Ambulance UK December 2023

NEWSLINE
NEWSLINE
AMBULANCE UK – DECEMBER
“The teamwork, quick escalation
and decision making ensured
that the mother and baby got
specialist support as quickly
as possible which led to the
good outcome.”
Dr Graham Pluck, a prehospital
Care doctor at Essex
and Herts Air Ambulance, said:
“On arrival we were reassured
to find a well-coordinated and
expertly managed scene by
the EEAST crews who had
arrived first. We were also very
grateful for specialist support
by phone from the maternity
unit for advanced techniques in
delivering an obstructed footling
breech baby.
“Subsequent post-partum care
and neonatal resuscitation was a
whole team effort from everyone
on scene and we were very
happy we could contribute to
a good outcome for the baby
and mother.”
The award ceremony, which is
organised by the UK’s leading
maternity safety charity, Baby
Lifeline, was held at The Royal
College of Obstetricians and
Gynaecologists in London on
Thursday 5th October and
hosted by television presenter
Nick Owen.
The previous day a private
reception was held at
Downing Street for those
nominated where EEAST was
represented by Medical Director,
Dr Simon Walsh.
Paramedic students
get hands-on in
critical care training
exercise
University of Wolverhampton
Paramedic students were given
an opportunity to take part
in some critical care training
recently – and it was a case of
being positively hands-on!
Thirteen second and third year
students studying for a degree
in Paramedic Science at the
University’s Telford and Walsall
Campus, took part in a Pre-
Hospital Advanced Surgical &
Trauma Emergency Resuscitation
(PHASTER) course which
involved inter-agency personnel
from various organisations across
the blue-light spectrum.
The course was facilitated by
the West Midlands CARE Team
(WMCT) who have been working
closely with the University to offer
students real-life experiences to
enhance their learning.
The teams included WMCT,
Midlands Air Ambulance (MAA),
The Air Ambulance Service
(TAAS), West Midlands Fire
Service, Hereford and Worcester
Fire and Rescue Service
and West Midlands Firearms
Operations Unit.
The training exercise was held
at West Midlands Fire Services’
Safeside Training Centre which is
equipped with full size immersive
training environments including
various buildings, a bus, train
and canal.
Stephanie Jones, Senior Lecturer
in Paramedic Science at the
University and Clinical Support
Paramedic for WMCT, said: “This
was a really exciting opportunity
for students to get some real life,
hands-on experience of working
with emergency services from
across the region.
“The training exercise is designed
to test enhanced care skills
whilst providing Crew Resource
Management challenges by
setting up realistic scenarios
including penetrating trauma,
road traffic accidents, rail
and drowning incidents and
emergency childbirth.
“The students were able to
work alongside critical care
teams from the West Midlands
providing the initial pre-hospital
care that would be provided by
ambulance crews attending this
type of incident. This allowed the
students the opportunity apply
theory to simulation in cases that
are not an everyday occurrence.
It also allowed insight to how
the critical care teams work and
what they can offer in these time
critical situations.”
“Also supporting on the day
included Faculty experts from
within the Prehospital Emergency
Medicine Arena (PHEM) to make
this an amazing opportunity for
the students to be involved with.”
Emily Waldron, 29 from Stourport,
said: “Prior to the day I didn’t
really have any expectations, I
just expected to be helping out
as possibly first crew on scene. I
really felt part of the team and felt
like the advanced clinicians made
the most of our skills. It was really
good to see the skills that the
advanced clinicians can bring
us, and the kit they carry. I think
this was an amazing opportunity
and think if it was available to
more students it would be really
beneficial for trauma training.
Personally, I have taken a lot away
from this day, as it has renewed
my interest in trauma and the
possibility of further training in
the future.”
South Central
Ambulance Service
staff member
receives prestigious
national award
Luci Papworth, Director
of Operations - Clinical
Coordination Centres at
South Central Ambulance
Service NHS Foundation
Trust (SCAS), has received a
prestigious national award in
recognition of her outstanding
contribution and commitment
to the ambulance service
and her positive impact on
local patients.
The award was presented at the
Ambulance Leadership Forum
(ALF), a national ambulance
sector event organised by the
Association of Ambulance Chief
Executives (AACE), which was
held at Celtic Manor, South
Wales, on 2-3 October.
David Eltringham, Chief Executive
Officer at SCAS, said: “We
are incredibly proud of Luci
for winning the prestigious
‘Outstanding Service Award’
at the Ambulance Leadership
Forum. Luci is a qualified nurse
who has worked in the NHS for
36 years. Her clinical background
and knowledge are vital
components in her day-to-day
success as director of operations
for the clinical coordination
centres at SCAS.
“Luci is a real asset for the
trust and despite challenges
faced within her role, she
conducts herself with complete
professionalism and keeps
others going. This is a thoroughly
deserved award in recognition
of her outstanding service, and
I am delighted to pass on the
congratulations of everyone here
at SCAS.”
