 

significantly improved facilities for 

staff, including an outside gym, 

quiet spaces, a wellbeing garden 

and fishpond, kitchen and dining 

area and training rooms. 

It will also include a “make ready” 

zone, where a dedicated team 

will work around the clock to 

clean and restock all vehicles to 

a consistently high standard. This 

will mean there is always a fullystocked, 

cleaned and checked 

vehicle ready for crews to use so 

that they can deliver life-saving 

care to patients faster. 

The hub has been carefully 

designed to minimise its 

environmental impact, in line 

with the NHS’s commitment to 

reducing its carbon footprint. It 

will be powered by photovoltaic 

cells on its roof and constructed 

using “greener” materials and 

construction methods wherever 

possible. 

Jackie Nugent, infrastructure 

and estates transformation 

programme lead at EEAST, said: 

“We are investing significantly 

in our estates so that we can 

provide modern, fit-for-purpose 

facilities for our staff while 

improving the response we are 

able to provide to the public. 

“The hub in Bury will be first of 

a number of new stations we 

develop across the region. It 

will include an on-site vehicle 

workshop, which will allow us to 

bring maintenance in-house and 

keep more ambulances on the 

road. The hub will also have 24/7 

make ready facilities so that we 

can make sure our vehicles are 

prepared to a consistently high 

standard. This will free up frontline 

clinicians from doing this prep 

work so that they can focus on 

what they do best – caring for 

patients. 

“Importantly, the hub will also 

provide a vastly improved working 

environment for our staff and 

new facilities, such as gym and 

dedicated welfare spaces where 

crews can relax between calls, in 

turn boosting their wellbeing. 

“This flagship development will 

form a blueprint which we will 

then roll out across the rest of our 

patch to ensure our committed 

teams are working from the 

right buildings and with the right 

vehicles and equipment to provide 

the highest quality care to our 

patients.” 

EEAST has appointed Assura as 

a development partner for the 

project. If planning permission 

is granted later this year, 

construction will begin in early 

2023 with the building operational 

by summer 2024. 

A computer-generated walkthrough 

showing the basic 

lay out of the building is 

available here: https://vimeo. 

com/736172875/6068d97c2f 

SECAMB 

Birchington woman 

thanks life-saving 

ambulance crew 

A woman from Birchington has 

thanked the ambulance team 

who came to her aid when she 

collapsed while on a cliff top 

walk. 

Patricia Seager, 68, collapsed 

when walking her dog with a 


Photo credit: Corstorphine & Wright 

186 


NEWSLINE 

friend, Marguerite Whitling, in 

Minnis Bay on the morning of 

17 September after suddenly 

feeling unwell. The pair met 

with the ambulance team at 

Thanet Make Ready Centre in 

Ramsgate last week. 

South East Coast Ambulance 

collapsed. Apart from the odd 

snippet, I don’t remember much 

about what happened but I 

have subsequently been told by 

Marguerite of the heroic efforts 

the team made to save my life.” 

Shannon and Claire were 

backed up by fellow clinicians 

her and Marguerite in better 

circumstances.” 

Patricia added: “I survived 

due to the expert and 

compassionate care of the 

whole team. Without them I 

simply wouldn’t be here and I 

also wouldn’t have been around 

to see my daughter finish her 

chemotherapy treatment and 

hopefully beat cancer. There 

are no words I can really say to 

express my thanks to them all. 

It has been lovely to meet them 

to thank them face-to-face and 

offer them my most heartfelt 

gratitude and appreciation.” 

paramedic, Shannon Reed and 

John Ward and Jess Bushell. 

crew mate, Claire Hardy were 

The team worked to stabilise 

quickly on scene and sprang 

Patricia before liaising with the 

into action when Patricia went 

Trust’s Critical Care Desk and 

into cardiac arrest soon after 

arranging to take her initially 

their arrival. The pair delivered 

to QEQM Hospital in Margate. 

a shock with their defibrillator 

Patricia was then transferred 

which thankfully restored 

to William Harvey Hospital 

Patricia’s heart to a more normal 

in Ashford where she spent 

rhythm. 

five days in the Critical Care 

Unit before being fitted with a 

Patricia, who has now returned 

pacemaker and defibrillator. 

to her work in social care, 

underwent a triple heart bypass 

Shannon said: “It was a pleasure 

in 2015 but has since striven 

to meet Patricia and see her 

to look after her heart health by 

doing so well. From the moment 

walking and by making healthy 

we arrived, Claire was my rock 

lifestyle changes. 

and we worked together to 

ensure Patricia received the 

She said: “As we walked along, 

treatment she needed, with 

I suddenly felt dizzy but before 

John and Jess providing vital 

I could reach a nearby bench I 

back up. It was amazing to see 

WHY NOT WRITE FOR US? 

Ambulance UK welcomes the submission of 

clinical papers and case reports or news that 

you feel will be of interest to your colleagues. 

Material submitted will be seen by those working within the public and private 

sector of the Ambulance Service, Air Ambulance Operators, BASICS Doctors etc. 

All submissions should be forwarded to info@mediapublishingcompany.com 

If you have any queries please contact the publisher Terry Gardner via: 

info@mediapublishingcompany.com 


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187

NEWSLINE 


Christmas slays 

– holidays should 

come with a health 

warning, says expert 

The holiday season is one of 

the deadliest times of the year, 

with Christmas Day worst of all. 

A leading testing expert reveals 

why, and how we can protect 

ourselves. 

It’s that time of the year. Every 

TV advert and supermarket visit 

reminds us that we should already 

be planning for Christmas. As 

we set about organising food, 

presents and parties, we should 

also be planning how to survive 

the season, says a leading health 

testing expert. 

Dr Quinton Fivelman PhD, Chief 

Scientific Officer at London 

Medical Laboratory, says: 

‘Christmas is widely considered 

to be a joyful and relaxing time, 

but for many it’s anything but. The 

Office for National Statistics (ONS) 

says December and January are 

the most common months of 

death in the UK. 

‘Surprisingly, the highest 

concentration of cardiac-related 

deaths is during Christmas time. 

Some distinctly unfestive research 

published in the US journal 

“Circulation” shows that 4% more 

people die of heart problems 

during the Christmas holiday 

compared to even the midwinter 

average. Most fatal of all is 

Christmas Day. It has the highest 

number of cardiac deaths that 

occur rapidly after presentation of 

a medical problem. In second and 

third place are 26 December and 

New Year’s Day. 

‘It used to be thought that the 

primary reason for the higher 

number of UK Christmas deaths 

was the cold weather. However, 

Los Angeles, a Californian city 

with very mild winters, also has a 

third more deaths at Christmas. 

Furthermore, although Australia 

and New Zealand both celebrate 

Christmas in their mid-summers, 

there’s a marked rise in deaths at 

this time of year. 

‘So, if it’s not just the cold weather 

that’s responsible, what are the 

main reasons why Christmas and 

New Year prove fatal, and what 

can we do about it? 

‘The UK’s winter peak in deaths 

from cardiovascular disease 

is likely to be linked to high 

cholesterol and high blood 

pressure; both are known to climb 

around the holiday season for 

many people. 

‘Strong evidence suggests that 

rich foods, alcohol and restricted 

access to hospitals results in a 

higher frequency of heart attacks 

during the festive season. 

‘Additionally, many of us travel to 

see friends and family and that 

may present problems. While 

people are holidaying away from 

their main medical facilities, they 

may try to put off presenting to 

a doctor until they return home. 

That delay can prove fatal. 

‘There are a number of other 

medical reasons why UK deaths 

climb during Christmas and New 

Year. Many of us have lower 

vitamin D levels now than at other 

times of the year. From around late 

March to the end of September, 

our body creates enough vitamin D 

through exposure to direct sunlight 

absorbed on our skin. However, 

from October to early March we 

do not make enough naturally. 

Vitamin D deficiency is associated 

with increased incidence and risk 

of heart attacks. For this reason, 

many people take vitamin D 

supplements. If in doubt, it’s a 

good idea to have a vitamin profile 

blood test. 

‘It’s not just rich foods, excess 

alcohol and grey winters that can 

trigger heart attacks, however. 

The stress of meeting relatives 

we’ve been avoiding for the 

previous eleven months may also 

be causing us harm. Another 

worry is the cost of the presents, 

parties, food and booze. That will 

be a particular issue this year, as 

household costs soar. A groundbreaking 

2017 study published in 

“The Lancet” revealed that there’s 

probably a direct link between 

stress and heart problems. It 

tested activity in the amygdala, a 

region of the brain associated with 

stress, and discovered that those 

people with the most activity in 

the amygdala had the highest risk 

of developing heart disease over a 

follow-up lasting nearly four years. 

‘Finally, it’s perhaps not generally 

known that a bad case of flu can 

also have an impact on our heart. 

There is a known link between 

the flu virus and cardiovascular 

disease. The flu virus affects 

inflammatory and blood-clotting 

pathways. This can cause fatty 

deposits on the artery walls 

(plaques) to break loose, leading 

to coronary artery blockage – the 

main cause of heart attacks. We 

are far more likely to catch flu 

during the winter, together with 

Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial 

virus (RSV). RSV is a virus that 

infects the upper and lower 

respiratory tract, causing about 

14,000 hospital admissions and 

8,000 deaths in the UK annually. 

‘Knowing all these issues, what 

preventative actions can we take 

to get us through Christmas? 

Obviously, going easy on fatty 

foods and alcohol is the single 

most significant step. Additionally, 

if people know they are not in the 

best of heart health, they may 

want to consider access to GPs 

and hospitals before deciding 

to travel. A heart health blood 

test might also be a sensible 

precaution. London Medical 

Laboratory’s Heart Health Profile 

test can be done either at home 

or at one of over 85 selected 

pharmacies, drop-in clinics and 

health stores that offer these tests 

across London and nationwide. 

‘In terms of reducing stress, 

the encouraging takeaway from 

the Lancet study is that stress 

reduction techniques, such as 

exercise and deep breathing, might 

calm the mechanism that converts 

stress to heart attacks and strokes. 

‘Finally, knowing that the flu can 

trigger heart-related events, 

the introduction of London 

Medical Laboratory’s new rapid 

PCR test, that detects whether 

your symptoms are caused by 

Covid, flu and/or RSV, is timely. 

The revolutionary new “Covid, 

Cold or Flu A & B, 4-in-1 PCR 

Test” can be taken at one of 

over 85 selected pharmacies, 

drop-in clinics and health stores 

nationwide or, for convenience, 

at home through the post. For 

full details, see https://www. 

londonmedicallaboratory.com/ 

product/4-in-1-flu 

WAS 

Welsh Ambulance 

Service’s patient 

records go digital 

The Welsh Ambulance Service 

has introduced new technology 

which has enabled all of its 

patient records to go digital. 

