Ambulance UK June 2023

Volume 38 No. 3 

June 2023 

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Penthrox is indicated for the emergency relief of moderate to severe pain in conscious adult patients with trauma and associated pain. 1 

PENTHROX 99.9%, 3 ml inhalation vapour, liquid (methoxyflurane): Please 

refer to the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) before prescribing. 

Abbreviated Prescribing Information. Presentation: Each bottle of PENTHROX 

contains 3 ml of methoxyflurane 99.9%, a clear, almost colourless, volatile liquid, with 

a characteristic fruity odour. Each PENTHROX combination pack consists of one 

bottle of 3 ml PENTHROX, one PENTHROX Inhaler and one Activated Carbon (AC) 

chamber. Indications: Emergency relief of moderate to severe pain in conscious 

adult patients with trauma and associated pain. Dosage and administration: 

PENTHROX should be self-administered under supervision of a person trained in its 

administration, using the hand held PENTHROX Inhaler. It is inhaled through the 

custom-built PENTHROX inhaler. Adults: One bottle of 3 ml PENTHROX as a single 

dose, administered using the device provided. A second bottle should only be used 

where needed. The frequency at which PENTHROX can be safely used is not 

established. The following administration schedule is recommended: no more than 6 

ml in a single day, administration on consecutive days is not recommended and the 

total dose to a patient in a week should not exceed 15 ml. Onset of pain relief is 

rapid and occurs after 6-10 inhalations. Patients are able to titrate the amount of 

PENTHROX inhaled and should be instructed to inhale intermittently to achieve 

adequate analgesia. Continuous inhalation of a bottle containing 3 ml provides 

analgesic relief for up to 25-30 minutes; intermittent inhalation may provide longer 

analgesic relief. Patients should be advised to use the lowest possible dose to 

achieve pain relief. Renal impairment: Methoxyflurane may cause renal failure if the 

recommended dose is exceeded. Caution should be exercised for patients 

diagnosed with clinical conditions that would pre-dispose to renal injury. Hepatic 

impairment: Cautious clinical judgement should be exercised when PENTHROX is to 

be used more frequently than on one occasion every 3 months. Paediatric 

population: PENTHROX should not be used in children and adolescents under 18 

years. For detailed information on the method of administration refer to the SmPC. 

Contraindications: Use as an anaesthetic agent. Hypersensitivity to 

methoxyflurane, any fluorinated anaesthetic or to any of the excipients. Patients who 

are known to be or genetically susceptible to malignant hyperthermia. Patients or 

patients with a known family history of severe adverse reactions after being 

administered with inhaled anaesthetics. Patients who have a history of showing signs 

of liver damage after previous methoxyflurane use or halogenated hydrocarbon 

anaesthesia. Clinically significant renal impairment. Altered level of consciousness 

due to any cause including head injury, drugs or alcohol. Clinically evident 

cardiovascular instability. Clinically evident respiratory depression. Warnings and 

Precautions: To ensure the safe use of PENTHROX as an analgesic the lowest 

effective dose to control pain should be used and it should be used with caution in the 

elderly or other patients with known risk factors for renal disease, and in patients 

diagnosed with clinical conditions which may pre-dispose to renal injury. 

Methoxyflurane causes significant nephrotoxicity at high doses. Nephrotoxicity is 

thought to be associated with inorganic fluoride ions, a metabolic breakdown product. 

When administered as instructed for the analgesic indication, a single dose of 3 ml 

methoxyflurane produces serum levels of inorganic fluoride ions below 10 micromol/l. 

In the past when used as an anaesthetic agent, methoxyflurane at high doses caused 

significant nephrotoxicity, which was determined to occur at serum levels of 

inorganic fluoride ions greater than 40 micromol/l. Nephrotoxicity is also related to the 

rate of metabolism. Factors that increase the rate of metabolism such as drugs that 

induce hepatic enzymes can increase the risk of toxicity with methoxyflurane as well 

as sub-groups of people with genetic variations that may result in fast metaboliser 

status. Methoxyflurane is metabolised in the liver, therefore increased exposures in 

patients with hepatic impairment can cause toxicity. PENTHROX should be used with 

care in patients with underlying hepatic conditions or with risks for hepatic dysfunction. 

Previous exposure to halogenated hydrocarbon anaesthetics (including 

methoxyflurane when used as an anaesthetic agent), especially if the interval is less 

than 3 months, may increase the potential for hepatic injury. Potential effects on 

blood pressure and heart rate are known class-effects of high-dose methoxyflurane 

used in anaesthesia and other anaesthetics. Caution is required with use in the 

elderly due to possible reduction in blood pressure. Potential CNS effects such as 

sedation, euphoria, amnesia, ability to concentrate, altered sensorimotor coordination 

and change in mood are known class-effects. The possibility of CNS 

effects may be seen as a risk factor for potential abuse, however reports are very rare 

in post-marketing use. Respiratory depression has also been reported with analgesic 

doses. Respiration should be monitored due to the risk of respiratory depression and 

hypoxia. PENTHROX is not appropriate for providing relief of break-through pain/ 

exacerbations in chronic pain conditions or for the relief of trauma related pain in 

closely repeated episodes for the same patient. PENTHROX contains the excipient, 

butylated hydroxytoluene (E321) which may cause local skin reactions (e.g. contact 

dermatitis), or irritation to the eyes and mucous membranes. To reduce occupational 

exposure to methoxyflurane, the PENTHROX Inhaler should always be used with the 

AC Chamber which adsorbs exhaled methoxyflurane. Multiple use of PENTHROX 

Inhaler without the AC Chamber creates additional risk. Elevation of liver enzymes, 

blood urea nitrogen and serum uric acid have been reported in exposed maternity 

ward staff when methoxyflurane was used in the past at the time of labour and 

delivery. There have been reports of non-serious and transient reactions such as 

dizziness, headache, nausea or malaise, and reports of hypersensitivity reactions to 

methoxyflurane or other ingredients in healthcare professionals exposed to 

PENTHROX. Measurements of exposure levels to methoxyflurane in hospital staff 

showed levels significantly lower than those associated with nephrotoxicity. 

Interactions: Methoxyflurane is metabolised by the CYP 450 enzymes, particularly 

CYP 2E1, CYP 2B6 and to some extent CYP 2A6. It is possible that enzyme inducers 

(such as alcohol or isoniazid for CYP 2E1 and phenobarbital or rifampicin for CYP 

2A6 and carbamazepine, efavirenz, rifampicin or nevirapine for CYP 2B6) which 

increase the rate of methoxyflurane metabolism might increase its potential toxicity 

and they should be avoided concomitantly with methoxyflurane. Concomitant use of 

methoxyflurane with medicines (e.g. contrast agents and some antibiotics) which are 

known to have a nephrotoxic effect should be avoided as there may be an additive 

effect on nephrotoxicity; tetracycline, gentamicin, colistin, polymyxin B and 

amphotericin B have known nephrotoxic potential. Sevoflurane anaesthesia should 

be avoided following methoxyflurane analgesia, as sevoflurane increases serum 

fluoride levels and methoxyflurane nephrotoxicity is associated with raised serum 

fluoride. Concomitant use of PENTHROX with CNS depressants, such as opioids, 

sedatives or hypnotics, general anaesthetics, phenothiazines, tranquillisers, skeletal 

Reference: 1. Penthrox UK Summary of Product Characteristics. March 2023. 

Adverse events should be reported. Reporting forms and information can be found at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard. Adverse events should also be reported to Galen Limited on 028 3833 4974 and select 

the customer services option, or e-mail customer.services@galen-pharma.com. Medical information enquiries should also be directed to Galen Limited. 

muscle relaxants, sedating antihistamines and alcohol may produce additive 

depressant effects. If opioids are given concomitantly with PENTHROX, the patient 

should be observed closely. When methoxyflurane was used for anaesthesia at the 

higher doses of 40–60 ml, there were reports of drug interaction with hepatic enzyme 

inducers (e.g. barbiturates) increasing metabolism of methoxyflurane and resulting in 

a few reported cases of nephrotoxicity; reduction of renal blood flow and hence 

anticipated enhanced renal effect when used in combination with drugs (e.g. 

barbiturates) reducing cardiac output; and class effect on cardiac depression, which 

may be enhanced by other cardiac depressant drugs, e.g. intravenous practolol 

during cardiac surgery. Fertility, pregnancy and lactation: No clinical data on 

effects of methoxyflurane on fertility are available. Studies in animals have shown 

reproduction toxicity. As with all medicines care should be exercised when 

administered during pregnancy especially the first trimester. There is insufficient 

information on the excretion of methoxyflurane in human milk. Caution should be 

exercised when methoxyflurane is administered to a nursing mother. Effects on 

ability to drive and use machines: Methoxyflurane may have a minor influence on 

the ability to drive and use machines. Patients should be advised not to drive or 

operate machinery if they are feeling drowsy or dizzy. Undesirable effects: The 

common non-serious reactions are CNS type reactions such as dizziness and 

somnolence and are generally easily reversible. Serious dose-related nephrotoxicity 

has only been associated with methoxyflurane when used in large doses over 

prolonged periods during general anaesthesia. The following adverse drug reactions 

have either been observed in PENTHROX clinical trials in analgesia, with analgesic 

use of methoxyflurane following post-marketing experience or are linked to 

methoxyflurane use in analgesia found in post-marketing experience and in scientific 

literature (refer to the SmPC for further details): Very common (≥1/10): dizziness; 

common (≥1/100 to

CONTENTS 

CONTENTS 

Ambulance UK 

68 EDITOR’S COMMENT 

71 FEATURES 

71 D13 police officers providing enhanced medical care: 

A comparison of Metropolitan and Semi-rural forces in 

2021 

76 NEWSLINE 

92 IN PERSON 

94 COMPANY NEWS 

This issue edited by: 

Sam English 

c/o Media Publishing Company 

Greenoaks, Lockhill 

Upper Sapey, Worcester, WR6 6XR 

ADVERTISING: 

Terry Gardner, Samantha Marsh 

CIRCULATION: 

Media Publishing Company 

Greenoaks, Lockhill 


Tel: 01886 853715 

E: info@mediapublishingcompany.com 

www.ambulanceukonline.com 

PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY: 

February, April, June, August, 

October, December 

COVER STORY 

COPYRIGHT: 

Media Publishing Company 

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factory 

VCS, the UK’s leading manufacturer of emergency services vehicles, have invested more 

Greenoaks 

Lockhill 


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than £5 million in a new manufacturing facility for ambulances, police, and specialist 

vehicle conversions in Bradford. The new factory ensures the UK’s supply of world-class 

emergency vehicles by creating the country’s largest dedicated manufacturing facility and 

trebling VCS’s previous production capacity to nearly 1500 vehicles annually. 