Anna Parry, Managing Director
at AACE, said: “The AACE
outstanding service awards give
ambulance trusts the opportunity
to pay tribute to one member of
staff from each of our seventeen
member services who have
demonstrated exceptional
commitment to their work during
the past year.
“Whether they are frontline
clinicians, control centre
operatives, volunteers or working
in support teams, this year’s
recipients have really done
themselves, their patients and
their colleagues proud, with each
person highly deserving of this
recognition by their peers.”
South Central
Ambulance Service
wins prestigious
award for CPR
and defibrillator
communications
campaign
South Central Ambulance
Service (SCAS) has won a
Chartered Institute of Public
Relations (CIPR) award for a
pioneering cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) and
defibrillator communications
campaign.
Entitled Defibrillators: A deadly
game of hide and seek, it was
named best healthcare campaign
at the CIPR PRide Awards
2023 in the Anglia, Thames and
Chiltern region at an event in
Cambridge last week.
The campaign was centred
around the launch of new
international resuscitation
guidelines designed to improve
survival from cardiac arrest
with a specific focus on
automated external defibrillator
(AED) signage.
The guidelines were formed
following research and
recommendations made by
Professor Charles Deakin,
divisional medical director and
resuscitation lead at SCAS, who
had warned the public was left
playing “a deadly game of hide
and seek” when it comes to
locating AEDs.
Prof Deakin and his colleagues’
recommendations included
ensuring that signs are illuminated
at night, visible at all times,
identifiable from a distance,
that the direction and distance
is indicated and that there are
annual routine checks of all
signage and AEDs.
The communication team at
SCAS developed templates and
a guidance pack for download
on the new international signage
guidelines and selected a school –
Stowe School in Buckinghamshire
– to be the first in the world to
implement the new AED signage.
SCAS has a rich history in
supporting cardiac arrest and
CPR awareness, including
launching the first defibrillator
finder app ‘Save a Life’, and this
campaign was tied in with the
annual World Restart a Heart
Day event which occurs on 16
October every year.
Alongside press releases on
Prof Deakin’s research and the
downloadable pack, the project
involved a 24-hour ‘CPR-a-thon’
challenge led by South Central
Ambulance Charity and US
technology company Tanium,
which has a UK headquarters
in Reading.
Meanwhile, the community
engagement and training team
at SCAS worked with more than
20 schools across the region
to arrange for paramedics
and volunteers to teach CPR
and defibrillator awareness to
students during the week of
Restart a Heart Day.
The aim of the combined
campaign was to ensure regular
communication throughout the
year to raise awareness and
interest, secure national media
coverage and significant social
media engagement, raise funds
for South Central Ambulance
Charity – all with the ultimate
goal of increasing out of hospital
cardiac arrest survival.
The campaign saw widespread
national and international
coverage of Prof Deakin and his
team’s research and guideline
development, live CPR events
which involved more than 10,000
people and £12,000 raised
for South Central Ambulance
Charity to go towards training
and equipment following the
‘CPR-a-thon’.
A week-long social media
campaign via Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram and YouTube resulted
in around 50,000 interactions
with members of the public
and hundreds of members of
the public received CPR and
defibrillator training at an event
held in the Westquay Shopping
Centre in Southampton.
After unveiling Stowe School as
the first in the world to introduce
the new signage based on
international guidelines, SCAS
worked with the Resuscitation
Council UK, the Association of
Ambulance Chief Executives
(AACE) and the British Heart
Foundation to rollout templates
and guidance to more schools.
“While publicly available AEDs
have saved countless lives they
remain underused, so many
individuals who may potentially
survive die because a defibrillator
is not available to them,” said
Prof Deakin, a professor of
resuscitation and pre-hospital
emergency medicine.
“Therefore, we must continue
to break down the barriers to
AED use while simultaneously
continuing to raise awareness of
the importance of CPR and both
the guidelines and work such as
this wide-ranging campaign is
vital to making change.”
The entry was also shortlisted for
the CIPR’s Excellence Awards
held in London earlier in the year,
while it is the second year running
SCAS has received a CIPR
PRide Award for its work to raise
awareness of CPR and AEDs
and improve engagement with
the public.
Gillian Hodgetts, director of
communications, marketing and
engagement at SCAS, said: “We
are delighted this work has been
recognised for its impact and
success with such a distinguished
industry award. It is a great
reflection of the dedication and
desire right across SCAS to keep
pushing forward with CPR and
defibrillator awareness to help
save more lives.”
Brighton man
reunited with lifesaving
crew
A Brighton man, who suffered
a cardiac arrest in October last
year, has been reunited with
some of the South East Coast
Ambulance Service (SECAmb)
team who helped save his life.
AMBULANCE UK – DECEMBER
22
23
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