The Trust generates an average 

400,000 patient records a year, 

which traditionally have been 

captured as handwritten notes. 

Electronic Patient Clinical Record 

(ePCR) technology enables crews 

to capture information on an iPad, 

reducing paper, improving the 

accuracy of notes and enabling realtime 

information to be shared quickly 

and easily with healthcare partners. 

Rather than wait to be handed a 

paper-based record, doctors can 

now determine the best course 

of treatment prior to a patient’s 

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NEWSLINE 

arrival at hospital, speeding up 

handovers. 

which takes us closer to our 

decarbonisation goals. 

Senior clinicians providing remote 

advice to paramedics face-to-face 

with a patient can also access the 

ePCR in real-time and record their 

advice as part of the record. 

Dr Brendan Lloyd, Executive 

Medical Director at the Welsh 

Ambulance Service, said: “The 

move from paper-based patient 

data collection to ePCR is 

transformational for the Trust and 

patient care. 

“Not only does it streamline the 

way information is captured, but 

the live data we’re entering into 

the Welsh Clinical Portal means 

other clinicians can access it, 

which strengthens collaboration 

and ultimately, means a better 

service for the patient. 

“The move to digital has also 

eliminated the use of paper, 

“We believe passionately about 

harnessing technology to equip our 

clinicians with information to provide 

individual care to improve patient 

outcomes and the experiences of 

patients, carers and their families 

when they need us the most.” 

The new ePCR solution was 

funded via Welsh Government’s 

Digital Priorities Investment Fund, 

and rollout at the height of the 

Covid-19 pandemic took around 

12 months. 

Welsh Government Minister for 

Health and Social Services Eluned 

Morgan said: “I congratulate 

the team on the successful and 

timely rollout of its new electronic 

records system. 

“The digitisation of patient care 

records means that information 

can be shared in a more effi cient 

manner to improve patient care 

and save vital minutes upon arrival 

in the hospital. 

“I will continue to support 

additional development of the 

ePCR system to further improve 

patient care in Wales.” 

The Trust’s ePCR Programme 

is now exploring further 

developments to interface with 

other NHS Wales systems and 

provide additional information to 

ambulance crews, like a patient’s 

allergies and regular medications. 

Work to enable the Trust’s 

Community First Responders to 

use the system is also underway 

with a view to capturing information 

across the service – be it by staff 

or volunteers – as a single digital 

Patient Clinical Record. 

RAPTOR ® RESCUE 

Available online from: www.leatherman.co.uk 

Developed with the input of special 

operations medics, EMTs and fire 

professionals familiar with standard 

medical shears, the Raptor Rescue 

was crafted with just the right balance 

of multi-purpose features for medicalspecific 

ops without an overkill of 

tools to complicate sometimes 

life-threatening situations. 


For the latest Ambulance Service News visit: www.ambulancenewsdesk.com 

189

NEWSLINE 

St John Ambulance 

rated ‘Good’ across 

the board 

All St John Ambulance services 

regulated by the Care Quality 

Commission (CQC) have all 

been inspected and rated 

as ‘Good’, including some 

outstanding practice. 

The charity, which started a fouryear 

contract with NHS England 

to provide the nation’s ambulance 

auxiliary in August, scored highly 

across all four of its regions, plus its 

Sussex-based homeless service. 

St John Ambulance’s Director 

of Health and Volunteering 

Operations, Craig Harman says: 

“During a year when many 

ambulance services have been 

struggling, we should recognise 

what a massive achievement it 

is for our crews to get such a 

rousing affirmation from the Care 

Quality Commission. 

“It’s particularly moving to see 

how our people were noted for 

– as the CQC put it – showing 

extensive ‘compassion and 

kindness’ to patients – because 

those are our values and that’s 

what St John is all about.” 

Outstanding practice was noted 

in three of the four reports 

into ambulance services, with 

St John’s commitments to 

investing in fleet and improving 

organisational culture, plus the 

contribution of skilled volunteers in 

caring for patients highlighted. 

Ambulance hubs inspected 

included St John premises 

in London, West Bromwich, 

Stockport and Brighton. 

And St John’s Homeless Service, 

which operates in Brighton and 

Hastings, was also rated as good, 

with outstanding features. 

The charity’s Director of Quality 

and Safety, Niloufar Hajilou adds: 

“To be rated this highly across all 

five of our regulated services is 

a powerful endorsement of the 

incredible effort all St John people 

put in to ensure the care we 

deliver to patients is professional 

and compassionate. 

“I could not be more proud of 

our people for their continuous 

dedication and commitment to the 

provision of high quality care. 

“The last couple of years have 

been tough for everyone working 

in frontline healthcare, and there 

is always room for improvement, 

but St John is working hard and 

investing in our infrastructure, 

staff and volunteers to ensure we 

maintain these standards and get 

even better in the years to come.” 

All five CQC reports can be found 

on St John Ambulance’s website: 

https://www.sja.org.uk/what-wedo/governance-and-leadership/ 

care-quality-commission/ 

WAS 

Life-saving cardiac 

responder app is 

back 


has partnered with a life-saving 

app that lets first aiders know 

when there is a cardiac arrest in 

their area. 

The GoodSAM app uses GPS 

technology to alert trained first 

responders registered on the app 

to a nearby cardiac arrest. 

If the responder is available, they 

can accept the alert via the app 

and make their way to the patient 

to begin CPR prior to the arrival of 

an ambulance. 

Responders include NHS workers 

like doctors, nurses, paramedics 

and therapists, as well as police 

and fire staff, first aiders and 

others who are trained in CPR. 

Several thousand responders in 

Wales are already signed up to 

the app, 800 Welsh Ambulance 

Service staff and volunteers – but 

now the Trust is inviting more. 

Carl Powell, Clinical Support Lead 

at the Welsh Ambulance Service, 

said: “When someone goes into 

cardiac arrest, every second 

counts, so the sooner that effective 

CPR is started, the better. 

“In a cardiac arrest situation, we 

will send an ambulance as quickly 

as possible on lights and sirens, 

but if there’s someone closer who 

can begin the chain of survival, 

it could mean the difference 

between life and death. 

“Often it’s the first few minutes that 

determine a patient’s outcome, 

which is why the GoodSAM app is 

a brilliant resource. 

“Early CPR is crucial, which is why 

we would encourage everyone is 

who CPR-trained across Wales to 

consider registering on the app.” 

The Welsh Ambulance responds 

to over 6,000 out-of-hospital 

cardiac arrests in Wales every 

year, but for every minute without 

CPR, a person’s chances of 

survival drop by 10%. 


The Welsh Ambulance Service first 

began using the GoodSAM app 

in 2018, and within two days, it 

has saved the life of Phil Nunnerley 

who went into cardiac arrest at 

a Wales vs Scotland game at 

Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. 

Use of the app was paused during 

the Covid-19 pandemic, but the 

partnership with GoodSAM has 

since been relaunched to allow 

more responders to come forward. 

Mark Wilson OBE, Co-Founder 

and Director of GoodSAM, said: 

“If your job requires CPR training 

190 


NEWSLINE 

or you are a fi rst aider, then we 

encourage you to sign up. 

services and creating research 

that benefi ts patients and the 

Ambulance Service NHS Trust, 

said: “This is an excellent 

Professor Steve Goodacre, 

Professor of Emergency Medicine 

“If we can get as many people 

involved, there could be a 

GoodSAM responder on every 

street.” 

wider public. 

Staff from YAS and ScHARR will 

have the opportunity to codevelop 

and produce high quality 

opportunity for both Yorkshire 

Ambulance Service and the 

University of Sheffi eld to develop 

research that is impactful to 

our local communities. This 

at the University of Sheffi eld, 

said: “This is an important 

initiative that strengthens our 

existing relationship between 

Yorkshire Ambulance Service 

Deputy Chief Medical Offi cer for 

Wales, Professor Chris Jones, 

added: “The GoodSAM initiative is 

a huge step forward for Wales to 

ensure that anyone in the vicinity 

with the skills to save a life will be 

notifi ed and can help. 

research studies and will also 

benefi t from joint training sessions. 

Dr Steven Dykes, Executive 

Medical Director at Yorkshire 

agreement solidifi es the good 

working relationships we already 

have in place and ensures that 

we continue to work together in 

meaningful way.” 

and the University of Sheffi eld. 

I look forward to building our 

relationship and enhancing 

our ability to deliver impactful 

research.” 

“We are doing lots of work to 

increase people’s confi dence 

to intervene in a cardiac arrest 

emergency which includes 

highlighting ‘Help is closer than you 

think’, the importance of calling 

999 immediately, support provided 

by the call handler to do CPR and 

how to locate a defi brillator until an 

ambulance arrives. 


continues to work in partnership 

with Welsh Government and third 

sector partners to strive to deliver 

the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest 

Plan in Wales. 

Primarily established to work in 

the world of international 

medical repatriation, the 

business has evolved to provide 

expert clinical solutions across 

a variety of specialist sectors 

and services. 

IPRS Aeromed are now recruiting Paramedics & Nurses 

YAS 

Joint research 

agreement between 

Yorkshire Ambulance 

Service and 

University of Sheffield 

School of Health and 

Related Research 


Service NHS Trust (YAS) and 

the University of Sheffield 

School of Health and Related 

Research (ScHARR) have 

joined forces to develop and 

deliver ambulance-focused 

research to help improve 

patient care. 

Both organisations have signed a 

Memorandum of Understanding 

and are committed to improving 

What sets us apart is the 

experience and skills of our 

valued clinicians who are 

well-versed in managing 

patients from around the 

world in a wide variety of 

settings. 

Join a team that's really going places! 

https://iprsaeromed.com/jobs/ or email IPRS Aeromed 

Recruitment aeromed.recruitment@iprsgroup.com 



191

NEWSLINE 

SCAS 

South Central 

Ambulance Service 

wins prestigious 

award for CPR 

and defibrillator 

campaign 

South Central Ambulance 

Service (SCAS) has won a 

Chartered Institute of Public 

Relations (CIPR) award for its 

campaign to increase public 

awareness of cardiopulmonary 

resuscitation (CPR) and 

defibrillators. 

Entitled Saving lives - the 

three Cs (cardiac arrest, CPR, 

communication), it was named 

best healthcare campaign last 

night (Tuesday) at the CIPR 

PRide Awards 2022 in the Anglia, 

Thames and Chiltern region. 