The Bradford-based company, which started with fi ve staff members in 2009, will have 

the capacity to grow its workforce to more than 150 owing to the new facility. Meanwhile, 

a dedicated training academy within the new site means that the company can recruit 

more local people without emergency services sector experience, providing a further 

boost to the local community. 

The new facility helps future-proof the UK’s emergency services fl eet, with a new 

dedicated R&D facility that doubles its engineering capability. This builds upon the 

company’s reputation for creating the lightest vehicle conversions available – in turn 

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PUBLISHERS STATEMENT: 

The views and opinions expressed in 

this issue are not necessarily those of 

the Publisher, the Editors or Media 

Publishing Company. 

Next Issue August 2023 

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67 

8:23

EDITOR’S COMMENT 

EDITOR’S COMMENT 

Welcome to this issue of AUK. 


“The pay rises 

implemented 

hardly fi t 

the bill, and 

I fear there 

is a real 

danger that 

recruitment 

and retention 

in the NHS 

will be 

adversely 

affected.” 

Well, I’m offi cially retired and just to indulge myself a little, I’m going to begin by considering how the 

ambulance service has evolved since I started some 35 years ago. Does anyone remember the arrival of 

defi brillators on the ambulance? At the time a revolution, complete with a walkman recorder to ensure 

that you used it absolutely by rote. Consider that now we are delivering them remotely by drone and the 

progress can easily be seen. The Paramedic syllabus was contained in a little red book, now there are so 

many more skills and knowledge requirements no-one goes on duty without JRCALC on their smart phone. 

There were few medicines, pain relief was limited to entonox and the most diffi cult skill was strapping 

someone into a Neil Robertson, now paramedics regularly administer advanced drugs and perform life 

saving surgical interventions. I’m proud to have been on that journey and continue to follow with interest the 

changes to come. 

Summer is apparently here, well as near as we get in Lancashire, I’m guessing most of you are looking 

forward to holidays and time with family or friends. It can be a great time but at the same time stressful with 

the price increases we have seen across all aspects of life. The pay rises implemented hardly fi t the bill, and 

I fear there is a real danger that recruitment and retention in the NHS will be adversely affected. I wonder 

how many of todays Paramedic cohort will be around for the next 30 years. Given the high demands, both 

practical and mental, I suspect that many will move on to different pastures and that there will be far fewer 

retiring in the future, especially since the current NHS retirement age continues to increase. Maybe, like 

many of my peers, I have seen the golden age of the ambulance service. Whatever the future brings, I hope 

the summer will deliver you all a well earned break. As for me, I’m looking for a job… 

Sam English, Co-Editor Ambulance UK 

Publishers Statement 

For nearly 40 years, thanks to trade support, we have been able to provide Ambulance UK FREE OF 

CHARGE in the knowledge that those receiving our dedicated bi monthly publication enjoy having 

something to read during their free time however, return on investment seems to be the buzz word 

amongst Ambulance Service Suppliers these days, therefore if you enquire about a product advertised, 

please mention Ambulance UK as it will help us confi rm to the trade that we are reaching the right 

people and providing advertisers with value for money. In respect of our current edition we would like 

to thank the following companies for their support as without their contribution towards our print and 

postal costs this issue would not have been published - Bluelight UK, DS Medical, Eberspaecher, 

EVS, Ferno, Galen, Intersurgical, Ortus Medical, Synergy, VCS, Vimpex, Webasto. 

Terry Gardner 

Publisher 

68 

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70

FEATURE 

D13 POLICE OFFICERS PROVIDING 

ENHANCED MEDICAL CARE: 

A COMPARISON OF METROPOLITAN AND 

SEMI-RURAL FORCES IN 2021 

J Kilmartin 1 , FJ Hall 2 

Abstract 

Introduction: In 2010 the National Police Firearms Training Curriculum 

introduced the D13 (Medical) module. This enables officers in specialist 

roles, including Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs) and Public Support 

Unit (PSU) officers, to provide life-saving medical care as first on-scene. 

The level of care they provide is above that of regular police officers. 

These encounters are recorded on electronic Patient Report Forms (PRFs) 

enabling post-incident appraisal and audit. 

Aim: To compare medical encounters between 2 metropolitan and 2 

semi-rural police forces and identify key differences, both in the patient 

burden and care provided. 

Methods: An observational study was undertaken to include PRFs 

from 4 police forces (City of London Police, West Midlands Police, West 

Mercia Police, Warwickshire Police) from 2021. Data were extracted 

including: patient demographics, incident details, injuries, observations, 

interventions, and outcomes. The data were analysed comparing PRFs 

from metropolitan areas (City of London and West Midlands) to semi-rural 

areas (West Mercia and Warwickshire). 

Results: 278 PRFs were analysed. Semi-rural forces (n=125) had a 

median scene time of 58 minutes, 20 minutes longer than metropolitan 

forces (n=153). Dual crewed ambulance was the most common method 

of transport for both groups. Metropolitan forces had a significantly higher 

proportion of penetrating injuries (43%) than semi-rural (20%) (p

FEATURE 

Crime rates and epidemiology of medical incidents vary across the 

country (4), yet the impact of geographical location on D13 officers’ 

workload is not well documented in the literature. The aim of this paper 

is to identify differences in the incidents attended by D13 officers in 

semi-rural and metropolitan areas. 

Methods 

An observational study was undertaken. PRFs from 1st January to 

31st December 2021 were collected from 4 police forces: City of 

London Police (CoL), West Midlands Police (WMP), Warwickshire Police 

(Warwks), and West Mercia Police (WMer). 

Data from all aspects of the form were collected, including patient 

demographics, mechanism of injury, suspected injuries, findings and 

interventions during A to E assessment. PRFs include a free text box, 

the contents of which were used to help complete omissions in tick 

box areas of the form. Data from the 2 metropolitan services (CoL and 

WMP) were compared to data from the 2 semirural services (Warwks 

and WMer). 

The data were collected and analysed in Microsoft Excel. Continuous 

data were summarised using median averages, and statistical analysis 

was undertaken using a Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical data were 

summarised using percentage rates, and statistical analysis was done 

using a Chi-squared test. A p-value

FEATURE 

Mechanism of Injury (MOI) 

Metropolitan D13 officers dealt with more cases of penetrating trauma 

(43%) compared to semi-rural services (20%) (P

FEATURE 

EMS to transport said patients sooner. Metropolitan AFOs were more 

likely to be supported by regular response officers who could take over 

patient responsibility of stable patients when AFOs were redeployed 

urgently elsewhere. This is also reflected in the higher rates of firearms 

deployments for metropolitan officers at 29% versus 3%, which is in 

keeping with national statistics (2). Nationally, rural police response 

times are slower than urban (7-10), and so this backup may arrive later 

resulting in longer on-scene times in cases where D13 officers were 

waiting to redeploy. 

Penetrating trauma disproportionately affected metropolitan areas, 

most notably WMP. This correlates with the WMP having the highest 

national rates of Possession of Weapon offences (11). This contrasted 

with the higher proportions of medical and mental health associated 

incidents experienced by semi-rural forces. The D13 module has 

a significant focus on Trauma compared to medical or psychiatric 

pathologies (3). 

Metropolitan officers were more frequently faced with life threatening 

traumatic injuries such as external catastrophic haemorrhage and 

penetrating chest trauma. Officers were confident in applying chest 

seals where indicated, although there are inconsistencies in the results 

for number of chest wounds versus chest seal/Nightingale Dressing TM 

usage. Also, chest seals were not always used on penetrating 

chest trauma due to other issues taking precedence, such as 

ongoing catastrophic haemorrhage or management of scene safety. 

Abdominopelvic wounds were not always easily amenable to field 

dressings, and so officers sometimes used a Nightingale Dressing TM as 

an alternative to minimise further contamination of an abdominopelvic 

wound. 

It would be challenging to apply the metropolitan/semi-rural categories 

to all police forces in the UK, and so the wider generalisability of 

these results is difficult to comment on. Furthermore, this report 

includes PRFs from a mixture of firearms and PSU officers in unequal 

proportions and does not analyse PRFs by the type of officer 

attending, the ratios of which vary regionally. AFOs are more likely to 

attend incidents involving knives and firearms, although there were 

some instances of PSU officers managing stab wounds. 

Some PRFs contained accounts from officers stating scene safety 

concerns detracted from the medical care they were trying to provide. 

Particularly true for AFOs, officers can find themselves in circumstances 

where they must choose between stopping and treating a casualty 

versus dealing with an ongoing threat. Increasing a police officer’s 

medical skill set can further polarise this issue and leave officers at risk 

from moral injury. Increasing the level of care that officers are able to 

provide patients is a positive change, however it should not detract from 

their primary role as police officers. This is where drop bags and zero 

responders have an important role to play. Drop bags enable officers 

to provide the necessary basic life-saving equipment to bystanders, 

empowering them to become a zero responder and deliver immediate 

care, while the officers manage the ongoing threat before returning 

to the patient if appropriate. The 2017 Manchester Arena attack is an 

example of where drop bags would have been particularly useful (13), 

and they are being introduced to some forces. 

Limitations 

There are some limitations to this study. Although the 4 police forces are 

divided into metropolitan and semi-rural categories, there is overlap in 

the regions covered by each force; metropolitan forces have rural areas 

and vice versa. 

In some instances, there was a poor standard of PRF completion with 

omissions in certain intervention tick boxes, only for the intervention to 

then be described in the free text box. 

Furthermore, it was not always clear when EMS services arrived. 

Therefore there was sometimes ambiguity surrounding whether the 

inventions indicated on the PRF were carried out by EMS or by police, 

or whether interventions were omitted from the PRF by officers because 

they did not carry them out or EMS carried them out instead – this 

overlap was not always clearly defined. 

