Ambulance UK October 2023

NEWSLINE
health needs who urgently need
care, can get fast access to a
range of health and social care
professionals within two hours.
Access to the system will follow
a 12-week period of working with
SECAmb, with daily ‘touch points’
to establish the types of calls
which would be better assigned
to community teams. The UCR
team is then given access to a
portal that allows them to review
and directly attend appropriate
calls and, in turn, ensure
ambulance clinicians are freer to
respond to calls which require an
ambulance response.
The touch point calls also offer
both providers and SECAmb
with an opportunity to better
understand the range of patients
calling 999 that could potentially
be managed by UCRs earlier in a
patient’s journey.
Operations for Integrated Care
(999 and 111) Scott Thowney
said: “This important work aims
to improve patient care and
provide a more appropriate
service to some of our lower
category call patients who
may not necessarily require an
ambulance response.
“By working more closely with
community providers across our
region, we will ensure that more
patients can be receive timely
treatment and our clinicians
will be freer to respond to
those patients who require an
ambulance response.
“This additional partnership work
will help SECAmb and the wider
NHS ahead of the winter and
ensure we are doing all that we
can to provide the right care for
our patients.”
A cycle paramedic who hops
on her bike to save lives every
day has achieved a top 20
finish at one of the world’s
most renowned cycling
championships.
Carol Reeves, 44, a medic in
London Ambulance Service’s
pioneering Cycle Response
Unit (CRU), ranked 19th in
the UCI Gran Fondo World
Championships in August –
the world’s biggest and most
prestigious competition for both
professional and amateur cyclists.
It took Carol just five hours and
10 minutes to cycle 100 miles,
climbing a gruelling 6,000 ft.
She tackled the challenging
roads of Highland Perthshire
outpacing 180 of the world’s best
women riders.
moving to Waterloo to cover an
area in Central London by bike.
This year, Carol qualified at the
Gran Fondo race in Cambridge
and was then invited to represent
Team GB in Glasgow.
Only the top 25% of riders from
27 qualifying events held around
the world were invited to compete
in Scotland.
London Ambulance Service’s
Cycle Response Unit is a team of
40 paramedics who ride through
the city’s busiest areas to alleviate
pressures on ambulances.
Cycle paramedics carry 75
kilograms of equipment,
including the same life-saving
equipment as an ambulance like a
defibrillator and electrocardiogram
(ECG) machine.
AMBULANCE UK – OCTOBER
Following this period, the teams
will be able to review 999 calls
awaiting a response and, where
appropriate, respond directly to
lower category 3 and category
4 calls instead of SECAmb
clinicians.
While the work is at an early
stage, referrals to the UCRs are
increasing week on week. Daily
touch point calls are now taking
place with UCRs in Sussex and
Medway and several teams within
Surrey and Kent participating
or scheduled to start in the
coming weeks.
Currently, SECAmb’s ‘hear and
treat rate’ – 999 calls which
are handled with advice over
the phone or referral to another
service – stands at approximately
10 per cent. The service is
looking to increase the rate to
14 per cent – the equivalent to
around 30,000 calls a year, which
would have otherwise received an
ambulance response.
SECAmb Head of Clinical
Hollie Poole, West Sussex Area
Director at Sussex Community
NHS Foundation Trust said:
“I’ve had positive feedback from
our clinicians on the ground.
They’ve told me that the Urgent
Community Response model
and the work that they are
undertaking feels responsive,
relevant and is making a real
difference to our patients.
“This is a fantastic example of
what can be achieved through
collaborative working. As we
continue to work closely together,
I’m excited for the future of UCR
in Sussex.”
Cycle paramedic
breaks into top 20 at
global championship
Carol said: “Getting to the finish
line was a bit like racing to save
the life of a patient. You need to
have the confidence that you are
going to make it.”
Carol, who has been at the
Service for 17 years, cycles an
average of 30 miles per shift. As
a cycle paramedic, she can race
past the capital’s heavy traffic to
get to her patients in an average
of six minutes.
Carol said: “Pedalling fast to get
to emergencies on a bike that has
lots of medical equipment packed
into panniers definitely helped me
prepare for the competition.
“It was amazing to achieve such a
result. All that was going through
my head was: ‘please, don’t
come last!’”
Carol, from Dartford, Kent,
became a keen cyclist 15
years ago, after a career in the
British Army.
In 2006, she started working as a
paramedic in East London, before
Over 50 per cent of the patients
they treat can be discharged at
the scene, freeing up ambulance
crews to attend patients who
need to be taken to hospital.
East of England
Ambulance Service
NHS Trust (EEAST)
has taken a
remarkable step
towards prioritising
the mental health
of its staff by
introducing approved
support dogs.
This pawsome new scheme
involves the use of four-legged
friends to provide essential
support and companionship
24/7 to EEAST staff members
after traumatic events.
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For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com