Alongside raising public 

awareness and interest in 

CPR and automated external 

defibrillators (AED), the 

campaign set out to improve 

take-up rates of CPR and 

AED usage and raise funds 

for South Central Ambulance 

Charity to aid development of 

volunteers and the purchasing 

of equipment. 

It was developed by the 

communications department 

in collaboration with the 

community engagement and 

training team and South Central 

Ambulance Charity. 

The aim was to ensure regular 

communication throughout the 

year to secure national media 

coverage, significant social 

media engagement, charity 

donations and, most crucially, to 

aid an increase in out of hospital 

cardiac arrest survival rates. 

The project covered four main 

subject areas including SCAS 

becoming the first in the country 

to roll out LUCAS 3, a state-ofthe-art 

device which can perform 

CPR on a patient automatically to 

free up paramedics to carry out 

other vital interventions. 

The second focused on Danish 

footballer Christian Eriksen’s 

cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 and 

the link with the ‘Save a Life’ CPR 

app developed by SCAS, with 

the third on Facebook Live CPR 

sessions hosted as part of the 

2021 World Restart a Heart Week. 

The final communications initiative 

was the story of volunteer 

Graham Langley who saved the 

life of his friend and then became 

a volunteer community first 

responder. 

Among the returns were 

widespread national and 

international media coverage of 

the LUCAS 3 device, national 

media coverage and a spike in 

downloads of the ‘Save a Life’ 

app, live CPR events which 

involved more than 50,000 

people and regional media 

coverage of Graham’s story and 

subsequent use as an advert to 

recruit volunteers. 

There were 2,294 occasions 

during the year where CPR 

was in progress prior to the 

arrival of an ambulance across 

Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, 

Oxfordshire and Hampshire 

which supports SCAS’s 

improving out of hospital 

cardiac arrest survival rate of 

13.9% - one of the highest in 

the country. 

“The dedication and the 

commitment from our 

communications department, 

charity and community training 

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NEWSLINE 

and engagement team in 

working together to raise the 

profile of CPR and defibrillators, 

funding advances in equipment 

and care and training members 

of the public has been vital in 

helping to improve out of hospital 

cardiac arrest survival rates in 

the SCAS region,” said Nicola 

Dunbar, head of community 

engagement and training at 

SCAS. 

“The variety of activities over 

the course of this year have 

demonstrated the benefits of 

this relationship, achieving media 

and social media impact, raising 

funds and training thousands of 

members of the public in vital lifesaving 

skills.” 

Gillian Hodgetts, director of 

communications, marketing and 

engagement at SCAS, said: 

‘We are all thrilled to win this 

prestigious award and more 

importantly for an aspect of our 

work that we are passionate 

about and that has the potential 

to help save many lives’. 

GWAAC 

GWAAC 

On Friday 16 September 2022, 

Bristol’s Aerospace Museum 

opened its doors to the Great 

Western Air Ambulance Charity 

(GWAAC) and its guests for the 

return of the much-anticipated 

Pre-Hospital Emergency 

Medical (PHEM) Symposium 

– an informative and friendly 

conference for healthcare 

professionals wanting to learn 

more about all things PHEMrelated. 

The first Symposium was held 

in 2016 but the last two events 

in 2020 and 2021 did not run 

due to COVID-19. It was great 

to get colleagues and medical 

professionals back together 

in a collaborative learning 

environment, with CPD certificates 

waiting at the end. 

Introductions 

After half an hour of meeting and 

greeting in the Concorde hangar 

(next to GWAAC’s old home at 

Filton Airfield), the attendees 

moved upstairs to take their seats 

to listen to a warm welcome by 

GWAAC’s CEO, Anna Perry, and 

Medical Director, Ed Valentine. 

Ms Perry and Dr Valentine briefed 

the audience on what they could 

expect from the day and played 

a fast-paced and gripping video 

that gave a glimpse into life as 

a GWAAC crew member. The 

video showed the crew getting 

ready for a mission, followed by a 

simulation of their response to a 

Road Traffic Accident (RTC). 

PHEM topics 

An array of expert speakers from 

varied backgrounds delivered 

valuable presentations over four 

sessions. Topics covered: 

• Critical care transfers: what is it 

all about? 

• ECMO: Is it useful in the prehospital 

setting? 

• Pushing Boundaries in 

paramedicine 

• Claims, inquests and the 

regulator from a pre-hospital 

perspective 

• Gardening V carpentry: 

designing a wellbeing strategy 

• Bumps and bruises: managing 

pregnant women in a prehospital 

environment 

• Interactive case scenario 

discussions 

• Great Western Air Ambulance 

Charity – demonstration by 

crew 

• Keynote — pre-hospital critical 

care; where have we come 

from and where are we going? 

• Manchester Arena Public 

Inquiry and reflections on the 

duty of care 

• Hot, wet and high: trauma and 

extremes 

During the breaks, attendees were 

treated to excellent refreshments, 

an opportunity to look around 

trade stands and a peek inside 

Concorde itself. 

Attendees said… 

“Every single speaker has brought 

a lot to the table for me. The 

‘Pushing Boundaries’ talk was 

very eye-opening, and I’ve also 

learned that the procedures we’re 

using now might change in the 

next ten years.” 

Natalie Cunningham – Emergency 

Care Assistant 

“Seeing the Critical Care Team in 

action was truly a sight to behold. 

They ran the case like a well-oiled 

machine. It was very inspirational 

to see!” 

Dr Zain Mitha – Junior Doctor, 

Intensive Care Unit 

“There are different speakers every 

year. It’s a good opportunity to 

hear what the latest developments 

are in pre-hospital care. And it’s 

good to develop my knowledge 

even though I don’t work in prehospital 

care.” 

Dr Matthew Williams – Registrar, 

Emergency Department 

A note from the organiser 

“I couldn’t be happier with this 

year’s Symposium. The attendees 

were really engaged and a lot 

of them said they’d be back 

for the next one! I just want to 

say a huge thank you to all our 

guest speakers for sharing their 

expertise. The whole event was 

a great collaboration and we all 

learned from each other.” 

Vicki Brown, APCC, GWAAC, and 

organiser of the 2022 Symposium 

If you’re a healthcare professional 

interested in attending the 

next GWAAC Symposium, join 

GWAAC’s dedicated mailing list 

and be the first to receive details. 



193

NEWSLINE 

EEAST 

New approach to 

get patients the 

care they need more 

quickly 

The East of England 

Ambulance Service Trust 

(EEAST) is piloting a new 

approach that will see patients 

getting the help they need 

more quickly. 

New ways of integrated working 

and new digital systems have 

been put in place to allow 

ambulance referrals to be sent 

directly to urgent care response 

services, such as ‘Hospital at 

Home’ – a service already in 

place in Hertfordshire and West 

Essex. 

This means that, where 

appropriate, people will be seen 

sooner by the right healthcare 

practitioner rather than going to 

hospital – saving hours of delays 

and in many cases providing a 

more tailored approach to their 

care. 

“We are rolling out this approach 

across our region to improve 

care for patients.” 

The new approach includes 

access for partners to EEAST’s 

cases so health care partners, 

and ‘clinical conversations’ 

- where EEAST paramedics 

identify appropriate patients and 

discuss with local health teams if 

their care can be transferred to a 

community partner – potentially 

eliminating the need for patients 

to go to emergency departments 

for diagnosis and further 

treatment. 

Before launching the pilot, 

EEAST trialled the ‘clinical 

conversation’ with the East & 

North Herts’ existing Hospital 

at Home service - operated 

by Hertfordshire Community 

NHS Trust (HCT). The service 

means patients can receive 

nursing care, therapy and 

remote monitoring services in 

the comfort of their own home 

or care home with a team of 

GPs, nurses, therapists and 

pharmacists overseeing care. 


The new approach has been 

launched in partnership with 

Hertfordshire & West Essex 

Integrated Care Board and will 

shortly be rolled out with other 

partners to help build on the work 

done so far in this area across 

the region. 

EEAST chief executive Tom Abell 

said: 

“We believe this will deliver real 

benefits for patients in getting 

them the help they need. 

“This will help free up our 

dedicated people to see patients 

who most need our care and help 

reduce pressure on hospitals, 

reducing handover delays 

at emergency departments. 

Emergency patients with time 

critical care will always be taken 

straight to hospital for treatment. 

The week-long trial meant for the 

first time EEAST could directly 

refer into the service. A total of 

108 patients were identified as 

suitable for Hospital at Home 

and of these 73 were not 

conveyed to hospital. 

HCT Chief Executive, Elliot 

Howard-Jones, said: 

“Working as one healthcare 

system to extend access to 

EEAST’s cases is a momentous 

occasion as it not only means 

patients get the care they need 

when they need it – but that we 

are working together to reduce 

pressure on other services 

while still providing quality local 

healthcare.” 

The other community providers 

working with EEAST on 

this new approach include 

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NEWSLINE 

Central London Community 

Healthcare NHS Trust and 

Essex Partnership University 

NHS Trust, who provides rapid 

response services that can help 

people at home, provide services 

that ensure they have greater 

independence in their own home 

and enable onward referral/ 

follow up within community 

services to be made. 

LAS 

Mayor of London 

becomes latest 

London Lifesaver 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq 

Khan, has become the latest 

Londoner to learn essential 

life-saving skills as he signed 

up to London Ambulance 

Service’s (LAS) mission to train 

100,000 London Lifesavers on 

Tuesday 4 October. 

Community Resuscitation Trainer 

Victoria Geary, Community 

Defibrillation Manager 

Samantha Wilcox, and Head 

of First Responders Samantha 

Palfreyman-Jones visited City 

Hall yesterday and provided a 

two-and-a-half hour training 

session on Emergency Life 

Support for the Mayor and his 

colleagues. During the training, 

Mr Khan was taught how to 

recognise symptoms of cardiac 

arrest, put an unconscious 

patient in the recovery position, 

perform Basic Life Support 

(BLS), and use a defibrillator. 

knowledge could literally save 

lives – including that of a friend 

or a loved one. I encourage 

Londoners to sign up to be 

a Lifesaver so that you have 

the confidence and training to 

be able to help when it truly 

matters.” 

The mayoral training session is 

part of a much wider London 

Lifesavers initiative, which was 

launched by London Ambulance 

Service in September 2021. 

The campaign aims to improve 

people’s chances of surviving 

an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest 

by equipping at least 100,000 

Londoners with the knowledge 

and confidence to act in an 

emergency situation until 

ambulance crews arrive at the 

scene. 

