Ambulance UK February 2024

NEWSLINE
NEWSLINE
AMBULANCE UK – FEBRUARY
reduces the risk of similar cases
in the future.
The Trust has also been
recognised for its work in
improving the visibility of the
Freedom to Speak Up Guardian,
making it easier for people to give
feedback and raise concerns.
NHS England has now confirmed
EEAST will leave the Recovery
Support Programme with
immediate effect.
Tom Abell, Chief Executive, said:
“This is a major milestone for
EEAST, and it’s all down to the
hard work and commitment of
our people.
“We have made much progress
since I joined the Trust over
two years ago. When I joined, I
made clear it would take time to
tackle longstanding cultural and
organisational issues.
“Although we have made good
progress, we know there is still
work to do to provide consistently
excellent service to our
communities.”
“Our Green Family”:
Three sisters join
parents caring for
capital at London
Ambulance Service
Three sisters have followed in
their mum and dad’s footsteps
to start rewarding careers
at the country’s busiest
ambulance service.
John Dell, a paramedic who
responds to complex incidents
in hazardous areas and supports
the welfare of staff on scene,
joined London Ambulance
Service (LAS) 20 years ago.
He currently works out of Cody
Road in Newham but started as
a trainee working in Dagenham
and Romford.
When his 20 year old daughter
Chloe joined LAS in April,
following in the footsteps of her
sisters Rhiannon, 21, Charlotte,
25, and mum Emma, their ‘green
family’ was complete.
John said: “It is quite humbling
to know that the family have
followed me into LAS and to see
them care for patients. The fact
that I’m here 20 years later and
I still love it, and that my family
wanted to join too, just goes to
show what a great place LAS is
to work.
“It’s nice to go out on the road
together and work alongside
the family.”
Chloe answers 999 calls from
patients and often works in the
control room in Newham with
Rhiannon, who also deals with
999 calls but helps to dispatch
ambulance crews and liaises with
other emergency services.
She said: “Rhiannon and I are
a team when we work together.
It’s great to have someone at
work who is there for you and
supports you.
“My sisters and my parents
really encouraged me to join,
and my mum who has worked in
various roles within the control
room opened my eyes to the
opportunities available. I’ve
always wanted to help people,
but I didn’t think it was something
I would end up doing until
I joined.”
Rhiannon, who has worked in
the control room for three years,
said “Going to work not knowing
what calls you are going to take
makes every day different. You
can go from helping someone
to deliver a baby to giving lifesaving
instructions on chest
compression when someone is
in cardiac arrest.”
Meanwhile Charlotte, currently
studying to be a paramedic at
Cumbria University while working
at LAS, cares for patients out
on the road from West Ham
Ambulance Station. She joined
LAS as a trainee when she was
20 through the award-winning
apprenticeship scheme.
Charlotte said: “We’re one big
family at home and at LAS. It’s
so rewarding to help and care
for people together in their time
of need, and also have that
emotional support from your
family as they understand what
you’ve been through.”
Reflecting on the family dynamic
with her dad, she said: “I’ve been
on clinical shifts in ambulances
with my dad and I can often
guess what he’s thinking before
he says anything.”
John met his wife Emma 30 years
ago and she joined her husband
at LAS in January 2019, working
in the Waterloo control room
helping ambulance crews take
patients to the right hospital.
Emma said: “It was really strange
making the jump to LAS where
John has worked all this time,
but it was a great decision and
I really enjoy it. It’s lovely to
know my daughters all have the
opportunity to have careers that
offer them the chance to help
people and make a real difference
to people’s lives. “
Chloe also recently joined her
dad on an ambulance shift as
part of her training. She said: “Not
everyone gets to work with their
dad and he’s been at the Service
since around the time I was born
so it’s really nice to understand
the journey he’s been on too.
“I know my family work at LAS,
but the wider Service is like one
big family too,” she added.
Resuscitation
Council UK launches
guidelines to help
increase cardiac
arrest survival rates
amongst athletes
Resuscitation Council UK
(RCUK) has launched new
guidelines to help save lives
across all community and
professional sporting events.
Resuscitation on the Field of
Play: best practice guidelines,
aim to improve the response to
a sudden cardiac arrest on the
field-of-play and increase the
chances of a full recovery.
RCUK says medical teams
responding to an athlete suffering
a cardiac arrest can help to
achieve this through prompt
recognition, high-quality CPR,
early defibrillation and effective
emergency planning.
The guidelines are designed
for medical teams who need to
respond to an athlete having a
cardiac arrest during or shortly
after sporting activity, across
all community and professional
sports - such as football,
swimming and tennis.
Sudden cardiac arrest on
the field-of-play is a rare but
devastating event, with approx.
1 in 217,000 people per year
suffering a sports-related
sudden death.
Michael Bradfield, Director
of Clinical and Service
Development at RCUK said:
”Sudden cardiac arrest on the
field-of-play can be difficult to
recognise. Some athletes may
look as though they are breathing
or have seizure-like activity with
their eyes open. It’s important to
recognise that these signs can be
present, however a person may
need immediate resuscitation.
Any unexpected collapse where
someone is unresponsive should
be presumed to be a sudden
cardiac arrest and treated
accordingly.
“Medical teams can use our
document to support excellent
practice in the resuscitation of
athletes at all levels of sport.”
Resuscitation on the Field of Play
best practice guidelines include
initial assessment and recognition
of cardiac arrest, CPR,
defibrillation, airway management
and transportation of athletes
while CPR and defibrillation is
taking place.
Dr Zafar Iqbal, Consultant in
Sports and Exercise Medicine
and Head of Sports Medicine
at Crystal Palace FC said:
“I wholeheartedly support the
fantastic work done by all those
involved in the publication of the
Field of Play guidelines. It helps
raise further awareness in this
important area, which I’ve no
doubt will enhance the work,
being done in improving survival
outcomes, following a cardiac
arrest occurring in sport.
“I’ve been fortunate to have
witnessed first-hand, the
excellent work by RCUK where
in collaboration with CPFC,
they have trained our players at
Crystal Palace in CPR and defib
awareness, and helping promote
the message to the public.”
Neil Greig, Head of Medical
Department, Brentford FC said:
“Cardiac health is close to our
hearts here at Brentford FC and
further research in this area is
something we continue to work
towards through our Heart of West
London partnership. We welcome
RCUK’s best-practice guidelines
which provides important
information about dealing with
sudden cardiac arrest on the field
of play. The more knowledge and
education we can spread, the
better equipped we can all be
about saving lives”
Elements of the guidelines are
easily applicable to people
participating in any sporting
activity and to all communitybased
cardiac arrests - with or
without a field-of-play medical
team available.
SECAmb signs
new NHS Sexual
Safety Charter
South East Coast Ambulance
Service NHS Foundation Trust,
(SECAmb), has formally signed
a new NHS Sexual Safety
Charter aimed at ensuring a
systematic, zero-tolerance
approach to sexual misconduct
and violence in the NHS.
By signing the Charter, SECAmb
is committing to taking and
enforcing a zero-tolerance
approach to any unwanted,
inappropriate and/or harmful
sexual behaviours within the
workplace and delivering on the
Charter’s 10 core principles and
actions by July 2024.
SECAmb Chief Executive, Simon
Weldon, previously shared his
commitment to deliver on the
Charter to staff after its launch by
NHS England in September. The
approach was formally agreed at
the Trust’s Board meeting held at
the beginning of December.
AMBULANCE UK – FEBRUARY
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For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com