It is assumed that all medical incidents attended by D13 officers in the 4 

police force regions in 2021 were recorded on PRFs and that there were 

no omitted incidents. 

A 


Further to these differences in job roles, there is also variation in the 

level of medical training. The standards of medical training are defined 

in Clinical Skills for Police Officers in Specialist Roles, a document 

published by the Faculty of Prehospital Care (12). Medical training 

is detailed in a modular format, from Module 1 (basic life support) to 

Module 5 (Enhanced First Aid skills, equivalent to enhanced D13). 

Module 2 is the minimum standard nationally for all officers. However, 

the standard to which a police officer in a given role is trained can differ 

nationally too. Analysis of how skill set versus interventions delivered 

might account for some of the differences observed in this report. 

Module 5 training is not limited to AFOs and PSU officers. Some forces 

train officers in other specialist roles to Module 5 level, such as traffic 

and surveillance officers. Such is the increasing burden of assaults and 

penetrating trauma in rural areas that roads policing units are often 

first on-scene. Traffic officers have a role to play in managing trauma 

patients from RTCs too, and so it follows that they might benefit from 

this enhanced level of medical training. 

Conclusion 

Metropolitan forces face a different patient burden compared to semirural 

forces. Metropolitan forces experience higher rates of penetrating 

trauma, mostly due to stab wounds, and subsequently higher rates of 

extremity catastrophic haemorrhage and penetrating chest wounds. 

Semi-rural forces have longer on-scene times and are more likely to 

use resources other than a DCA to transport their patients. Semi-rural 

forces also have higher proportions of medical and mental health-related 

incidents. 

Region-specific training with specific emphases could better prepare 

D13 officers, particularly in areas relating to medical and mental health 

incidents. However, officers need to be able to manage a wide range of 

issues and so this should not detract from their trauma training. Officers 

may also benefit from further guidance regarding patient transport and 

continued collaborative training with EMS. 

74 

For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com

FEATURE 

Declaration of conflicting interests 

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the 

research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. 

Funding 

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, 

and/or publication of this article. 

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ending March 2020 [internet]. 2020 Sep [accessed 2022 Oct 25]. 

Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/knifeandoffensive-weapon-sentencing-statistics-year-ending-march-2020 

2. GOV.UK. Police use of firearms statistics, England and Wales: April 2020 

to March 2021 [internet]. 2021 July [accessed 2022 Oct 25]. Available 

from: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-use-offirearmsstatistics-england-and-wales-april-2020-to-march-2021/police-use-offirearms-statistics-england-and-walesapril-2020-to-march-2021 

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peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/ 

crimeinenglandandwales/yeareyearendingsept2021 

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uk/publication/theambulance-response-programme-review/ 

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essex.police.uk/foi-ai/essex-police/ourpolicies-and-procedures/d/ 

d0503-procedure---respondingto-incidents/ 

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25]. Available from: https://www.northyorkshirepfcc.gov.uk/content/ 

uploads/2021/08/Performance-Report-Police-Operational-and- 

FCR-Final-July-2021.pdf 

9. Northumbria Police. 999 response times [internet]. 2019 Nov 

[accessed 2022 Oct 25]. Available from: https://beta.northumbria. 

police.uk/about-us/publicationsand-documents/accessinginformation/disclosurelog/other/999-response-times-106318/ 

10. Suffolk Constabulary. Police Response Policy [internet]. No date 

[accessed 2022 Oct 25]. Available from: https://www.suffolk.police. 

uk/contact-us/police-responsepolicy 

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crimeandjustice/datasets/policeforceareadatatabpol 

12. Faculty of Pre-hospital Care. Clinical material for police officers in 

specialist role. 2019. 

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Nov 11]. Available from: https://files.manchesterarenainquiry.org.uk/live/ 

uploads/2022/11/03142014/MAI-Volume-2-Large-Format-ia-ib-ic-ii.pdf 

A WORLD OF COMFORT 

CLIMATE CONTROLLED HEALTHCARE 

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NEWSLINE 

SECAMB 

SECAmb to trial 

fully electric Single 

Responder Vehicles 

South East Coast Ambulance 

Service NHS Foundation Trust, 

(SECAmb), is to trial three 

fully-electric vehicles as part 

of its plans to reduce carbon 

emissions and introduce zeroemission 

vehicles on to its fleet. 

The trial, part of NHS England’s 

Zero Emission Electric Vehicle 

(ZEEV) Pathfinder project, will see 

SECAmb funded to take delivery 

of three Mercedes-Benz e-Vito 

vehicles after they are converted 

to the Trust’s specifications later 

this year. 

The Single Responder Vehicles 

(SRVs) will initially be based out of 

three Trust sites where heavy-duty 

vehicle chargers are installed – 

Polegate, Thanet and Gatwick. 

The chargers will be able to 

charge the vehicles in as little as 

30 minutes. 

As charging infrastructure is 

developed across the Trust’s 

sites, it is hoped the vehicles will 

be tested in other areas to gather 

wider feedback from staff. 

In addition to its traditional 

ambulances, SECAmb currently 

operates a fleet of 118 SRVs, 

which is made up of a majority of 

diesel vehicles as well as 15 hybrid 

petrol Mitsubishi Outlanders. 

As part of the ZEEV Pathfinder 

project, and alongside other 

ambulance services trials, the 

Trust will provide feedback to NHS 

England and gather information 

on the use of the vehicles for 

future developments. 

The announcement comes ahead 

of Earth Day this weekend which 

encourages everyone to take steps 

to reduce their carbon footprint. 

SECAmb is committed to actively 

working to reduce carbon 

emissions and implementing zero 

emission vehicles on to its Fleet 

as part of its long-term Green 

Plan. 

SECAmb Executive Director 

of Planning and Business 

Development, David Ruiz-Celada 

said: “I am really pleased that we 

will be trialling these new vehicles 

which will help us establish how 

we can start to establish how 

they best fit operationally into our 

existing fleet. 

“As an organisation with a 

significant carbon footprint, 

we are committed to doing 

everything we can to reduce 

it. I am pleased that many staff 

are enthused about what they 

can do at an individual level but 

recognise that SECAmb as an 

organisation must play a large 

part in reducing the impact of the 

vital service we provide has on 

the environment.” 

SAS Air Ambulance 

Service celebrates 

90th birthday 

The Scottish Ambulance 

Service Air Ambulance 

is celebrating 90 years 

of providing vital lifesaving 

services to some of 

Scotland’s most remote and 

rural locations. 

The first air ambulance mission 

was on May 14 1933 when a 

fisherman was evacuated to 

Glasgow from the Isle of Islay. 

There were several other flights 

that year, and in the years that 

followed. 

Now 90 years later and fully 

funded in its entirety by the 

Scottish Government, the 

Service provides air ambulance 

support to both urban and rural 

communities across Scotland, 

as well as supporting the 

ScotSTAR retrieval teams – 

such as SAS’s neonatal, EMRS 

and Paediatric Teams - and 

responding to 999 calls in a 

Helicopter Emergency Medical 

Service (HEMS) role. 


76 


NEWSLINE 

A national multi-disciplinary team 

of paramedics, nurses, advanced 

practitioners, and doctors work 

together to provide health care to 

all areas of Scotland. 

For the year 2022/23, air 

ambulance crews attended 4185 

incidents - an increase compared 

to the previous year (2021/22) of 

3,924 incidents and 3076 the year 

before. 

Scottish Ambulance Service Chief 

Executive Pauline Howie said: 

“The Air Ambulance Service is a 

vital lifeline for communities across 

Scotland and 90s years of caring 

for patients across Scotland is an 

amazing milestone. 

“I’d like to thank all those Air 

Ambulance staff who have served 

patients over these years, and all 

those current staff who continue 

to provide the very best care 

to patients, often in the most 

challenging of circumstances. 

“The air ambulance network 

ensures the very best health care 

to remote and rural communities, 

carrying our routine transfers, 

attending emergencies, and 

assisting with paediatrics and 

neonates and their families.” 

The service is delivered 

through a managed contract 

of two helicopters; one 

based in Glasgow and one 

in Inverness and two fi xed 

wing aircraft; one at Aberdeen 

Airport and one at Glasgow 

Airport. In addition to the four 

government funded aircraft, 

the service is supplemented 

by two helicopters provided 

by Scotland’s Charity Air 

Ambulance (SCAA). 

While the fi rst fl ight took place 

on 14 May 1933, the Scottish Air 

Ambulance Service only became 

recognised as a public service 

in 1948 following the creation 

of the UK National Health 

Service. Until then, the hire of an 

ambulance aircraft was a private 

arrangement between patient 

and airline. 

Recently, the Air Ambulance 

launched a re-procurement 

consultation, providing an 

opportunity for the public to 

help shape the future of the 

Air Ambulance Service. The 

consultation has welcomed 

responses from more than 1,500 

patients, members of the public, 

healthcare professionals and 

stakeholders groups. 

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77

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NWAS 

Cycle Response 

Ride the Streets of 

Liverpool 

Mounted and ready, our cycle 

response team were part of 

increased presence in the 

city where up to 180,000 

visitors flowed through each 

day to enjoy the event. With 

increased support from area 

ambulance crews across the 

region, our cycle responders 

were a great addition to 

ensure effective emergency 

support was available for 

those who may need it. 

Jay Vernon, Paramedic and 

Cycle Response Lead for 

Cheshire and Merseyside at 

NWAS, said: “Responding 

on a pedal bike allows a 

unique opportunity to access 

places around our city that 

vehicles cannot. They have 

the advantage of speed and 

can regularly beat vehicle 

ambulances to incidents as 

certain highway restrictions do 

not apply to cyclists, allowing 

them to get to patients, and 

treat them, as quickly as 

possible. This was especially 

beneficial during Eurovision 

as we faced temporary road 

closures and huge numbers of 

visitors across the city.” 

This is the first time in several 

years that the cycle response 

team have been stationed in 

Liverpool, paving the way for 

future presence in the area. 

Matt Calderbank, Sector 

Manager for Cheshire and 

Merseyside North said: “It’s 

been a real success in terms 

of patient care and the support 

from the public has been great. 

We would like to see the cycle 

team out and about more often 

in the future.” 