Over the past six months, the 

London Lifesavers initiative has 

trained and registered almost 

2,000 new lifesavers, who 

are now equipped with basic 

resuscitation skills. LAS plans to 

scale up the London Lifesavers 

campaign further in the coming 

months. 

The initiative also aims to 

achieve a target of 10,000 public 

access defibrillators (PADs) 

available to save lives across the 

capital. Over the past year, LAS 

has supported the installation of 

1,000 new PADs across London, 

bringing the current total to 

7,500. 

The latest achievements in the 

London Lifesavers campaign 

come as LAS responded to 

9,500 cardiac arrests since the 

start of this calendar year (2022). 

LAS estimates that by reaching 

its target of 100,000 London 

Lifesavers and more than 10,000 

defibrillators across the city it 

could help save more than 100 

additional lives every year. 

LAS Community Defibrillation 

Manager Samantha Wilcox said: 

“I’d like to thank the Mayor of 

London for taking part in this 

training today, and encourage 

the citizens of London to follow 

his footsteps and learn these 

life-saving skills. 

“We know from experience that 

in the few minutes it takes for 

an ambulance crew to reach 

a person in cardiac arrest, the 

actions of passers-by can make 

the difference between life and 

death for that person. For every 

minute that goes by without 

life-saving intervention like CPR 

and defibrillation, the chances of 

a person surviving cardiac arrest 

decrease by 10%. 

“There are several ways that 

organisations, workplaces, 

communities and individuals 

can get involved. We advise 

contacting our London 

Lifesavers team for information 

on how to join our campaign.” 

The London Lifesavers initiative 

is funded by the London 

Ambulance Charity thanks to a 

grant received by NHS Charities 

Together and the support of our 

donors. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq 

Khan, said: “London Ambulance 

Service work around the clock 

to save lives and are there for 

Londoners when they need it 

most - but we know that when 

anyone has a serious health 

issue every second counts. 

“Doing simple lifesaver training, 

like I have done, gives you 

the confidence to do CPR 

and use a defibrillator and this 

Sadiq Khan encourages all Londoners to learn CPR and defibrillation skills 



195

NEWSLINE 


SECAMB 

Trust committed 

to further 

improvements 

following publication 

of CQC report 

South East Coast Ambulance 

Service NHS Foundation Trust 

(SECAmb) has reaffirmed 

its commitment to making 

improvements following the 

publication on Wednesday 

26 October of a Care Quality 

Commission (CQC) report. 

The inspection, which took 

place in August, and looked at 

SECAmb’s urgent and emergency 

care, as well as its resilience 

teams, sees the Trust’s overall 

rating move from ‘Good’ to 

‘Requires Improvement’. The 

individual rating for Caring remains 

rated as ‘Good’. 

The inspection also checked on 

the Trust’s progress in meeting 

the requirements from a well-led 

inspection which took place in 

February. The February inspection 

resulted in an ‘Inadequate’ 

well-led rating, rated the Trust 

NHS 111 service as ‘Good’ but 

suspended other ratings until 

the latest inspection had been 

completed. 

SECAmb is pleased the care 

provided by its staff was 

recognised with a ‘Good’ rating 

and that inspectors found and 

were encouraged that Trust 

leaders were showing a sense 

of urgency in prioritising the 

issues which had previously been 

identified. 

SECAmb Interim Chief Executive, 

Siobhan Melia, was appointed 

in July this year. She said: “I am 

really pleased that the excellent 

care provided by our staff has 

once again been recognised and 

rated as ‘Good’ by the CQC, 

despite the huge pressures they 

face every day. I am very proud 

of the high-quality care and 

compassion provided by our staff. 

“We have already taken concerns 

around our culture and leadership 

extremely seriously and we are 

committed to making further 

improvements to ensure we 

improve our response to patients 

and the working lives of our staff. 

I know that there is much to do 

to get the Trust to where it needs 

to be and we are working closely 

with staff as well as partners both 

regionally and nationally to make 

the necessary improvements 

highlighted in the report”. 

The report found that there was 

additional pressure on SECAmb’s 

services which included increased 

staff sickness and increased 

delays in hospital handover. It 

also found, as flagged in a wider 

national CQC report published 

last week, State of Care, that 

the South East, along with other 

areas, has a health and social 

care system that is ‘gridlocked’. 

Inspectors recognised that 

SECAmb is unable to solve all of 

its issues alone and encouraged 

the Trust to work with the wider 

health system to find resolutions. 

SECAmb has outlined an 

improvement plan focusing 

on four main areas; Quality 

Improvement, Responsive Care, 

Sustainability, and People and 

Culture. Work includes improving 

learning from incidents as well as 

further recruitment and greater 

retention of staff. It also involves 

growing the Trust’s voice within 

the wider NHS system to support 

improved patient pathways, 

reduce hospital handover delays 

and develop new partnerships. 

WAS 

Shoctober campaign 

The Welsh Ambulance 

Service has been back in 

schools celebrating its annual 

Shoctober campaign. 

The month-long campaign, 

which runs every October, sees 

the Welsh Ambulance Service 

educating primary school pupils 

about the correct use of 999, 

how to perform cardiopulmonary 

resuscitation (CPR) and how to 

use a defibrillator. 

As a result of the pandemic, 

the Trust’s Patient Experience 

and Community Involvement 

(PECI) Team had to approach 

the campaign virtually for two 

years, providing an educational 

animated film, suitable for 

children. 

This year, the team is back 

to visiting schools across the 

country in-person, building 

the confidence of more than 

1,800 pupils, by teaching what 

they can do in an emergency 

situation while help is on its way, 

including hands-only CPR. 

Fiona Maclean, PECI team 

manager, said: “We are really 

pleased to be back face-to-face, 

educating and teaching children. 

“We’ve managed to visit 32 

schools across Wales, with 

volunteers from the Welsh 

Ambulance Service, Local 

Health Board colleagues and 

medical students helping us in 

our demonstrations. 

“The interactive sessions include 

THE appropriateness of 999, 

the five emergency services 

available and life-saving skills; 

recovery position, hands-only 

CPR and using a defibrillator. 

“Teaching children from a young 

age means that they are more 

likely to stay calm if a crisis 

presents itself. 

“I want to say a massive thank 

you to all the schools involved 

and especially to the volunteers 

who gave up their time to 

support this very important 

campaign.” 

LAA 

LAA’s Physician 

Response Unit (PRU) 

welcomes launch of 

third car 

London’s Air Ambulance 

Charity has announced that 

the Physician Response Unit 

(PRU) wing of the service has 

been bolstered by the addition 

of a third team. As a result, 

the geographical footprint 

of the PRU will expand to 

cover Barking, Havering and 

Redbridge, alongside the 

existing operations in Tower 

Hamlets, Newham and Waltham 

Forest. 

The PRU is a pioneering 

Community Emergency Medicine 

service which aims to deliver safe, 

effective and patient-centred 

emergency care via car in North 

East London. It is delivered in 

partnership with Barts Health NHS 

Trust, London’s Air Ambulance 

Charity and the London 

Ambulance Service. 

The service sees patients of all 

ages with all types of emergency 

presentations ranging from 

critically unwell patients to 

those with minor injuries or 

acute illnesses that benefit from 

the ED being taken out to the 

patient. At present the operating 

model of the PRU involves a 

rapid response vehicle, senior 

emergency medicine doctor and 

ambulance clinician which attend 

emergency calls in the prehospital 

environment. The vehicle 

carries an extensive kit consisting 

of diagnostic equipment and in 

effect brings the hospital to the 

patient – rather than the other way 

around. 

In addition to expanding the 

geographic footprint of the 

service, the addition of the third 

car will help reach a wider range 

of patients and ensure that the 

service continues to bring out-of- 

196 


NEWSLINE 

hospital care to people in need 

across Northeast London. 

Tony Joy, PRU Clinical Lead, said: 

“The addition of a new car to our 

weekday operations is an exciting 

step forward for the PRU service. 

At the forefront of everything we 

do are the patients we serve 

and the new car will help reach 

more patients, as well as improve 

patient outcomes. We are pleased 

to ensure that patients get the 

right care in the right place first 

time, especially given the extreme 

pressures faced by the ambulance 

and emergency care systems at 

present. 

I’d like to thank everyone at Barts, 

LAA, and LAS for helping get the 

new car rolled out and supporting 

patients across Northeast 

London.” 

EEAST 

Family’s thanks to 

EEAST and Magpas 

Air Ambulance 

crews who brought 

13-year-old “back to 

life” 

The crews then handed over care 

to colleagues from Magpas Air 

Ambulance: Dr James Price and 

Critical Care Paramedics Steve 

Chambers and Thomas Giddings. 

The team performed a rapid 

general anaesthetic at the incident 

scene – a procedure usually only 

available in a hospital – to protect 

Daisy’s vital functions before 

she was transferred by land to 

Addenbrooke’s Hospital for further 

care. She has since made a full 

recovery. 

The EEAST team and colleagues 

from Magpas Air Ambulance have 

been named as finalists in 999 

hero of The Sun’s ‘Who Cares 

Wins’ awards in recognition of 

their life-saving efforts. 

The awards ceremony will 

be broadcast on Channel 4 

at 6.30pm on Sunday 27th 

November. 

“We are incredibly proud of the 

fantastic teamwork showed 

by our crews and Magpas Air 

Ambulance partners during what 

was an incredibly challenging 

call,” said Lesley Hall, Leading 

Operations Manager with EEAST 

who was also on scene during the 

incident. 

“Attending a cardiac arrest is 

never easy, but when the patient 

is so young it makes it even 

harder. This was not a normal job 

by any stretch of the imagination. 

Thankfully this was a very rare 

event, and because of how the 

crews reacted under enormous 

pressure, Daisy now has her 

whole life ahead of her.” 

Dr James Price of Magpas 

Air Ambulance said: “Survival 

from cardiac arrest is very 

rare, especially in children. But 

everything went in Daisy’s favour 

that day. From the bystander 

calling 999 to the CPR given early 

and the early shock to her heart 

from the ambulance crew. 

“To see Daisy and her family now 

is incredible. It is very rewarding 

and makes the years of training in 

Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine 

seem all the more worthwhile.” 

Daisy, together with parents 

John and Lisa, have since visited 

Huntingdon Ambulance Station to 

meet the team and thank them in 

person. 

John, who is a retired police 

officer who now works in patient 

transport for the NHS said: “We 

would like to thank everybody 

who helped Daisy. They were all a 

credit to the NHS.” 

