Ambulance UK December 2023

NEWSLINE
NEWSLINE
AMBULANCE UK – DECEMBER
feared they would not see nine
months ago.
Jack had suffered a large bleed
on the brain and had fractured
his skull and required emergency
neurosurgery.
At first, his parents Jess and
Jamie put it down to a typical
toddler accident and thought
he would feel better after a few
kisses and cuddles. Jess’s
intuition told her that something
was wrong, and soon after,
Jack became disorientated
and tired, so they immediately
decided to take him to A&E to get
checked over.
Unfortunately, while on route,
Jack took a dramatic turn for the
worse and he started vomiting, so
they pulled over and immediately
dialled 999. His condition
deteriorated rapidly, and Jack
continued being sick and became
pale, floppy, and unresponsive.
Llanelli First Responders and
paramedics were called, and due
to the severity of Jack’s condition,
called for the support of Wales
Air Ambulance. The adverse
weather that day meant the
critical care teams were operating
out of the Charity’s fleet of rapid
response vehicles, instead of the
helicopters.
Jack was taken to the University
of Wales Hospital, Cardiff, where
he was operated on and spent
time in intensive care.
Thankfully, Jack’s operation was
successful and fast forward nine
months he is continuing to thrive
and is reaching all his milestones.
Jess said: “It is going to be a
busy and emotional December.
We have Jack’s birthday and
several Christmas activities
planned as well as a special
family Christmas - which is going
to be extra special this year.
“To think we may not have
been able to celebrate Jack’s
second birthday and Christmas
doesn’t bear thinking about. It
could have been so different
for us, and we are so lucky we
still have our little boy here. We
will forever be indebted to the
Wales Air Ambulance. “Wales
Air Ambulance has given us the
greatest gift of all this Christmas.
They have given us Jack and
have given him a future.
“From now on, every Christmas
Eve, when Jack is looking up
at the sky for Santa and his
reindeers, he’ll be looking for the
Wales Air Ambulance helicopter
too, knowing they helped save
his life.”
If you would like to support
the Charity and help them
save more lives like Jack’s this
Christmas, you can donate by
visiting walesairambulance.com/
achristmaswish.
Welsh Ambulance
Service launches
new ‘Welcome Pack’
THE Welsh Ambulance Service
has launched a helpful new
resource for patients whose
first language is not English.
The virtual ‘Welcome Pack’
explains in simple terms how the
ambulance service works and
when is appropriate to call 999.
It describes what to do if you
need an interpreter on a 999 call,
the questions a call handler will
ask, how calls are prioritised and
what ambulance workers will do if
they come to see you.
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An online translation tool enables
users to access the resource in
their own language.
Matt James, Patient Experience
and Community Involvement
Coordinator, said: “It is extremely
important to us at the Welsh
Ambulance Service that people
from all communities across
Wales have fair and equal access
to the services we deliver.
“Our team actively engages
with communities across Wales
to help us understand the
barriers people are facing to
accessing and using our services
appropriately.
“The engagement carried out
with people seeking sanctuary
here in Wales and other
communities for whom English or
Welsh are not their first language
told us that people need more
information about health services.
“It’s how the idea for the
Welcome Pack came about,
and we hope it will be a helpful
resource to those who need it.”
The Trust collaborated with the
Ethnic Minorities and Youth
Support Team Wales (EYST) to
develop the resource, which is
hosted on the NHS 111 Wales
website and which launched
yesterday at an event in Swansea.
Helal Uddin, Co-Director
and Head of Services and
Partnerships at EYST, said: “We
at EYST Wales are delighted
to support the launch of the
Welcome Pack from the Welsh
Ambulance Service.
“Access to healthcare is a
fundamental right, and language
should never be a barrier to
receiving the care one needs.
“This innovative pack and the
availability of a translation tool is a
significant step towards ensuring
that everyone in our diverse
communities can access critical
medical assistance in times
of need.
“At EYST Wales, we believe in
fostering inclusivity, and this
initiative aligns perfectly with
our mission.
“We commend the Welsh
Ambulance Service for their
dedication to serving all residents,
regardless of their language or
background.”
Visit the Welcome Pack:
NHS 111 Wales
Farmer raises £9,000
to thank Charity that
helped save his life
Calfyn Jones hands over a
cheque for £4,500 to the Wales
Air Ambulance crew
A young farmer who was given
critical care following a crash
has raised £9,000 to thank the
Charity that helped save his life.
Calfyn Jones, 24, from Dihewyd,
Aberaeron, organised a classic
car and tractor convoy event
followed by a charity auction,
with the help of his girlfriend Erin
Thomas and their families.
The event raised £9,000 which
was split between the Wales
Air Ambulance and the High
Dependency Neuroscience Ward
at the University Hospital of
Wales in Cardiff.
The two organisations delivered
lifesaving care to Calfyn when
he suffered a traumatic brain
injury, following an accident on
6 February 2022.
Two air ambulances came to
Calfyn’s aid, and he was airlifted to
hospital in Cardiff where he spent
the next 17 days recovering.
Calfyn’s mum, Anwen Jones,
said: “He wanted to do something
to say thank you to the Wales Air
Ambulance crew that helped him
and the hospital who helped with
his recovery.
“Calfyn was really lucky. Thanks
to Wales Air Ambulance, he had
critical care on the side of the
road, which I believe helped him
to make a full recovery. We will be
forever grateful for the help and
support he received.”
The event was held at Dihewyd
Village Hall and the local
community rallied around to
provide donations for the auction.
There were also food stalls and
entertainment available, making it
a fun family day out.
Calfyn, who works as an
agricultural contractor and steel
fabricator, has had an interest in
classic cars and tractor events
for years and knew it would be a
good way to raise money.
He posted adverts on Facebook
and in the local community and
was overwhelmed by the support.
He said: “When I was recovering
from my accident, I decided I
wanted to put on an event and
do something to help the Wales
Air Ambulance. I have taken
part in tractor runs before and
it is something I enjoy, and we
also extended it to classic cars.
I couldn’t believe the positive
response; everyone came
together to help out.
“We had 45 tractors and about
60 cars and had volunteers from
the community watching the
roads and helping traffic flow. I
don’t think our small village has
seen anything like it before!
“It was the first event I have ever
organised, and everybody was
so kind in giving up their time and
donating auction prizes, from
hampers, restaurant vouchers,
MOT’s, cakes and so on. There
was something for everyone.
“I was totally surprised to raise
£9,000 for the Charity, I couldn’t
believe it when we were totalling
everything up. We may be
small villages around here, but
everyone comes together to
support each other.”
Speaking about his accident,
Calfyn said he was incredibly
grateful for everyone who
helped him and despite a slow
and steady recovery, he is now
making the most out of life.
He said: “I have always supported
the Wales Air Ambulance; it is a
lifeline especially for farmers in
rural communities. It is charity
very close to my heart and it
forever will be. If it wasn’t for
them, I wouldn’t be here today.
“I have been given a second
chance and am thankful I am able
to put on events like this and raise
money for the Charity as it could
have been a lot different.”
Calfyn is already planning another
event next spring.
The air ambulance service in
Wales is delivered via a unique
Third Sector and Public Sector
Partnership. The Wales Air
Ambulance Charity relies on
public donations to raise the £11.2
million required every year to keep
the helicopters in the air and rapid
response vehicles on the road.
The Emergency Medical Retrieval
and Transfer Service (EMRTS)
supplies highly skilled NHS
consultants and critical care
practitioners who work on board
the Charity’s vehicles.
AMBULANCE UK – DECEMBER
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For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com