Jay continued: “The people 

in and around the city were 

really supportive of seeing 

paramedics on pedal bikes 

working collaboratively with 

other emergency services to 

ensure everyone was safe 

during the event. As always 

with the weather, it certainly 

didn’t dampen the spirits both 

in official event locations and 

around the city.” 

Contact us for further 

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78 


NEWSLINE 

WAS 

Welsh Ambulance 

Service unveils hightech 

additions to 

fleet 

The Welsh Ambulance Service 

has unveiled more high-tech 

additions to its fleet. The new 

vehicles have taken pride of place 

in the Trust’s Non-Emergency 

Patient Transport Service, which 

takes people to and from their 

routine hospital appointments 

and discharges people home 

after a stay in hospital. 

The latest features include USB 

ports, patient call buttons and 

entertainment systems to improve 

the experience of those on board. 

The vehicles also boast dementiafriendly 

flooring, blinds and colour 

schemes, while improved safety 

features like seatbelt warning 

systems, CCTV and driver assistance 

systems now come as standard. 

Mark Harris, the Trust’s Assistant 

Director of Ambulance Care, said: 

“The non-emergency arm of our 

service is all about transporting 

people to and from their 

appointments, so having the best 

possible vehicles is really important 

to delivering that service. 

“We’re immensely proud of 

the new additions to our fleet, 

which are the result of a fantastic 

collaboration of colleagues from 

across the business, including 

Fleet, Finance, Operations and 

Trade Union partners. 

Among the new additions is a 

Toyota RAV4 self-charging hybrid 

car, a custom Ford Transit small 

ambulance and two refreshed 

Renault Masters to cater for 

wheelchair users and patients 

requiring a stretcher. 

The majority of vehicles are 

speed-limited to improve fuel 

consumption, and almost all 

vehicles in the 270-strong 

non-emergency fleet have been 

installed with solar panels to 

minimise the need for mains 

charging. 

David Holmes, Fleet Manager, 

said: “Modern ambulance vehicles 

are essential in order that we 

can continue to provide the 

best possible experience for our 

patients. 

“These vehicles make for an 

exciting addition to our expanding 

fleet, and we look forward to 

rolling them out across Wales.” 

Chris Turley, Executive Director 

for Finance and Corporate 

Resources, added: “The 

modernisation of our fleet is a 

piece of work which never stops. 

“The new features of these 

vehicles are without a doubt 

impressive, but what’s as 

important to us is their improved 

efficiency. 

“As Wales’ national ambulance 

service spread over an area of 

8,000 square miles, lowering 

our emissions and reducing our 

carbon footprint is something 

we’re very committed to. 

New handrails make it easier for 

patients to get on and off the vehicle, 

and new tail lifts mean crews no 

longer need to push patients up a 

ramp, reducing the risk of injury. 

“Not only will the new vehicles 

improve the experience of our staff 

and patients, but they’re helping to 

support our decarbonisation agenda 

by driving down CO2 emissions.” 

“They’re also important for staff 

who can spend hours at a time 

during the course of a shift 

operating and driving in these 

vehicles. 

“With demand on our service 

increasing year-on-year, it’s more 

important than ever to have a fleet 

which literally keeps the wheels 

turning on our ambulance service.” 


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

79

NEWSLINE 

Essex & Herts Air 

Ambulance taking 

steps to a greener 

future 

To coincide with Earth Day on 

Saturday the 22nd April, Essex 

& Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) 

released some of the data 

around the work it is doing on 

sustainability. 

Important for the life-saving 

charity is its commitment, to make 

the very best choices for the 

environment, its people, and the 

community. And for the last five 

years, EHAAT has been working 

to assess sustainability across 

the whole organisation, identifying 

new opportunities to further 

reduce its environmental impact. 

This work has been carried out in 

conjunction with Carbon Footprint 

Ltd who, in its most recent 

Carbon Footprint Appraisal report, 

has concluded that the charity has 

achieved a reduction of 21.2% in 

absolute emissions. This means 

that EHAAT has qualified to use 

the Carbon Footprint Standard 

branding on all its marketing 

materials, to demonstrate 

its carbon management 

achievements. 

A pivotal part of the reduction 

attained is down to the 

construction of EHAAT’s new 

airbase at North Weald, which 

was completed in February 

2021. It was designed with 

environmental considerations as 

a priority and achieved an energy 

performance certificate (EPC) 

grading of A, the highest possible. 

The results with regard to electricity 

costs for the new 24/7 building 

are impressive. This is put down 

to the fact that the new airbase 

went above and beyond the 

required building regulations, with 

additional initiatives incorporated 

that included the installation of 

photovoltaic (PV) panels on the 

roof, motion sensor lighting inside 

the building, and an all-electric 

heating and cooling system. 

Yet for EHAAT, sustainability is not 

just isolated to North Weald, it is 

also being carried across to its 

sister airbase at Earls Colne, as 

well as spreading out through its 

clinical and retail operations. 

For instance, two out of the fleet 

of four rapid response vehicles 

are now plug-in hybrid vehicles, 

and the order is in for two further 

vehicles to ensure the fleet is totally 

hybrid within the next few months. 

Also, EHAAT’s nine charity shops 

across the region, as well as its 

donation centre in Stevenage 

provide a sustainable and ethical 

option when people dispose of 

unwanted goods, promoting reuse 

and recycling to reduce landfill 

and make a positive difference to 

the UK’s carbon footprint. 

As well as electric vehicle 

charging points at both airbases 

and charity headquarters at Earls 

Colne, additional steps have 

been implemented to improve 

waste segregation and recycling. 

The Earls Colne airbase is also 

benefiting from PV panels on the 

roof, and a new electric eco boiler 

heating system. 

Cliff Gale is Special Projects 

Adviser for the charity, with one 

of his remits being managing 

sustainability. 

He said: “As primarily a helicopter 

operator, there is no getting away 

from the fact that we are a carbon 

hungry operation, especially when 

it comes to fuel. However, we are 


80 


NEWSLINE 

doing everything we can to help 

mitigate our environmental impact, 

reduce our carbon footprint and 

carry out measures for carbon 

offsetting, such as planting trees. 

We are also monitoring closely 

future innovations, such as the 

development of sustainable 

aircraft fuel. 

“There has been a whole shift 

change here at EHAAT from top 

to bottom, and we are looking to 

our future. Sustainability is now 

a standing item on our Board 

meeting agenda, and the fact that 

I have been appointed to this new 

role is testament to the charity’s 

commitment to drive forward on 

its aim to be as carbon neutral as 

possible.” 

To find out more or to donate, 

visit www.ehaat.org. To request 

a copy of the Carbon Footprint 

Appraisal report, please email 

caroline.griffin@ehaat.org. 

EEAST 

EEAST re-signs 

Armed Forces 

Covenant 

EEAST has reinforced its 

commitment to improving care 

for members of the Armed 

Forces Community including 

reservists and veterans by 

signing up once again to the 

Armed Forces Covenant. 

EEAST was one of the first 

organisations in the UK to sign up 

to the covenant in 2016 and was 

only the second ambulance trust 

to receive formal accreditation. 

The covenant is a formal 

commitment to ensuring members 

of the armed forces community 

are never disadvantaged through 

service life, EEAST ensures 

care, training staff on veteranspecific 

needs, and employment 

opportunities are embedded 

throughout the Trust. 

EEAST Chief Executive Tom 

Abell said: “In addition to 

supporting members of the 

armed forces – past and present 

– in the community, the trust 

also employs a large number of 

veterans and reservists, across 

a range of disciplines within the 

organisation, so renewing our 

commitment to the covenant 

is a way of recognising the 

contributions they make to 

EEAST every day.” 

Kristina Carrington, Regional 

Employer Engagement Director 

for the MOD said: ‘it’s great 

to see EEAST reinforcing their 

commitment to the Armed Forces 

Community as they look to 

revalidate their Defence Employer 

Recognition Gold Award’. 

EEAST Chief Executive Tom Abell signing the covenant with 

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NEWSLINE 


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NEWSLINE 

WAS 


Service introduces 

fast-acting new pain 

relief 


has introduced a new type 

of emergency pain relief for 

patients. 

Methoxyfl urane, or Penthrox, is a 

fast-acting drug used to reduce 

pain in patients with a traumatic 

injury like a fracture, dislocation, 

severe laceration or burns. 

The inhaled analgesic can be 

administered by all grades of 

clinicians, including Paramedics, 

Emergency Medical Technicians 

and Urgent Care Assistants. 

Volunteer Community First 

Responders are also being 

trained to administer the drug in 

a UK ambulance service fi rst. 

Paula Jeffery, Consultant 

Paramedic for the Trust, said: 

“We are committed to delivering 

the very best care to patients, 

and Penthrox is another tool in 

our drug box to do this. 

“The nature of trauma means 

that patients can present in 

extreme pain, so rapid and 

effective pain relief is an 

important part of making them 

more comfortable. 

Penthrox from next week. 

Andy Swinburn, Director of 

Paramedicine, said: “We’re 

delighted to have introduced 

Penthrox into our suite of 

pain-relieving drugs, which are 

undeniably important in the prehospital 

setting. 

“Community First Responders 

in particular – who are often at 

scene with patients for some 

time before an ambulance 

arrives, such are the pressures 

on the service – have been 

asking for a long time for the 

ability to administer pain relief, 

and now they can.” 

Community First Responders 

are volunteers who attend 

999 calls in their community 

and administer fi rst aid in the 

precious fi rst minutes before an 

ambulance arrives. 

They are trained by the Welsh 

Ambulance Service to deliver 

CPR and defi brillation at cardiac 

arrests, as well as fi rst aid and 

other skills at a broader range of 

medical emergencies. 

Lee Brooks, Executive 

Director of Operations, said: 

“Volunteering at the Welsh 

Ambulance Service has come a 

long way, particularly in the last 

few years, and we place high 

value on the contribution of our 

volunteers. 

“Penthrox is also selfadministered 

by patients (under 

supervision), which enables 

the crew to focus on delivering 

treatment and taking patients 

promptly to hospital.” 

Ambulance crews have 

undergone training to enable 

them to administer the drug, 

which began rollout earlier this 

month. 

Community First Responders are 

expected to start administering 

“Having observed volunteers 

fi rst-hand, it was an ambition to 

increase effective treatments that 

could be safely administered via 

a Community First Responder. 