Lisa, who is an assistant client 

accountant, added: “Words 

cannot express how grateful I am 

to everyone who helped Daisy 

that day. Everyone was in the right 

place.” 

Daisy added: “Words can’t really 

describe how I feel – just gratitude 

and thanks to everybody who 

gave me the chance to live.” 

Crews from the East of England 

Ambulance Service NHS 

Trust (EEAST) and Magpas 

Air Ambulance have been 

shortlisted for a national award 

after bringing a 13-year-old in 

cardiac arrest back to life. 

Daisy Webb was walking to 

school in Huntingdon during April 

when she suddenly fell to her 

knees, lost consciousness and 

stopped breathing. 

EEAST crew members Grace 

Lemin, Harrison Galgut and 

Charlie Harris arrived within 

minutes to discover she’d had a 

cardiac arrest, and began CPR 

and shocked Daisy’s heart until 

her pulse returned. 

Daisy Webb, fifth from the left in between her mum, Lisa, and dad, John, meets the team 

who saved her life in April – Photo credit The Sun Newspaper 



197

NEWSLINE 

LAS 

Heart-warming 

reunion with 

ambulance crews for 

man who survived 

second cardiac 

arrest 

A man who beat the odds to 

survive his second cardiac 

arrest has been reunited with 

the London Ambulance Service 

teams who helped to save his 

life. 

Val Dyadyuk, 75, was visiting 

his son in north London when 

he stopped breathing early one 

morning in May. 

Val’s wife Nina screamed out for 

her son when she could not rouse 

her husband. 

Son Oleg Khomenko immediately 

dialled 999. Call handler Nyota 

Ndeke dispatched an ambulance 

to the home and began instructing 

Oleg on how to give life-saving 

chest compressions. 

Oleg said: “I remember so clearly 

the help on the phone, I had 

incredible instructions from the 

call handler, clear and calming and 

reassuring. 

“She guided me on the strength 

of the chest compressions and 

counting with me when I was 

getting tired.” 

An ambulance crew and two 

paramedics in fast response cars 

were sent to the home. The crews 

managed to resuscitate Val before 

taking him to a hospital with a 

specialist heart unit. He spent five 

weeks in hospital. 

Now fully recovered, Val has met 

the ambulance crews who treated 

him that morning back in May, so 

he could thank them in person. 

Val and Nina are originally from 

Ukraine but now live in Australia, 

where they have since returned. 

Oleg added: “We could not have 

had my dad back without the 

wonderful ambulance people that 

came to save him for us. 

“They were incredibly professional, 

helpful, understanding and most 

of all human in a time that was so 

difficult for myself and my family. 

We are forever grateful.” 

Val suffered a cardiac arrest 

seven years ago. The chances 

of someone surviving a cardiac 

arrest at home are pretty low – 

around one in 10. To survive two 

cardiac arrests is rare. 

The ambulance crews credit Oleg 

with helping his dad beat the 

odds. 

Paramedic Kate Gaustad said: 

“The fact that he woke up to his 

mum screaming and leapt into 

action with such effective chest 

compressions meant he saved his 

dad’s life. 

“We couldn’t have done our job 

without Oleg’s actions. Meeting 

Val made me proud, to know his 

family have him back, to see him 

walking, talking, living life – he 

represents what the ambulance 

service is there for.” 

Paramedic Pilar Gilardi said: “Val 

looked so well and so happy, it 

meant so much to meet him and 

his family. 

“Not many people survive a 

cardiac arrest and it can only 

happen if someone starts chest 

compressions while waiting for an 

ambulance.” 

Andy Snowball, emergency 

medical technician, said: “We 

rarely get to meet a patient after 

they have arrived at hospital so it 

is very rewarding to meet Val and 

his family after him making such a 

great recovery. 

“We are trained to save lives but 

to actually know find out more 

about the person whose life we’ve 

saved makes all the difference.” 

Paramedic Ben Holyroyd said: 

“It was a privilege and honour to 

meet Val. It’s just so amazing to 

be part of the joy and happiness 

that the family have. 

“I am proud of what we did but 

on that day Oleg was part of our 

team – hopefully their story will 

inspire others to learn life-saving 

skills.” 

EHAAT 

CQC rates Essex & 

Herts Air Ambulance 

as ‘outstanding’ 

“People’s lives continue to be 

saved because of the trust’s 

excellent standards, and other 

services can look to it as an 

example of how to deliver 

outstanding care.” 

Zoe Robinson, CQC Head of 

Hospital Inspection 

The Care Quality Commission 

(CQC) has rated Essex & Herts 

Air Ambulance Trust (EHAAT) as 

outstanding overall following 

inspections carried out in August 

and September. 


The service, which provides 

emergency care to critically 

ill and injured patients in 

Essex, Hertfordshire and 

the surrounding areas, was 

inspected as part of CQC’s 

ongoing checks to assess the 

quality of care being provided. 

It found that the trust delivered 

an outstanding service that was 

saving lives across the region. 

And, as well as being rated 

198 


NEWSLINE 

outstanding overall, it was also 

rated outstanding for being safe, 

effective, caring, responsive to 

people’s needs, and well-led. 

Ben Myer, Head of Clinical 

Delivery (CQC Registered 

Manager) at EHAAT, is extremely 

proud of the CQC rating, which 

recognises everyone who plays 

a part in the charity’s life-saving 

work. He said: “This is an 

amazing and truly outstanding 

result for the whole charity; 

everyone worked so hard to 

make the desired result a reality”. 

Zoe Robinson, CQC Head of 

Hospital Inspection, said, “We 

were very impressed to find such 

outstanding levels of care being 

provided by Essex & Herts Air 

Ambulance. 

“The level of teamwork at the 

service was exemplary and staff 

and managers worked together 

and supported one another 

to deliver the best possible 

outcomes for people. Patients 

were valued and respected 

and their individual needs 

and preferences were always 

considered. Feedback from 

those using the service and their 

loved ones was overwhelmingly 

positive and people told us 

that staff went the extra mile 

for them and exceeded their 

expectations. 

EHAAT CEO (CQC Nominated 

Individual) Jane Gurney said, ‘I 

am so delighted with this result 

especially as the inspections 

found numerous examples of 

outstanding practice throughout 

the organisation. I would like 

to personally thank each team 

member across the entire 

charity, whatever their role, all of 

whom work so hard every day 

to uphold these high standards. 

I would like to also take this 

opportunity to thank our 

communities for supporting their 

local life-saving service, making 

it possible for us to remain 

operational and to keep saving 

lives in Essex, Hertfordshire and 

surrounding areas” 

Following on from the good 

news, the charity will continue 

to enhance the quality of 

the services it provides, as 

Ben Myer said, “As ever, the 

hard work doesn’t stop here. 

We will continue to strive for 

excellence for the patients 

and communities we care for, 

building on this result and 

maintaining our service, as an 

outstanding organisation with 

a national and international 

reputation for excellence.” 

WAS 

Dementia Matters 

to the Welsh 



has been meeting people with 

dementia in Powys. 

Events in Ystradgynlais, 

Welshpool, Newtown, 

Llandrindod Wells and Brecon, 

held jointly with Dementia 

Matters in Powys, enabled 

the Trust to deliver interactive 

experiences and other activities 

to people living with dementia, 

their carers and families. 

Dementia Matters in Powys is a 

charity that supports the health 

and wellbeing of people living 

with dementia and those who 

care for them. 

Alison Johnstone, the 

Welsh Ambulance Service’s 

Programme Manager for 

Dementia, said: “This 

engagement work is vital for us 

to listen and learn from people 

affected by dementia. 

“For example, feedback tells 

us that ambulance vehicle 

environments can be distressing 

and difficult for people living 

with dementia. 

“These sessions not only 

allow us to educate people 

about what to expect when 

accessing our services, but 

where possible, vehicles are 

showcased to allow potential 

users to become familiar with 

their surroundings. 

“These opportunities to engage 

and educate are a key part of 

our Dementia Plan.” 

The number of people living 

with dementia is expected to 

triple from 50 million to 152 

million by 2050, according to 

the World Health Organization. 

Wendy Moss, Dementia 

Community Development Officer 

for Dementia Matters, said: 

“The Welsh Ambulance Service 

provides such a valuable service 

to our local communities. 

“It was nice to be able to 

engage with the Trust without 

having to go through the trauma 

of an emergency. 

“Thank you – we look forward to 

having you visit us again in the 

future.” 


is recognised as a Dementia 

Friendly Organisation by the 

Alzheimer’s Society. 

If you want to learn more about 

the Welsh Ambulance Service’s 

dementia work, please contact 

the Dementia Team on amb_ 

mentalhealth@wales.nhs.uk 

YAS 

International 

accreditation for 


Service’s 999 call 

handling 

Colleagues at Yorkshire 

Ambulance Service are 

celebrating once again having 

been awarded international 

accreditation for their 999 call 

handling. 

Both Emergency Operations 

Centres (EOCs) in Wakefield and 

York have received Accredited 

Centre of Excellence (ACE) 

status from the International 

Academies of Emergency 

Dispatch® (IAED) and multi-site 

Centre of Excellence status for 

the fourth time in succession. 

The accreditation is awarded 

to emergency services across 

the world that can demonstrate 

superior performance in 

training, quality assurance and 

improvement process and/or 

management, and very high 

compliance to protocol within 

their communication centre 

environments. Currently there 

are only 296 out of 3,600 

agencies worldwide with 

accreditation and Yorkshire 

Ambulance Service was 

commended at the recent UK 

and Ireland Navigator 2022 

Conference. 

To celebrate the achievement, 

the Trust’s Chief Executive Rod 

Barnes and Executive Director 

of Operations Nick Smith visited 

EOCs at York and Wakefield 

to formally present the 

accreditation certificates and 

thank staff for their excellent 

work in handling emergency 

calls and ensuring patients 

receive the care they need. 

Claire Lindsay, Head of EOC 

at Yorkshire Ambulance 

Service, is very proud of the 

achievement and said: “To be 

accredited during this period 

of prolonged operational 

pressure is particularly special 

and a testament to colleagues’ 

dedication and excellence. We 

receive thousands of 999 calls 

every day and how we handle 

those calls is so important so 

that patients receive the care 

they need.” 



199

NEWSLINE 

LAS 

London Ambulance 

Service wins Mayor’s 

top apprenticeship 

employer award 

London Ambulance Service 

has been named as the 

Apprenticeship Employer of the 

Year in a new awards scheme 

for the capital. 

Apprenticeship manager Darren 

Avery picked up the honour at the 

Mayor of London Adult Learning 

Awards, held at City Hall. 

The Service has more than 650 

apprentices, with more than half 

of those on paramedic degree 

apprenticeships. 

LAS also has a further 237 people 

working as Assistant Ambulance 

Practitioners, a role which also 

provides on-the-job training for 

people with no clinical experience. 

Apprentice Karen Thompson said: 

“It’s been such a great experience. 

I didn’t know what to expect 

but I have thoroughly enjoyed it. 

The teaching has been amazing, 

second to none.” 

Awards and a Recruitment 

Excellence Award at the National 

Apprenticeship Awards. 

Patrick Brown, Assistant Director 

of Development and Talent at LAS, 

said: “We want as many people as 

possible from across London to 

join our apprenticeship programme, 

which supports people from all 

walks of life to kick-start a new 

career, do training on the job, and 

being paid while you do so. 

“London Ambulance Service is 

a place where people can learn, 

develop and thrive. We welcome 

everybody.” 

valuable time for critically ill patients 

needing lifesaving treatment. 

Air ambulance patients currently 

must land in a nearby sports 

field and are then transported to 

the Emergency Department by 

road ambulance. It is anticipated 

that having an on-site helipad at 

Salford Royal Hospital could save 

20 vital minutes for a patient. 

The helipad is due to become 

operational when the Major 

Trauma Hospital opens in June 

2023, with an anticipated 360 

landings on the helipad every year. 

The helipad has been made 

He said: “Being named as 

Apprenticeship Employer of the 

Year is an extremely prestigious 

achievement and I feel proud 

for everybody working here at 

London Ambulance Service and 

more importantly the apprentices 

themselves. 

Apprentice Jacob Finney said: 

“I’ve been in the programme for 

about 10 weeks. I wanted to join 

the ambulance service because 

it’s the perfect blend of being 

out on my feet, helping people 

and really gaining that sense of 

fulfilment through science.” 

Salford Royal 

reaches huge 

milestone with 

rooftop helipad now 

complete 

purely from aluminium, including 

the support structure, and has 

been constructed with almost 

1,000 bolts, so it is able to hold 

a colossal 8600kg, the estimated 

weight of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. 

Built on top of the Greater 

Manchester Major Trauma Hospital 

“Our apprenticeship scheme is 

all about creating a pipeline of 

paramedics for the future. 

“We’ve got a great career pathway 

so we can take someone from not 

having any clinical experience to 

becoming a paramedic.” 

The award recognised that LAS 

has gone above and beyond to 

help Londoners get into highquality 

apprenticeships, paid at 

least the London Living Wage, and 

gave good support to apprentices. 

This latest award for the 

apprenticeship scheme comes hot 

on the heels of other prestigious 

awards . Earlier this year, LAS was 

ranked as the top NHS employer 

for apprenticeships in the country 

by the Department for Education – 

ahead of big name companies like 

Tesco and Amazon. 

In the last few weeks the Service 

has also won the award for 

Outstanding Initiative in Education 

or Employment in the East 

London Community Heroes 

Thanks to a £2million donation 

from the HELP Appeal, the only 

charity in the country dedicated 

to funding NHS hospital helipads, 

the construction of a state-ofthe-art 

helipad on top of the 

first standalone Major Trauma 

Hospital in the UK, at Salford 

Royal Hospital, is now complete. 

The donation, made from the 

HELP Appeal to Salford Royal 

Hospital, has funded the entire 

development of one of the first 

rooftop helipads in the country, 

with direct access to a lift down to 

on the Salford Royal Hospital 

site, the square helipad deck is 

approximately 26.4 metres squared. 

Robert Bertram, Chief Executive 

of the HELP Appeal said, 

“Hospitals and helicopters help 

to save lives. But a helipad also 

plays a key role by linking the two 

together so seriously ill patients 

can be transferred quickly and 

seamlessly to the Emergency 

Department after landing in an air 

ambulance. This is why we had no 

hesitation in making the £2million 

donation, which was only made 

the Emergency Department, saving 

possible by our supporters.” 


200 


IN PERSON 

WAS News 

Coveted award for Welsh 


The Welsh Ambulance Service won not 

one, but two prestigious awards. 

The Trust’s Emergency Communication Nurse 

System (ECNS) project team were named the 

winner of the Digital and Technology Innovation 

Award at last week’s Advancing Healthcare 

Awards Wales ceremony, while Advanced 

Paramedic Practitioner Ed Harry was highly 

commended in the Allied Health Professional of 

the Year category. 

ECNS is a new telephone consultation tool to 

help control room clinicians arrange the most 

appropriate care for 999 callers. 

Ellen Edwards, Senior Practice Educator and 

project team member, said: “It was an absolute 

honour to win the Advancing Healthcare Award 

for Digital and Technology Innovation. 

“The implementation of ECNS onto the Clinical 

Support Desk has been a challenge, with 

winter pressures, mass recruitment and a 

condensed timeline. 

“But despite all of this, the team have worked 

extremely hard, and this is a testament to that.” 

On the award, which was sponsored by 

the Welsh Government, the judging panel 

felt the ECNS project showed “workforce 

sustainability, an extremely high impact to 

patients and would be of worldwide interest.” 

Penny Durrant, Service Manager for the Clinical 

Support Desk said: “I am incredibly proud of 

all the staff that have made a contribution to us 

winning this award. 

“There have been significant changes to the 

CSD in the last 12 months with the expansion 

in clinician numbers, the introduction of the 

Mental Health Practitioners and a new way of 

working with the implementation of LowCode, 

which operates ECNS. 

“This award is evidence of the dedication 

and hard work of CSD and its continued 

commitment to service improvement and 

ultimately patient care.” 

Advanced Paramedic Practitioner Ed Harry 

was also awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the 

Allied Health Professional of the Year category. 

He said: “The only other individual who has 

been previously shortlisted from WAST for this 

award was Andy Swinburn, our Director of 

Paramedicine, so I’m just so grateful to even 

be nominated, let alone a runner-up.” 

Ed started his career as a paramedic in 2009 

and is now an APP who supports various 

projects and teams including the clinical 

support desk, APP training and ECNS, all while 

undertaking a PHD. 

Kerry Robertshaw, Professional Development 

Lead for Advanced Practice, said: “I nominated 

Ed, as his enthusiasm is infectious, and he is 

one of those people who just goes above and 

beyond. 

“He does so much incredible work in his own 

time – down to transformational projects 

that he is working on with the college of 

paramedics, to his PHD that is looking at 

the impact of Covid-19 on the health and 

wellbeing of our ambulance staff. 

“He’s really keen that our voice is remembered 

during this difficult time.” 

The Advancing Health Care Awards are held 

every year and is an opportunity to recognise 

and celebrate the important and innovative 

work of healthcare scientists and allied health 

professionals across Wales. 

News 

St John Ambulance CEO 

awarded honorary doctorate 

The University of Gloucestershire has 

conferred an Honorary Doctorate of 

Science on St John Ambulance’s Chief 

Executive, Martin Houghton-Brown. 

It’s more than 30 years since Martin started 

training to become a teacher at St Paul’s and St 

Mary’s College, and he later returned to complete 

a postgraduate certificate in biblical studies. 

Since then, he has enjoyed a series of 

influential roles and the university’s accolade 

recognises his significant career in public 

service – in particular, in the field of public 

health – together with Martin’s consistent 

commitment to helping others. 

Having joined St John at the beginning of 

2018, Martin has seen the charity through its 

biggest challenge in generations – supporting 

communities and the NHS through the 

Covid-19 pandemic. From March 2020 to this 

year, St John people have given more than 1.6 

million hours of their time, including a million 

hours from the almost 30,000 new volunteers 

recruited and trained to administer lifesaving 

vaccinations. 

“I am deeply humbled by this great honour, 

which means so much to me but is – like 

all honours – not really mine,” said Martin, 



201

IN PERSON 

whose acceptance speech focused on the 

importance of storytelling in leadership and 

enabling people to do more, achieve more, 

gain more and give more. 

“This honorary doctorate belongs to my father, 

who taught me to tell stories and is still telling 

stories at the age of 82. 

“It belongs to every volunteer who has told 

themselves ‘I will give myself the free time to 

make myself able to save a life, inspire a young 

person, or provide care for someone in need’. 

St John people tell themselves that story and, 

in doing so, they change the world and make it 

a better place. 

“This is for everyone who has ever told 

themselves a simple story, as I did many years 

ago; maybe if I just take a chance and try that 

new adventure, that new opportunity, that 

bigger challenge, I can do even more with my 

life than I had hoped. 

“At every stage in our lives it is important to 

tell stories and – more importantly – listen to 

them and I hope everyone graduating or being 

awarded other honours today gets to keep on 

doing that until they are at least 82” 

Martin received his award from the University 

of Gloucestershire’s Chancellor, Lord Michael 

Bichard, and he was joined at today’s 

ceremony in Cheltenham by his husband, 

daughters and his dad, Jeremy Houghton- 

Brown. 

“Martin always wanted to follow in his 

grandfather’s footsteps to become a doctor, 

so it is a matter of immense pride for us all that 

he is being awarded this honorary doctorate, 

in part for all he has done for healthcare,” said 

Jeremy. 

“None of us wanted to face the trials of the 

pandemic but we all know that Martin was 

exactly where he would have wanted to be, 

where he could make the biggest difference; 

with his leadership of St John Ambulance’s 

enormous contribution to the vaccination 

effort, he was again achieving remarkable 

things. 

“But from the point of view of his children – 

my grandchildren – as well as being a caring 

father, he has always sought to achieve 

his vision of progress and sustainability in 

whichever charitable organisation he worked 

for. 

“So, his honorary doctorate is a fitting 

marker by his university for his remarkable 

achievements in leading service to others.” 

WAS News 

Volunteer awarded for 

supporting others 

A Welsh Ambulance Service volunteer has 

won a Cardiff Volunteer Award. 

Roger Marshall, a Community First Responder 

(CFR), has been presented with the Volunteer 

Coordinator of the Year Award for 2022 by 

Cardiff Third Sector Council. 

The 76-year-old, who worked as a 

pharmacologist for almost 40 years, joined the 

Welsh Ambulance Service seven years ago. 

Alongside volunteering as a CFR, Roger 

has recently visited schools as part of the 

Trust’s Shoctober campaign designed to 

educate children about the importance of 

cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when 

someone is in cardiac arrest. 

He also still lectures a couple of times a 

year for the University of Cardiff’s College of 

Medicine on the accident and emergency 

course and to the dental students. 