“I am optimistic that patients will 

be better supported now this is 

an option for our people. 

“It’s why we’re delighted that 

our trained volunteers can now 

administer pain relief, improving 

not only the experience of 

patients but of volunteers too. 



83

NEWSLINE 

SECAMB 

First SECAmb staff 

complete Apprentice 

Paramedic 

Programme 

The first cohort of South East 

Coast Ambulance Service NHS 

Foundation Trust (SECAmb) 

staff to undertake the Trust’s 

Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship 

Paramedic Programme have 

been recognised at a special 

ceremony to celebrate the 

completion of their journey to 

becoming a Paramedic. 

The programme, delivered in 

partnership with the University 

of Cumbria, sees staff complete 

their paramedic education over a 

two-year period as an apprentice 

while working for SECAmb. The 


individuals previously worked in 

frontline roles for SECAmb before 

becoming Student Paramedics. 

The event, which took place at 

the Crown Plaza in Crawley on 11 

May, was held locally to recognise 

the significant efforts made by the 

staff throughout the programme, 

ahead of a formal graduation 

ceremony later this summer. 

SECAmb Consultant Paramedic 

responsible for Clinical Education, 

Ashley Richardson said: “It 

was a privilege to attend 

our celebration ceremony to 

congratulate colleagues who had 

embarked upon their educational 

programme, successfully 

completing with such enthusiasm 

and commitment. It’s a real 

milestone to see our first cohort 

of staff complete their degree 

apprenticeships and each and 

every one of them should be 

extremely proud of their efforts 

over the past two years. 

“The apprenticeship degree 

programme provides colleagues 

already employed by SECAmb with 

career progression, qualifying as 

paramedics. I look forward to many 

more individuals progressing in their 

careers in this way in the coming 

months and years and am excited 

to see their ongoing journey within 

the Paramedic profession.” 

University of Cumbria, Senior 

Lecturer and Programme Lead, 

Jane-Louise Reid said: “Our 

academic team were honoured 

to be invited to the celebration 

ceremony to rejoice in the success 

of our first cohort who have been 

instrumental in the development of 

this new and exciting educational 

pathway in which to become 

Paramedics. The commitment, 

dedication, and professionalism of 

these first Apprentice Paramedics 

have formed the early footprints 

for future Apprentices to follow, on 

their journey to success”. 

SECAmb has 97 apprentices 

enrolled on its apprenticeship 

degree and will continue to run 

three new cohorts each year 

providing staff with ongoing 

opportunities for career 

development. 

SECAmb congratulates the 

following staff: 

• Ricky Braiden 

• Grace Collins 

• Aidan Fudge 

• Jay Gupta 

• Emily George Lewis 

• Angela Phipps 

• Laura Playfoot 

• Murray Robinson 

• TJ Staples 

• Paul Taylor-Duchesne 

• Daniel Timpson 

• Shawn Richards 

Two additional awards were 

presented to TJ Staples for ‘Best 

Student’ Jay Gupta for ‘Most 

Improved Student’. 

EEAST 

Mental Health 

Joint Response Car 

launched for Mid & 

South Essex 

A new vehicle has been 

launched to help with mental 

health issues in the Mid and 

South Essex areas. 

The Mental Health Joint 

Response Car is staffed by 

an ambulance clinician and a 

mental health specialist and can 

help ensure people with mental 

health emergencies can get the 

right care. 

The car is the first of its kind 

on the roads in Mid and 

South Essex and follows the 

successful rollout of similar 

vehicles across the EEAST 

region. 

The vehicle and emergency 

clinicians are provided by the 

East of England Ambulance 

Service NHS Trust (EEAST) 

emergency clinicians while 

mental health professionals from 

Essex Partnership University 

NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) 

join the team. The scheme is 

supported by Mid and South 

Essex Integrated Care Board. 

The vehicle is ready for callouts 

from 1pm to 1am 7 days a 

week, and the onboard team 

can assist with issues involving 

the legal framework around, for 

example, the Mental Health Act 

and Mental Capacity Act and 

concerns regarding risk to the 

patient and public. 

84 


NEWSLINE 

Dan Phillips – Interim Deputy 

Clinical Director and Consultant 

Paramedic for EEAST said: 

“Our clinicians can make 

assessments about the physical 

welfare of patients and can 

provide pre-hospital care, while 

the mental health professionals 

have the ability to triage 

patients straight into mental 

health services. This can avoid 

people with mental health needs 

being taken to Accident and 

Emergency departments, which 

are the wrong place for them 

to be, and can cause further 

distress. 

“This will also have the 

secondary benefit of freeing 

up ambulance crews faster 

and reducing pressure on 

emergency departments.” 

Alex Green, Chief Operating 

Officer at Essex Partnership 

University NHS Foundation 

Trust (EPUT), said: “We know 

that hospital emergency 

departments are not always the 

right environment for people 

experiencing mental health 

difficulties. The urgent response 

vehicle enables our specialist 

mental health nurses to work 

with colleagues from the East of 

England Ambulance Service to 

provide immediate crisis care in 

the community and ensure the 

most appropriate ongoing care 

is put in place to meet patient 

working with our NHS partners 

to provide this innovative joint 

response car service for people 

who experience a mental 

health emergency across Mid 

and South Essex, and make it 

easier and quicker for people to 

receive mental health crisis care 

in the community. 

“Through this partnership 

arrangement we will be able 

to work together to respond 

to people in mental health 

crisis in a more supportive 

and appropriate way. This 

dedicated resource will enable 

us to provide a more rapid and 

specifically skilled intervention 

for people in their own home 

and alleviate the need, stress 

and anxiety of them having 

to attend Accident and 

Emergency. 

“We have been looking to 

increase alternative forms of 

provision for those in mental 

health crisis - to provide a more 

suitable alternative to Accident 

and Emergency - as we 

recognise that when a persons’ 

needs escalate to crisis point or 

they are experiencing a mental 

health emergency, they do not 

necessarily have a medical 

need that requires Accident and 

Emergency admission, so this 

new service is a very welcome 

step in the right direction.” 

being delivered over the next 

few weeks, making this the 

biggest fully electric fleet of Fast 

Response Units (FRUs) in the 

UK. 

Daniel Elkeles, Chief Executive 

of London Ambulance Service 

(LAS), said: “I’m very proud we 

have the biggest electric fleet 

of fast response cars in the 

country and can contribute to 

reaching net zero. 

“Having cleaner and greener 

vehicles is extremely important 

in improving air quality – not just 

for our people and our patients 

– but also for the health of our 

communities across London.” 

The cars have been converted 

to suit paramedics responding 

to 999 emergencies in the 

capital. 

It takes just 40 minutes to 

charge the Mustang battery 

to 80 per cent and that allows 

the car to travel more than 300 

miles, which is about ten times 

further than an ambulance 

would normally cover on a shift. 

The blue lights and sirens 

are powered by a 12-volt 

battery rather than the car’s 

drive battery but the Service 

is fitting solar panels to the 

cars to make them even more 

environmentally-friendly. 

As part of a £31 million 

investment programme, the 

Service is also investing in 

charging infrastructure across 

its sites and ambulance 

stations, as well as recruiting 

new mechanics and upskilling 

current mechanics to help 

maintain its growing modern 

fleet. 

The Mustangs are fitted with 

a Crew Safety System to help 

keep clinicians safe. The system 

includes video cameras, panic 

buttons and electronic tracking. 

Last year, the Service 

introduced three electric 

motorcycles to its fleet – the 

first ambulance service in the 

country to do so. 

And in August four fully electric 

ambulances will be rolled out. 

As well as the fully electric 

ambulances, cars and 

motorcycles, LAS also has 

10 London Electric Vehicle 

Company (LEVC) electric 

vehicles which are used by our 

teams to travel around London 

teaching first aid. 

The Service has a further 18 

hybrid vans and 13 plug in 

hybrid cars. 

needs. 

“I’m really pleased to be 

working with our partners to 

launch such a vital service for 

people experiencing mental 

health crisis across Mid and 

South Essex, providing urgent 

care and support for those who 

need it most, when they need 

it most.” 

Alfred Bandakpara-Taylor, 

Deputy Director Adult Mental 

Health for Mid and South 

LAS 

London Ambulance 

Service driving 

towards zero 

emission goal with 

fleet of Mustangs 

A fleet of electric Mustang 

Mach-E cars have hit the 

capital’s streets as part of 

London Ambulance Service’s 

mission to ‘green up’ its vehicles. 


Essex Integrated Care Board 

Seven of the iconic cars are 

said: “We are delighted to be 

already in use with a further 35 


85

NEWSLINE 

Since the launch of the trial in 

A reunion between 

a medic and pilot 13 

years after they first 

flew together 

A reunion between a medic 

and pilot 13 years after they 

first flew together for the 

Great North Air Ambulance 

Service (GNAAS) has left them 

feeling nostalgic as the charity 

celebrates its 21st birthday. 

GNAAS, which covers the North 

East, North Yorkshire, Cumbria 

and the Isle of Man, has been 

registered as a charity since 13 

May 2002 and provides life-saving 

care to people across the region. 

Andy Mawson began his 

career at GNAAS in 2010 as a 

paramedic and is now the director 

of operations, responsible for 

delivering the clinical operation 

and is also the registered manager 

for the Care Quality Commission 

who recently rated GNAAS as 

‘outstanding’ overall. 

Despite a change in job role, Mr 

Mawson still occasionally does 

shifts on the aircraft, and recently 

worked alongside pilot JJ Smith, 

who he first flew with 13 years ago. 

Mr Smith was chief pilot at 

GNAAS for six years before jetting 

off to pastures new, but he’s since 

re-joined the charity last year. 

Mr Mawson said: “I did my first 

shift with JJ since he returned 

to GNAAS and it brought back 

memories from when we used to 

fly together years ago. 

“The charity and the care we 

provide has developed so much 

in that time and I’m incredibly 

proud of what we’ve achieved. 

We want to be there for anyone 

that needs the advanced critical 

care we can provide, and make 

our communities proud of our 

service.” 

In 21 years, the charity has 

achieved several milestones 

including introducing doctors 

on board their aircraft and rapid 

response vehicles, running 

successful pre-hospital training 

courses for clinicians from around 

the world, delivering blood 

transfusions to more than 500 

patients and being awarded a 

rating of ‘outstanding’ by the Care 

Quality Commission in 2022. 