Roger said: “I’m very grateful for this award, as 

being a CFR is so rewarding. 

“I’m not only helping people, but the role keeps 

me on my toes, and I consider myself very 

lucky that I have something like this to do. 

“I’m excited for the Cardiff-based CFR team, 

as we have some new team members who are 

fantastic. 

“I will keep volunteering as a CFR until my 

body says otherwise.” 

The Volunteer Coordinator of the Year Award 

is presented to an individual who goes above 

and beyond, supporting others to volunteer. 

Jennifer Wilson, National Volunteer Manager 

for the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “We 

are delighted Roger has received this reward 

in recognition of the dedication and care he 

provides to the people of Cardiff on behalf of 

the ambulance service. 


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IN PERSON 

“Roger is admired and respected by patients, 

volunteers and staff across the Trust, and this 

is a well-deserved award – congratulations 

Roger!” 

The ceremony was held last Thursday (17 

November) at Butetown Community Centre, 

where volunteers, community groups and 

organisations were recognised for their hard 

work and for going above and beyond to 

support everyone across Cardiff. 

News 

2022 Awards of Excellence 

winners announced 

Air Ambulances UK is pleased to announce 

the 2022 Awards of Excellence winners 

sponsored by Airbus. The annual awards 

celebrate and recognise the specialist 

lifesaving skills and commitment of those 

working tirelessly within and in support 

of the air ambulance community. Our 

Independent judging panel deliberated long 

and hard over some very difficult decisions 

due to the excellent quality of nominations. 

Simmy Akhtar, Air Ambulances UK CEO 

said “Congratulations to our 2022 Awards of 

Excellence winners. It has been wonderful to 

read and hear about all of the nominees and 

their fantastic contributions. Our independent 

judging panel had some tough decisions to 

make when selecting the winners and we 

would like to thank everyone who submitted 

their nominations. The air ambulance 

community across the UK has remained 

determined to provide the highest level of 

specialist patient care at scene despite global 

and national challenges. All the nominees in all 

categories, those shortlisted, and the winners 

are all part of one community which works 

together to be there for their local communities 

at their time of need. A huge thank you to 

all staff, volunteers and supporters in our 

innovative lifesaving community.” 

worked tirelessly to both promote and practice 

quality critical care. Her latest achievement 

came earlier this year when she became the 

first person in the country to get on the Faculty 

of Pre-Hospital Care (FPHC) Register of 

Consultant (Level 8) Practitioners by qualifying 

from a purely paramedic background. 

Since the first registration in 2015 to Vicki’s 

registration, there were only 70 on the list. 

Vicki’s achievement was covered by local and 

national press at the time. 

Every day Vicki works to achieve something 

for the good of others, whether that’s forging 

pathways for future paramedics or sharing 

her knowledge with peers and trainees. Her 

qualifications and actions always speak of 

equality, diversity and inclusion, with the aim 

of developing and providing the best possible 

care for critically ill patients, be it short term on 

scene, or long term by upskilling paramedics 

or leading on research projects. 

The Devon Air Ambulance ‘Help with all your 

Heart’ campaign was launched in Q2 of 2022 

to achieve the following objectives: 

• To raise awareness of the number of cardiac 

incidents assisted by DAA. 

• Through a county-wide survey, understand 

the key blockers for public intervention 

during a cardiac arrest. 

• Educate the public of Devon about cardiac 

arrest, the chain of survival and the 

importance of early bystander intervention. 

• Build confidence and provide reassurance 

to the public by providing free, informative 

CPR/AED training sessions across Devon 

during Q2 and Q3 by DAA crew through the 

use of hard-hitting factual and informative 

presentations and interactive training. 

• Install accessible defibrillators for public use 

at the majority of our retail shop locations 

during Q2/Q3 

• Ultimately supporting their mission to deliver 

exemplary time-critical care 

In no particular order our award winners are: 

Breaking Barriers Award 2022 

Sponsored by Airbus 

WINNER: Great Western Air Ambulance 

Charity, Vicki Brown 

Since the day Vicki joined GWAAC in 2012 as 

a Specialist Paramedic in Critical Care, she has 

Campaign of the Year 2022 

Sponsored by Lottery Fundraising Services 

WINNER: Devon Air Ambulance 



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IN PERSON 

The ‘Help with all your heart campaign’ was 

a success both within Devon Air Ambulance 

and the external, public environment. Most 

importantly in the event of a cardiac arrest, 

Devon Air Ambulance have provided the knowhow, 

reassurance and confidence to more 

people across Devon to support the ‘chain 

of survival’, ultimately the potential to save 

someone’s life. 

Charity Staff Member of the Year 2022 

WINNER: Sarita Taneja, Air Ambulance Kent 

Surrey Sussex 

Highly Commended: Joe Hughes, Great 


Sarita has worked within the KSS Community 

Fundraising Team since she joined the charity 

six years ago. During that time she has 

supported thousands of fundraisers, organised 

store collections, managed KSS’s attendance 

at fundraising events and offered fantastic 

stewardship to individuals and groups alike. 

She is an extremely strong communicator, 

proactive, enthusiastic, empathetic and very 

thoughtful, which makes her highly regarded 

by colleagues and fundraisers. 

Many patients and their families find it helps 

significantly with their recovery journey if they 

have the opportunity to engage with our crews 

who were involved in their care, so around 

three years ago, Sarita’s remit was extended to 

oversee KSS’s patient visits. She was the ideal 

candidate for this role, not only because many 

former patients and families were choosing 

to fundraise for KSS but largely because she 

is extremely personable with an exceptionally 

caring nature. She has arranged over 100 

patient visits to KSS and has helped many 

more link up to the charity. 

Charity Team of the Year 2022 

Sponsored by Sloane Helicopters 

WINNER: Devon Air Ambulance 

Devon Air Ambulance’s Community Landing 

Sites (CLS) Team, all of whom are nonclinicians, 

have saved many lives! The 

Community Landing Site team were keen to 

minimise the risks to our staff and developed 

an innovative solution that is unique within 

the UK HEMS sector. As although many 

Air Ambulance services will presurvey such 

spaces to help them reach towns and villages 

so they can land in the dark, the unique feature 

conceived, designed and delivered by our 

team is a network of Community Landing Sites 

that have remote controlled flood lighting, that 

can be activated either by the HEMS Dispatch 

Team within the ambulance control room, or 

the aircrew themselves, enabling the landing 

areas for the helicopter to be fully illuminated. 

The team’s unfaltering desire and enthusiasm, 

coordination, and collaboration with a range 

of community groups, parish councils and 

planning authorities has resulted to date in 

over 200 communities within Devon to have 

their very own floodlit Community Landing Site 

installed. 

the service launched in Northern Ireland. He 

signed up as a Club AANI member, giving a 

monthly direct debit to the service as soon as 

the scheme opened. When Air Ambulance 

Nothern Ireland first surveyed their members 

in 2020, Colin expressed an interest in 

volunteering and since then the relationship 

and his support has literally taken off! 

Highlights are that Colin 

• has become the designated event 

photographer–in the past year took photos 

at the HEMS cycle event, Belfast City 

Marathon, AANI Club Member Day, and 

AANI Supercar Sunday event to name a few. 

• has become their go-to mascot 

volunteer‘Helimed Ted’ 

• is key in assisting at many AANI fundraising 

events 

• was crucial in 2021 in AANI securing a 3 

year partnership with Translink, Northern 

Ireland’s only public transport provider of all 

trains and buses across Northern Ireland 

with a marketing and fundraising value of 

approximately £300k. 

Part of the AANI Family 

Colin has developed up a great relationship with 

the small but mighty team of 7 staff, he knows 

and is very helpful to them all. Colin regularly 

ensures he is able to be at AANI key activities, 

sometimes booking annual leave for this. He 

also is a life saver on many occasions in regard 

to practical help and support including picking 

up and dropping off fundraising materials for 

events, helping with event set up, providing 

quotes to encourage others support and also 

representing the charity at events, whether as 

himself or the mascot! 

Charity Volunteer of the Year 2022 

Sponsored by Tower Lotteries 


WINNER: Colin King, Air Ambulance Northern 

Ireland 

Highly Commended: Pino Gianniti, Great 


Colin King could genuinely be THE MOST 

passionate and committed Air Ambulance NI 

volunteer! His interest in the air ambulance 

service and charity started 5 years ago when 

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IN PERSON 

Critical Care Practitioner of the Year 2022 

Sponsored by Zoll 

WINNER: Lee Hilton, Devon Air Ambulance 

Highly Commended: Pete Appleby, Dorset & 

Somerset Air Ambulance 

Lee Hilton is an Advanced Paramedic in 

Critical Care with Devon Air Ambulance. The 

past year Lee has undertaken personal and 

organisational development, supported the 

leadership team and been instrumental is 

setting up a volunteer responder scheme with 

Devon Air Ambulance, each of which is having 

a significant impact on the quality of patient 

care. 

Inspired by Lee’s lead, several of Devon’s 

neighbouring Air Ambulance services have 

indicated they are keen to establish similar 

responder schemes in their own organisations 

and Lee has committed to sharing with them 

all his experiences and data to help these other 

services consider and develop the options for 

even more patients to be helped. 

Doctor of the Year 2022 

Sponsored by Leonardo Helicopters 

Ian has developed a fully functional critical 

care capability for the DocBike within the 

NHS governance of SWASFT. As a critical 

care asset, Ian is tasked on the DocBike by 

the regional critical care tasking desk. Within 

Dorset and Somerset, Ian volunteers his time 

to staff the DocBike, providing very frequent 

additional clinical critical care cover for the 

region and at the same time meeting with 

bikers at local events to spread the message 

of injury prevention. This model of resilience 

clinical provision mixed with primary prevention 

activity is highly innovative. 

Innovation of the Year 2022 

Sponsored by Aeroptimo 

WINNER: Essex & Herts Air Ambulance 

Essex & Herts Air Ambulance is committed 

to continuously improving patient care. Their 

critical care doctors and paramedics are highly 

skilled at adapting to unpredictable, timecritical 

situations, but they’re always looking 

at ways to raise the bar and improve existing 

skills to maximise each patient’s chances of 

survival and help them recover faster. 

The CCC Passport has since been 

incorporated into the electronic RADAR 

governance system, allowing EHAAT’s critical 

care doctors and paramedics to manage their 

portfolio of cases and procedures and track 

their progress via their smartphones. 

The CCC Passport has already positively 

impacted the wider air ambulance sector, 

with Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) 

adopting a similar system based on the CCC 

Passport concept, and Dr Tony Joy said he 

“would not be surprised” if the innovation is 

rolled out wider. 

Operations Support Staff of the Year 2022 

WINNER: Wayne Busby, Dorset and Somerset 


Highly Commended: Christine Henry, London’s 


Wayne Busby’s total dedication to the 

maintenance of our air ambulance helicopter is 

unquestionable. Often working unsociable and 

extended hours and making himself available 

for consultation whenever off-shift, Wayne 

has enabled DSAA to maintain a high level of 

service availability across the region. Due to 

his efforts, this has enabled the aircraft and 

our critical care team to attend many more lifesaving 

missions. 

Wayne’s exceptional contributions to DSAA 

through his unstinting drive and determination 

to keep their helicopter available for life saving 

missions, for as many of the shift hours as 

possible, certainly deserves recognition. The 

admirably high levels of availability achieved 

with a complicated new helicopter type, are 

due in no small part to the exemplary way he 

has dedicated his time and skill set to the task. 

WINNER: Ian Mew, Dorset and Somerset Air 

Ambulance 

Dr. Ian Mew has worked for Dorset and 

Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) for the past 

nine years. During this time he has been 

instrumental in transforming care provided 

to the very most injured in the South West 

region and he has hugely contributed to the 

development of injury prevention campaigns in 

the South West and on a national basis. 



205

IN PERSON 

Pilot of the Year 2022 

Sponsored by Safran 

WINNER: Matthew Wood, Midlands Air 


Captain Matthew Wood has worked with 

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity (MAAC) for 18 

years, for the last decade at the organisation’s 

Tatenhill airbase in Staffordshire. He has 

always demonstrated exemplary airmanship 

and should be recognised for his unfaltering 

support of the charity, the crews he works 

with and ultimately, his role in giving patients 

the very best chance of survival and good 

recovery. 

During his time with MAAC, Captain Wood has 

undertaken more than 2,300 vitally important 

air ambulance missions, helping the crews 

rapidly reach and start treatment on those 

critically ill and injured across the Midlands. 

He treats every single mission with the same 

dedication and passion. This has not only 

meant lives were saved, but hundreds of 

families have been kept together thanks to 

his diligence and commitment to helicopter 

emergency medical service (HEMS). 

serious risk of being swept into the sea. With 

the mother unwilling to leave her daughter, the 

crew were worried they could soon have two 

casualties. 

Lisa recalled: “We were sheltering behind rocks 

with waves crashing over us all. We were using 

all our strength to hold them in place, if we 

didn’t they would have been washed into the 

sea. The conditions were getting worse, no 

one would have got into that water and come 

out alive. The power of the waves would have 

thrown us against the rocks. Pete and I looked 

at each other, we work together a lot, and we 

both knew what the other was thinking. We 

couldn’t leave them.” 

Following the incident, Lisa and Pete had a 

debrief with the team from the Coastguard 

Search and Rescue who told them their 

actions that day “undoubtedly saved two 

lives”. 

Lisa said: “After the incident we did reflect on 

the situation we were in, and it does make you 

think what could have happened. But when 

you are with a good crew mate, you trust and 

support each other and remain calm- that’s 

what got us through.” 

lost her father in a road traffic collision in 

February 2019 when she was just 8. The air 

ambulance Northern Ireland team were tasked 

to Ellie’s Daddy, but sadly he could not be 

saved due to the extent of his injuries. Ellie 

has one older brother, Harry, and along with 

their mum, Caroline, the family have become 

passionate supporters of Air Ambulance NI. 

The family have attended Air Ambulance NI 

fundraising events, they have become official 

volunteers, and organised their own events. 

In the earlier years these events were led by 

Harry as the oldest of the children, however 

Ellie decided that she wanted to lead her own 

event and take more responsibility in her final 

year of primary school September 2021-June 

2022). She came up with an event that she 

wanted to take the lead on organising and 

decided to host a party in honour of what 

would have been her Dad Peter’s 50th year. 

This was because ‘he loved a party’; and so 

‘Ellie’s Ball’ was born. 

The final total equated to £16,000 being raised 

for Air Ambualnce NI, a figure that funded 

almost 3 days of the service, and likely to 

help 6 future patients – what an impact! The 

auction raised almost £9,000 of this figure from 

18 lots– a remarkable achievement for an 11 

year old! 

Special Incident of the Year 2022 

Sponsored by Ageas 

Young Person of the Year 2022 

WINNER: Cornwall Air Ambulance 


On 21st October 2021, Helimed01 was on 

route to an incident when details came through 

the ACANS system that a 22-year-old had 

fallen from a cliff after suffering a seizure. Upon 

reaching the patient they found she was lying 

face down in the water; she was unconscious 

and had a serious open head injury. Mum was 

very distressed, but indicated she was a GP 

and was able to give a clear handover. 

In less than 20 minutes, the waves were 

crashing over the ledge. The patient was at 

WINNER: Ellie Smyth, Air Ambulance Northern 

Ireland 

Highly Commended: 

Jack Jinkerson, East Anglian Air Ambulance 

Alfie Lowther, Essex & Herts Air Ambulance 

Bradley Staples, Lincs and Notts Air 


Cory Pygott, Wales Air Ambulance 

Ellie Smyth is 11 years of age and from the 

North Coast of Northern Ireland. Sadly, Ellie 

Lifetime Achievement Award 2022 

Sponsored by Specialist Aviation Services 

WINNER: Nigel Hare, Devon Air Ambulance 

2022 represents Nigel Hare’s 25th year 

involved within the Air Ambulance Helicopter 

Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) 

community. Joining Devon Air Ambulance as 

a HEMS paramedic in 1997, Nigel is one of 

the longest serving paramedics within the UK, 

if not the longest serving. During his 25 year 

career Nigel has undertaken a variety of roles, 

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IN PERSON 

operationally, in a training and development 

capacity and over the last 15 years in a senior 

leadership role. 

In his 25 years involved in air ambulances 

Nigel has developed innovative processes and 

solutions to problems not just locally but for 

the benefit of UK HEMS community. 

Chair’s Award 2022 

Patrick Peal has worked in the air ambulance 

sector for over 20 years and until last year was 

Chief Executive of East Anglian Air Ambulance. 

He drove a transformation that has undergone 

huge change and growth and achieved his 

ultimate ambition to introduce a 24/7 service, 

with the first overnight HEMS shift starting 

on his final day in post. The key to Patrick 

receiving this award surrounds his drive to 

bring together a spirit of collaboration and 

having a long-lasting positive impact in the air 

ambulance sector. 

We would like to congratulate all nominees and 

to thank the judges for their hard work when 

facing some very difficult decisions on deciding 

the shortlist and selecting the winners. 

COMPANY NEWS 

Butterfly Network 

partners with East 

Anglian Air Ambulance 

to bring the power 

of ultrasound to 

emergency assessment 

Butterfly Network has signed an 

innovative partnership with one 

of the UK’s crucial providers of 

emergency medical care. 

East Anglian Air Ambulance 

(EAAA) are working along Butterfly 

Network on the successful 

deployment of a unique 

ultrasound governance and 

education programme. 

This innovative approach will 

allow the emergency clinicians to 

assess cardiac arrest, to guide 

IV placements and provide full 

trauma ultrasound scans before 

the patients reach A&E. 

Butterfly iQ+ is a durable 

and simple-to-use handheld 

ultrasound probe which interfaces 

seamlessly with the iOS devices 

already in use by UK medics 

through an award-winning app to 

create a powerful imaging system. 

The Butterfly iQ+ allows users 

to perform quick, precise 

patient assessment in the field. 

Butterfly’s software solution, 

Compass TM , will not only help 

streamline documentation and 

quality assurance (QA), but will 

also empower this high-level unit 

to provide attestation and QA 

support for the group of critical 

care doctors and paramedics. 

The efforts of EAAA to modernise 

emergency care don’t stop 

here. The team is collaborating 

with peers from other Trusts to 

ensure the smooth and optimal 

deployment of their newlyacquired 

Butterfly iQ+ devices in a 

way that benefits both the clinical 

staff and the patients. 

In addition, by leveraging the 

custom Butterfly Cloud solution 

to track what scans have been 

collected where and when, these 

organisations will optimise their 

preparedness for emergency care 

situations over time. 

To find out more about how 

Butterfly iQ+ fits into your 

emergency medical practice, visit 

www.butterflynetwork.com/int/ 

en-uk 

Butterfly iQ+ is a Class IIa 

portable ultrasound system 

designed for ultrasound imaging by 

trained healthcare professionals. 

Carefully read and understand all 

cautions, warnings and operational 

instructions prior to use. 

The cutting-edge 

Make Ready 

software solution is 

available now! 

CSS Europe Limited - creators 

of the automated Pro-Cloud 

Ambulance platform that provides 

everything needed to manage assets, 

warehouse operations, and fleets 

of vehicles - have been further 

developing their solutions through 

the modernisation of a Make Ready 

system and mobile app. 

By working closely with industry 

experts, the system has 

successfully captured everything 

required to ensure make ready 

teams can fully digitise the way 

they work and improve efficiencies 

throughout their department and 

ambulance service. 

The tried and tested Make Ready 

system elevates patient care 

by ensuring make ready tasks 

are completed effectively and 

vehicles are ready for emergency 

call-outs as quickly as possible. 

Every component of the make 

ready process from cleaning, 

vehicle checks, and restocking 

is recorded through the app and 

updated in real-time. 

All outcomes are readily available 

on the vehicle status dashboard, 

with a full suite of management 

tools to provide a high-level 

overview of equipment shortfalls 

along with a real-time platform to 

monitor and track all vehicles as 

they make it through the Make 

Ready process. 

Radio Frequency Identification 

(RFID) technology is a key 

component of the process and 

ensures vehicle and inventory 

checks are completed as quickly 

and accurately as possible. 

We are proud to be RFID 

specialist Zebra business 

partners, meaning we can offer 

state-ofthe-art RFID equipment 

together with our Pro-Cloud 

software for an inclusive package 

that won’t only save significant 

time in the completion of the 

make ready process but will also 

save money by ensuring critical 

equipment and consumables are 

always accounted for. 

Make Ready can be used as 

a standalone system or in 

conjunction with the Pro-Cloud 

asset management solution, 

eliminating the need for various 

disjoined systems, revolutionising 

the way services manage and 

record everyday operational data. 

More information can be found 

about the make ready solution by 

visiting: https://procloud.org/ 

make-ready/ 



207

Ambulance UK December 2022

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