They also began operating seven 

nights a week in the North East 

in January this year and hope to 

offer the same level of service in 

Cumbria in the near future, which 

currently operates four nights a 

week. 

Outside of the UK, GNAAS have 

been working alongside Manx 

Care based in the Isle of Man 

to trial a new service to transfer 

seriously injured or unwell patients 

by helicopter from the Isle of Man 

directly to the UK for emergency 

medical treatment. 

Previously, patients were 

transferred by fixed wing air 

ambulance but there was 

no access to a pre-hospital 

Helicopter Emergency Medical 

Service which are able to provide 

the full spectrum of advanced 

critical care procedures, delivered 

by a doctor and critical care 

paramedic team. 

March 2022, the charity’s critical 

care teams, based in Penrith, 

Cumbria and Teesside, North 

East, have been deployed 22 

times, responding to road traffic 

collisions, medical incidents, 

falls, burns and a horse-riding 

incident, and the trial has since 

been extended for another year. 

Over the next two years the 

charity is also trialling carrying 

whole blood on board their 

aircraft and rapid response 

vehicles, which will be used to 

treat severely injured patients 

who are at risk of bleeding to 

death. 

Whole blood contains red blood 

cells, plasma and platelets 

(which help with clotting) all in 

one bag. 

Since 2015 GNAAS’ critical care 

team has administered blood 

transfusions using red blood 

cells and plasma, so the trial will 

be looking at the clinical and 

cost-effectiveness of pre-hospital 

whole blood administration 

in comparison to the blood 

products they currently use. 

Mr Mawson said: “We are 

incredibly proud of what we 

have achieved, which was only 

made possible because of 

the unwavering support of the 

people of the North of England. 

Now more than ever we need 

that support to make our dreams 

of full 24/7 care come true, and 

I know we can make every one 

of our supporters proud to be a 

part of our journey and our team. 


“On behalf of everyone at 

GNAAS we’d like to thank those 

who have supported our charity, 

as you are all life-savers, and you 

fly with us on every mission. You 

have saved countless lives and 

kept families together across the 

region over the last 21 years. 

Let’s make the next 21 years 

even more incredible together. 

86 


NEWSLINE 

SECAMB 

Surrey pregnancy 

advice line 

celebrates five years 

since launch 

A Surrey pregnancy advice 

line based at South East Coast 

Ambulance Service’s (SECAmb) 

Emergency Operations Centre 

in Crawley is celebrating after 

handling more than 200,000 

calls in the five years since its 

launch in April 2018. 

The Call a Midwife Surrey Advice 

Line, which was established by 

Surrey Heartlands Health and 

Care Partnership as part of the 

national NHS Better Births plan. 

It available to patients and new 

parents under the care of a 

number of Surrey hospitals to 

access advice and support 24 

hours a day, 7 days a week from 

a midwife. 

The line, which has, to date, 

handled more than 225,000 calls, 

is available during pregnancy, 

labour and following the birth of a 

baby for patients under the care 

of Royal Surrey County Hospital, 

Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals 

and Epsom and St Helier 

Hospitals. 

The advice line sees calls triaged 

by midwives who can provide 

advice and signpost to the most 

appropriate place for their care. 

Being based in the ambulance 

control room ensures midwives 

are also on hand to provide 

expert advice if required on any 

pregnancy-related 999 calls. 

Since its launch, the service 

has assisted in the handling of 

approximately 3,000 emergency 

999 calls. 

Head of Clinical Operations 

Integrated Care (111/999) at 

SECAmb, Scott Thowney said: 

“I’m delighted the service has 

been able to help so many 

patients since its launch. It’s a real 

benefit to have the expertise of 

the midwives in our Emergency 

Operations Centre to provide 

additional assistance to our teams 

if needed. 

“I would like to thank everyone 

who has been involved in ensuring 

the success of this service and 

look forward to it helping many 

more patients in the years ahead.” 

LAS 

State-of-the-art 

ambulances specially 

designed for the 

streets of London 

arrive in the capital 

Nine brand new bespoke 

ambulances have been 

delivered to London Ambulance 

Service – with dozens more 

arriving in the next few months. 

The MAN ambulances are 

replacing older vehicles in the 

fleet and were designed after 

consultation with frontline crews 

to ensure they are suitable for the 

demands of caring for patients in 

the capital. 

London Ambulance Service (LAS), 

said: 

“We worked with our ambulance 

crews to design a vehicle that 

is safe and reliable for both our 

patients and our people. 

“We are really excited by the 

new ambulances which are more 

accessible and use a powered 

system to load the stretcher, 

which will make things easier for 

our crews. 

“They are more energy efficient 

and digitally enabled for the 

future. They also have an asset 

management system that tracks 

our emergency equipment and 

notifies staff if anything is lost or 

needs replacing.” 

The fully equipped ambulances 

cost £156,000 and will be paid for 

by internal capital and money LAS 

secured from commissioners. 

A further 11 MAN ambulances 

and 112 ambulances have been 

ordered. All the new ambulances 

are lightweight, greener and more 

efficient than the Service’s current 

ambulances and meet the clean air 

zone targets in London, which are 

the most stringent in the country. 

Because the MAN ambulances 

are the first of their kind in 

England, they have had to 

undergo rigorous evaluation 

by academics and ambulance 

experts. 

Rob Macintosh inspected the 

vehicle against a 950 point checklist, 

then a team of professors 

from Loughborough University 

conducted an ergonomic 

evaluation to ensure the 

ambulances are safe, reliable and 

easy to use. 

The ambulance has been crashtested 

and its fuel consumption, 

emissions, brake-fading and 

handling also checked. 

All the new ambulances are fitted 

with a Crew Safety System to help 

keep clinicians safe. The system 

includes video cameras, panic 

buttons and electronic tracking. 

They will also contribute to the 

Service’s efforts to comply with 

the ultra-low emission zone in 

London and to reach its zero 

emission goal by 2030. Meanwhile 

four fully electric ambulances are 

expected to be delivered to LAS 

later this year. 

Chief Executive Daniel Elkeles said: 

“It’s very exciting to see the 

delivery of the next generation of 

ambulances – designed by us – 

which will help us respond to 999 

calls across the capital. 

“They are not only better for the 

environment and will help to 

alleviate air pollution, but will be 

safer and more comfortable for 

our crews and for the patients 

they care for.” 

In response to a survey, more 

than 400 clinicians submitted 

ideas and suggestions for the 

new ambulances which were built 

in Germany by a manufacturer 

specialising in emergency 

vehicles. 


Rob Macintosh, Head of Fleet at 


87

NEWSLINE 

WAS 


Service Dementia 

Team wins Hero 

award 


has won another coveted award 

for its work to support dementia 

patients. 

“People affected by dementia 

are supporting and influencing 

our dementia work at every 

level, from delivering training to 

recommending changes to our 

environments. 

“We could not have achieved this 

award and our progress without 

the commitment from people 

living with dementia, their family 

The Welsh Ambulance Service 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 

breathing, as well as people 

experiencing the physical and 

mental effects of the use of 

chemsex-related drugs. 

Chemsex is prevalent amongst a 

sub-group of London’s LGBTQ+ 

community, where participants 

use drugs such as crystal meth, 

mephedrone (known as ‘m-kat’) 

and GBL/GHB to prolong sexual 

The Trust’s Dementia Team 

won the Dementia Hero Award 

for Professional Excellence 

(Organisation) at the Alzheimer’s 

Society Awards 2023. 

and carers, volunteers and staff 

who support our work.” 


provides a service to over three 

million people in Wales, and the 

LAS 

London paramedics 

to help reduce risks 

of chemsex 

encounters. 

It presents a range of health risks 

including substance intoxication, 

sexually transmitted infections 

(STIs), trauma, problematic 

The Dementia Hero Awards 

celebrate the involvement and 

participation of people affected by 

dementia and the impact they have 

for others living with the condition. 

Alison Johnstone, the Trust’s 

Programme Manager for 

Dementia, said: “We are 

overwhelmed to be recognised 

for our co-production approach to 

dementia. 

“We have an exciting programme 

based around the needs 

and rights of people living 

with dementia, and we have 

a continuous engagement 

approach to our work to provide 

better patient outcomes and 

experiences. 

World Health Organisation states 

that dementia continues to be 

one of the 21st century’s biggest 

healthcare challenge. 

Last year, the Dementia Team 

started piloting 20 Reminiscence 

Therapy Interactive Activities 

(RITA) tablets in Wales and were 

crowned winners of the most 

innovative use of RITA for 2022 at 

the RITA User Group Conference 

and Awards. 

And last month, the Trust unveiled 

new high-tech Non-Emergency 

Patient Transport Service vehicles, 

which boast dementia-friendly 

flooring, blinds and colour 

schemes to help improve patient 

experience. 

London Ambulance Service is 

introducing measures to reduce 

the risk of harm for people who 

engage in “chemsex” as new 

data shows that paramedics 

treat an average of one person 

a day from the effects of ‘hookup 

drugs’. 

The data collated by London 

Ambulance Service (LAS) 

estimates that, since January 

2021, paramedics in the capital 

have treated at least 764 people 

from intoxication from substances 

associated with “chemsex”, such 

as crystal meth or mephodrone.* 

This includes people suffering 

from drug-induced psychoses, 

overdoses and difficulty in 

drug use, and even death from 

overdose. 

The growing popularity of the 

phenomenon in the capital has 

prompted London Ambulance 

Service to partner with LGBTQ+ 

voluntary sector agency Gay 

Men’s Health Collective to roll out 

non-judgemental harm-reduction 

measures. 

Peter Kingsley, LAS Advanced 

Paramedic, who is leading the 

project, said: 

“Chemsex is a secret world. The 

people we care for following a 

chemsex incident often lead very 

conventional lives outside of these 

meet-ups and don’t disclose 


88 


NEWSLINE 

their engagement in chemsex 

to anyone, including their GPs. 

This risks their health conditions 

going untreated and physical and 

mental health deteriorating. 

“The ambulance service is the 

only part of the NHS that routinely 

cares for chemsex participants in 

the place where these meet-ups 

are happening. 

“London paramedics and mental 

health teams are uniquely placed 

to intervene with non-judgemental 

health advice and reconnect 

these people with the rest of the 

health and social care system.” 

London Ambulance Service’s 

advanced paramedics, mental 

health teams, and medics in fastresponse 

cars will be handing 

cards to those at risk which 

include educational resources 

and organisations offering 

physical and mental-health 

support. 

The cards include a discrete QRcode 

that patients can access 

in their own time to consult a 

comprehensive bank of resources 

on drug addiction, treatment 

services, and safer sex advice. 

Meanwhile, ambulance crews 

dispatched in central London – 

where chemsex is most prevalent 

– are being trained to recognise 

symptoms of chemsex drugs and 

educated on how to sensitively 

care for these patients.** 

Patriic Gayle, Co-Founder of Gay 

Men’s Health Collective, said: 

“The cards we have created are a 

gateway to helplines and support 

services. 

“There can also be stigma and 

denial associated with chemsex 

when things go wrong, so using 

the card to reach out is a step to 

processing what has happened 

and what it means.” 

The chemsex harm-reduction 

project at London Ambulance 

Service was born out of a close 

collaboration between Advanced 

Paramedic Peter Kinglsey, Mental 

Health Consultant Nurse Carly 

Lynch, Mental Health Paramedic 

Lead Daniel Phillips, and Co- 

Founder of Gay Men’s Health 

Collective Patriic Gayle. 

EEAST 

New service helping 

EEAST go above and 

beyond for patients 

A family struggling to pay 

the bills and a man sleeping 

rough are among the patients 

that have been helped by a 

pioneering programme set 

up by the East of England 

Ambulance Service NHS Trust 

to signpost patients to services 

able to help unmet needs. 

The programme – which went 

live in mid-October 2022 after 

EEAST’s charity received a grant 

of £116,624 from NHS Charities 

– has now reached a significant 

milestone after helping over 500 

patients with issues that have 

come to light following a 999 call 

and a conversation with EEAST 

staff. 

The funding has seen the 

introduction of a dedicated team 

of navigators for patients with 

unmet needs who follow up 

referrals from EEAST and assess 

what community and social 

support is available in each case. 

This new referral pathway has 

been warmly embraced at EEAST 

by ambulance crews, community 

first responders and clinicians in 

control rooms as they often see 

patients who require additional 

help beyond what the ambulance 

and NHS can immediately offer. 

The team of navigators link in with 

local authorities, social 

care partners, link workers and 

integrated care bodies and have 

also established contacts with 

other community and social 

pathways. 

Patients helped so far by the 

programme include: 

• A family who were struggling 

to pay the bills and needed a 

warm home because of their 

child’s condition 

• A patient with no fixed abode 

who was sleeping rough 

• Patient who was having issues 

getting benefits reinstated 

after a hospital stay which was 

causing great anxiety 

• Single parent mum with three 

children and no help who was 

suffering with exhaustion 

Duncan Moore, clinical lead for 

mental health at EEAST who 

helped set up the programme, 

said: 

“The programme has been 

welcomed and embraced by 

everyone at EEAST and the 

feedback from patients who have 

been helped has shown how 

much this service is needed. 

“We know that by addressing 

these unmet needs of patients we 

are having a significant beneficial 

impact on their health and 

wellbeing. 

“This service is also helping 

strengthen links between the 

NHS and community and social 

support providers and providing a 

more holistic approach to health 

and wellbeing of the communities 

we serve.” 

Kate Lott, Head of Charity at 

EEAST, said: 

“The Ambulance Service Grant 

has given our charity the ability 

to explore new avenues in 

supporting our local communities. 

This pioneering scheme started as 

a simple idea: to try to bridge the 

gap in supporting patients with 

unmet needs across the east of 

England. Thanks to the generous 

support from the public and NHS 

Charities Together, we are able to 

make a real difference to patients 

and their families across our region.” 

Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive 

of NHS Charities Together, said: 

“This is a truly pioneering project 

and one we’re proud to be a 

part of. Thanks to donations 

from the generous British public, 

EEAST will be able to provide 

vital additional support to people 

living in the east of England 

whose needs aren’t currently 

being met by our health system. 

Programmes like these can 

help to further unite the NHS, 

community and social support, 

and benefit the health and 

wellbeing of the whole community 

while reducing pressure on NHS 

services. We look forward to 

seeing the impact the service 

makes across the region.” 

The Ambulance Grants 

Programme was launched by 

NHS Charities Together in March 

2021 in recognition of the vital 

work that ambulance charities do 

to support the work of the NHS. 

Thanks to the support of the 

public, the grant is part of 

£7m which has been allocated 

by population across all the 

ambulance charities in England, 

Wales, Scotland and Northern 

Ireland. 

To find out more about East of 

England Ambulance Service 

Charity visit East of England 

Ambulance Service Charity 

(eastamb.nhs.uk) 

NHS Charities Together is the 

national independent charity 

caring for the NHS. Visit 

www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk 

to learn more. 



89

NEWSLINE 

London’s Air 

Ambulance Charity 

shares annual 

mission data 

• The advanced trauma care 

team attended to nearly 2,000 

patients in 2022 

• This is a 15% increase on 2021 

figures, and the highest number 

since the service began 30 

years ago* 

• The London Borough of 

Westminster was the most 

attended to part of the city 

London’s only helicopter 

emergency service attended to 

1,977 patients* last year. The 

advanced trauma doctors and 

paramedics treat patients across 

every part of the capital, with 

statistics released by the charity 

today revealing that Westminster 

(113), Lambeth (111) and Tower 

Hamlets (103)* were the busiest 

London boroughs in 2022. 

Of those patients, 34% needed 

pre-hospital care at the scene 

due to penetrating trauma (which 

includes accidental causes as 

well as stabbing and gun shot 

wounds), 25% due to road traffic 

collisions and 22% had suffered a 

fall from height*. 

London’s Air Ambulance medics 

perform life-saving treatment at the 

scene for those patients who are 

critically injured with life threatening 

or life changing injuries. They carry 

out life-saving procedures such 

as open chest surgery, blood 

transfusions, putting patients into 

an induced coma and reinflating 

collapsed lungs – anywhere in 

London, 24 hours a day. 

The data has been released as 

part of London’s Air Ambulance 

Charity’s fundraising appeal, Up 

Against Time. The charity must 

raise £15 million by Autumn 2024 

to replace its helicopter fleet as 

the current helicopters become 

increasingly difficult to maintain. 

The role of our helicopters is to 

take medics to the patient quickly – 

providing the complex care patients 

would get in A&E at the scene - for 

those that are so critically injured 

that every moment counts. 

As part of the appeal, the 

charity has launched this film: 

https://www.youtube.com/ 

watch?v=cmgfbaFhZME, asking 

Londoners to fund their new fleet 

and help keep the life-saving service 

in our skies for years to come. 

Recent polling showed that 

only 38% of Londoners know 

that London’s Air Ambulance 

is primarily funded by public 

donations. The reality is that as a 

charity, London’s Air Ambulance 

relies on 89% of its funding from 

public donations to be able to save 

London’s most critically injured**. 

Captain Neil Jeffers, Chief Pilot, 

London’s Air Ambulance Charity, 

said: 

“Last year we attended more 

missions than ever before, and 

when we’re up against time, 

our helicopter fleet and rapid 

response cars enable us to get to 

our patients quickly, wherever they 

are in London. 

“Now we’re up against time in a 

new way, as we need to replace 

our helicopter fleet by Autumn 

2024. 

“This mission data shows that 

our helicopters are here for every 

single person who lives, visits 

and works in London. That’s why 

we’re asking Londoners to help us 

fund the new fleet – we need their 

support now more than ever.” 

London’s Air Ambulance patient 

Steve Blake said: 

“It is because of London’s Air 

Ambulance and the speed at 

which they arrived that I am alive 

today. 

“When you realise the depth of 

the treatment and the skills they 

bring to the scene – and the fact 

they’re a charity – it’s astonishing. 

Anything I could do to thank them, 

I would.” 

London’s Air Ambulance 2022 

Mission Map: 


90

NEWSLINE 

With the advent of GNSS satellites 

Air Ambulance bid 

selected, enabling 

more patients to 

be reached in poor 

weather 

The Civil Aviation Authority 

(CAA) has announced that 

Dorset and Somerset Air 

Ambulance (DSAA) will benefit 

from a share of more than 

£200,000 of funding to allow air 

ambulances to land more safely 

in poor weather conditions. 

Henstridge Airfield, the base of 

DSAA was one of five helicopter 

landing sites selected to benefit 

from the Global Navigation 

Satellite System (GNSS) 

Programme, run by the UK CAA 

and Department for Transport. 

DSAA’s flight operations are 

bound by CAA regulations that 

stipulate the minimum allowable 

cloud base to allow us to continue 

flying visually with reference to 

ground features. If the cloud base 

is below the minima, then we 

can fly in cloud using our flight 

instruments, but only if there 

is a means to safely leave the 

cloud at our destination; without 

that means we are unable to fly 

with the cloud base below visual 

minima. 

For DSAA, this applies to visibility 

and cloud levels at Henstridge 

Airfield primarily, and then at 

destination locations. This 

means that if the cloud level is 

below minimum visual levels at 

Henstridge, our Critical Care 

Team are unable to travel by 

air to reach patients in need. 

Furthermore, if they are on 

a mission and the weather 

deteriorates back at base, the 

aircraft could become stranded in 

a field or at hospital, resulting in 

a loss of operating hours (due to 

it needing to be recovered) and 

patients that require life-saving 

critical care may not be reached. 

One example of this took place 

last month when our aircraft 

could not return to base after a 

job one evening due to low cloud 

at Henstridge. Instead it had to 

spend the night at a different 

heliport at the edge of our region 

and was not able to return until 

the weather had cleared during 

the middle of the next day. 

Traditionally, aircraft flying to 

an airfield have used groundbased 

systems to enable 

them to make an approach to 

their destination. The aircraft 

can pick up signals from the 

ground-based system that then 

interact with onboard systems 

to give the pilot directional and 

height cues, enabling them to 

make a safe approach to the 

runway; autopilot systems on 

modern aircraft are also able 

to use this information to fly 

these approaches without pilot 

intervention. 

and the 3D information they can 

provide, airfield approaches can 

now be made without having to 

rely on the ground-based systems, 

if the aircraft is fitted with the 

appropriate equipment. In the case 

of above, A GNSS approach would 

have enabled the aircraft to return 

to base, be restocked and reequipped 

ready for another job that 

evening, and subsequently available 

for the day crew to respond to 

further taskings the next day. 

As DSAA’s AW169 helicopter 

is equipped to carry out GNSS 

approaches and our pilots are 

licenced to fly them, the charity 

submitted a bid to the CAA at the 

end of September 2022. 

We are delighted with the news 

that Henstridge Airfield is now 

part of the GNSS programme 

as it fully supports the charity’s 

commitment to reaching more 

patients who need critical care. 

More information from the CAA on 

this topic can be found by visiting: 

https://www.caa.co.uk/ 

news/emergency-servicesreceive-funding-to-help-airambulances-land- 

more-safelyin-poor-weather/ 

More information on Dorset and 

Somerset Air Ambulance can be 

found by visiting: 

www.dsairambulance.org.uk 



91

IN PERSON 


News 

London’s Air Ambulance 

Charity announces Anna 

Bennett as new Director of 

Finance, IT and Facilities 

London’s Air Ambulance Charity has 

announced the appointment Anna Bennett 

as the charity’s new Director of Finance, IT 

and Facilities. 

A Chartered Accountant (FCA) with over 20 

years of experience, Anna holds the ICAEW 

Diploma in Charity Accounting. She has 

extensive sector experience, having worked for 

several national charities, including as Finance 

Director for Hospice UK and as Director of 

Finance and Operations for BBC Children in 

Need. 

In the private sphere, Anna joined 

Haysmacintyre’s not-for-profit audit team 

in 2013 and was promoted to be a Partner 

with the firm, advising a wide range of charity 

clients. In 2019 she moved into an internal role 

on the firm’s Management Board, leading all 

operational teams. 

Outside of her professional life, Anna has been 

a trustee and audit committee member for a 

number of charities including NCVO and The 

Money Advice Trust, as well as finding time 

to enjoy live music, rugby, camping trips and 

Lego. 

Speaking of her appointment, Anna Bennett 

said: 

“I am delighted to join London’s Air Ambulance 

Charity at such an important time in its history, 

working with extraordinary people saving lives 

every day. 

“I’ve been a supporter of the charity for many 

years now, even abseiling down the side of the 

Royal London Hospital back in 2016 to raise 

funds – although this time around I hope to 

contribute with my feet firmly on the ground. 

“I’m really looking forward to getting to know 

the dedicated group of people who help make 

the charity what it is – whether that’s the staff, 

our life-saving crew or the patients across 

London who we work for every day.” 

Jonathan Jenkins, CEO, London’s Air 

Ambulance Charity said; 

“In Anna, we’ve brought someone in with 

invaluable experience in charity finance and I 

couldn’t be happier to have her join our team. 

“Anna’s joining at a hugely important time in 

our charity’s history, in the midst of our largest 

ever fundraising appeal, and Anna’s expertise 

will be vital as we look to achieve our ambitions 

over the next few years.” 

London’s Air Ambulance delivers an advanced 

trauma team to critically injured patients when 

time is critical and serves the 10 million people 

living and working within London. The charity 

is the only one of its kind in London to perform 

immediate life-saving medical procedures 

normally only found in a hospital emergency 

department at the scene of an incident. Since 

launching 34 years ago, the service has treated 

over 45,000 patients. 

NEAS News 

Ambulance service 

welcomes new Director of 

Paramedicine back to the 

North East 

Brand new role on the Trust Board aims 

to strengthen clinical leadership and give 

paramedics more representation 

A new Director of Paramedicine and Allied 

Health Professionals is preparing to join the 

Board at North East Ambulance Service 

(NEAS). 

Andrew Hodge is returning to where his 

ambulance career began to take on the 

new role, where he will be responsible for 

influencing, shaping and leading strategy, 

policy and clinical transformation both within 

NEAS and as part of the wider regional and 

national health and social care systems. 

NEAS will become only the fifth ambulance 

service in the UK to appoint such a role to the 

Board, which is expected to provide visible and 

proactive leadership for our clinical workforce. 

Andrew first joined the ambulance service in 

1995, working on the patient transport service 

in Berwick, before moving to Newcastle on 

qualifying as a paramedic in 1999. 

His interests took him into corporate services, 

implementing pre-hospital electrocardiograms 

(ECGs) and thrombolysis before leaving the 

ambulance service to work for five years in the 

community as an advanced practitioner, which 

he left to work in commissioning. 

He spent six years as a consultant paramedic 

at Yorkshire Ambulance Service, where he 

found a keen interest in leading on research 

and publications as well as developing the 

profession’s clinical career framework around 

specialist and advanced practice. 

Most recently, he has been the Director of 

Allied Health Professions at Mid-Yorkshire 

Hospitals NHS Trust, where he has learned the 

complexities of delivering acute services across 

three hospital sites and across the community. 

Through this role, he was also responsible 

for nine different allied health professional 

groups, leading on their career development 

and representing their voices across the senior 

leadership teams. 

He is now looking forward to bringing the 

experience he has gained from different parts 

of the system back to NEAS in his new role. 

He said: “Over the years, I have taken myself 

out of my professional comfort zone to develop 

into advanced and consultant practice level 

roles. Here, I have helped drive paramedicine 

forward whilst gaining a huge amount of 

experience which I can now bring back to 

the ambulance service where my paramedic 

identity fits most easily. 

“I believe this new role is a unique and 

important development for paramedicine. 

I want to maximise the contribution that 

the paramedic profession can have on the 

services our patients receive, and develop 

career opportunities for our workforce so that 

they can, in turn, develop their skills through 

research, teaching and expert practice to help 

influence the profession’s direction of travel 

further. 

“I’m looking forward to working with my new 

colleagues to understand what it is they want 

from their professions and from their careers 

and, ultimately, being their voice on the board, 

ensuring their views are heard more clearly. 

“I’m also looking forward to working with 

our regional partners to understand how 

the paramedic profession can best help the 

system.” 

92 


IN PERSON 

Andrew’s appointment follows the recent 

of appointment of Dr Kat Noble, who took 

up her position as the Trust’s new Medical 

Director on 31 January, and Julia Young, 

who joined the Trust as Director of Quality 

and Patient Safety on 27 February. 

Kat has more than 20 years’ experience 

within primary, secondary and pre-hospital 

care, which has included being a national 

advisor for NHS111, medical director 

for NHS Direct and NHS Pathways and 

associate medical director for North West 

Ambulance Service. 

She takes on her new role at NEAS on 

a part-time basis, splitting her time with 

her continuing role in the emergency 

department of Sunderland Hospital. She 

also serves as a clinical associate for the 

Emergency Care Intensive Support team 

(NHS Improvement) and a CQC inspector. 

Julia brings over 30 years of experience 

of working in healthcare, including over 

25 years of leadership, to her new role 

at NEAS. Prior to joining the ambulance 

service, she was Director of Nursing 

with the North East and North Cumbria 

Integrated Care System. 

Chief executive Helen Ray said: “As an 

NHS Foundation Trust, we are required 

by statute to have a nurse and medic on 

our Board. However, with paramedics and 

other allied health professionals making up 

the largest part of our workforce, we feel 

it is the right approach to ensure there is 

positive representation on our Board. 

“We believe Andrew will really help us 

strengthen our clinical leadership and 

we’re looking forward to working with 

him, Julia and Kat to rebuild, reshape 

and move forward our ambitions as a 

Trust, transforming our services to meet 

demands and ensure patients continue to 

receive high quality and safe care.” 

EEAST News 

New Chair announced at 

EEAST 

The new chair of the East of England 

Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) has 

been announced as Mrunal Sisodia OBE. 

Mrunal has served as non-executive 

director for EEAST for three years and has 

a background of leading large complex 

organisations. 

He is director and co-chair of the National 

Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF), 

a national organisation that represents the 

families of children and young people with 

special educational needs and disabilities. 

Before joining the NNPCF, Mrunal was a 

director at Leonard Cheshire Disability and 

has extensive experience of the private, 

public and charity sectors. 

The news follows the announcement 

in December that Nicola Scrivings was 

to step down after leading the Trust for 

three years, and overseen a period of 

improvement for the Trust as recognised 

by the CQC and NHS England. 

Tom Abell, Chief Executive of East of 

England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, 

said: 

“I am very pleased to be able to announce 

the appointment of Mrunal as the new 

chair. His extensive experience in the 

private and public sector will be invaluable 

as we continue our work to improve our 

ambulance service for our communities 

and people and I look forward to working 

with him in the coming years. 

“I would like to again thank Nicola 

Scrivings for her incredible contribution to 

our improvement as an organisation over 

the past three years. Her dedication and 

commitment to making our organisation 

a better place to work for our people 

and her passion to improve care for the 

communities we serve across the east of 

England has been inspirational.” 

Ms Scrivings said: 

“Mrunal has been a wonderful, passionate 

colleague as a non-executive director at 

EEAST and I have every confidence he will 

make an excellent chair. 

“It has been a great privilege and 

experience to travel alongside such 

dedicated ambulance crews and volunteers 

across the region who work so hard to 

care for our patients. 

“I wish Mrunal every success in the future.” 

Mrunal said: 

“It is an honour to be appointed as the 

new chair of EEAST and I look forward to 

working alongside our staff, volunteers and 

partners in the healthcare system to shape 

the future of the organisation. 

“The last few years have not been easy 

for anyone in the ambulance sector but I 

have witnessed enormous dedication and 

determination from my colleagues here. This 

is what will drive our continued improvement 

and build on the progress we have made 

under Nicola, my predecessor as chair.” 


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

93

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COMPANY NEWS 

19-20 SEPTEMBER 2023 

PREPARING OUR 

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FIND OUT For MORE the latest Ambulance WWW.EMERGENCYUK.COM Service News visit: www.ambulancenewsdesk.com | #ESS2023 

95

Monitor 

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with the corpuls 3 Modular Monitor/Defibrillator 

Are you compliant with 

regulation EN1789:2020? 

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Stay Seated. Stay Belted. 

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www.corpuls.co.uk

Ambulance UK June 2023

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