Ambulance UK April 2024

NEWSLINE
NEWSLINE
AMBULANCE UK – APRIL
completed the HELP Appeal
and 39 Engineer Regiment
could construct more helipads
in Scotland to speed up remote
communities’ access to hospitals
in medical emergencies. The
HELP Appeal is also dedicated
to partnering with other Royal
Engineer regiments, to make
helipads a reality on islands
across England and Wales.
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive
of the HELP Appeal says: “Gigha
needs this helipad now as there
is only one surgery on the Island
with no Doctor, so thanks to our
supporters, funding is available
immediately and with the Royal
Engineers on board I’ve no
doubt that construction will be
as efficient as possible ensuring
it opens this Spring. Once built,
the community will never have to
fear that ground conditions will
let them down again and they
can be sure of a swift transfer off
the island to hospital whenever
they need it. I’m excited that this
unique partnership will provide
lifesaving access to hospital in
an emergency.”
Captain Paddy Bryden of
39 Engr Regt says: “53 Field
Squadron, is part of 39 Engineer
Regiment, and we are delighted
to be involved with this project.
Our role in supporting military
helicopters has many similarities
to the construction of civilian
helicopter infrastructure, and
this opportunity offers valuable
training for our specialist
tradespeople. As a Regiment
we are grateful to be afforded
the opportunity to give back
to our rural areas and having
been born and raised in the
Highlands myself, I recognise the
disproportionally positive impact
improved infrastructure can have
on communities such as Gigha.
We hope there might be future
training opportunities for the Regt
to work with the HELP Appeal
team when our schedule allows.”
Jane Millar, Business
Development Manager of the
Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust says:
“We are completely amazed by
this opportunity with the HELP
Appeal and Royal Engineers. The
issues with the existing airfield
have been raised for years, but
there never seemed to be a viable
solution for the community Trust
to take forward. We know how
difficult the current situation has
been for our local emergency
services, so this project will
hugely support their work, and
ensure safe access to hospital for
our community. To receive this
level of support from the HELP
Appeal and the Royal Engineers
has been incredible.”
Gigha resident, Maurice Forster,
53, agrees after he was airlifted
to the HELP Appeal funded
Queen Elizabeth University
Hospital helipad in Glasgow
in December 2023 following a
medical emergency. Maurice
was taken to intensive care
immediately after landing. He
says, “The emergency services
were amazing, as was the
coordinator between them all.
Within 20 minutes, I had arrived in
Glasgow. The Air Ambulance is a
crucial service, and a permanent
landing pad in Gigha will make
it even more seamless for
our community.”
The HELP Appeal has funded
or is funding 15 helipads in
Scotland, including at the Queen
Elizabeth University Hospital in
Glasgow, Raigmore Hospital
in Inverness, Edinburgh Royal
Infirmary and Campbeltown
Hospital. The charity has also
donated £200,000 towards
portable landing lights for
Scotland’s Air Ambulance Service
for 20 island locations across
Scotland. It has funded 45
helipads across the UK, which
have seen over 27,000 landings.
Midlands Air
Ambulance Charity
Hosts European
Trauma Course
Twenty-four doctors and
advanced clinical practitioners
from across the country
travelled to Midlands Air
Ambulance Charity’s new
airbase and headquarters,
to join 15 faculties from
across UK & Ireland at the
European Trauma Course (ETC)
in September.
The three-day course, at the
charity’s new facility on the
Shropshire / Staffordshire border,
brought together clinicians from
key hospital specialties involved
in the immediate stabilisation of
major trauma patients on arrival
in hospital, focusing on technical
and non-technical skills required
to optimise patient care. Running
for over ten years, the course
covers key aspects of trauma
management, such as advanced
airway management, head injury,
paediatric injury, spinal injury
and more.
Hosted in Midlands Air
Ambulance Charity’s new
clinical training suite, the course
included scenario workshops,
each focusing on specific areas
of trauma, growing in complexity
to meet patient needs as the
course progressed. In addition,
the charity’s immersive simulation
suite, supported by The Kildare
Trust, was utilised throughout
the training, using the charity’s
facilities and equipment that is
some of the best available in
the industry.
Adam Low, pre-hospital
emergency medicine doctor at
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity
and Medical Director for this
European Trauma Course, said:
“The ETC provides a valuable
team-based approach to
immediate trauma management,
providing an environment to
learn technical and non-technical
skills that are integral to real life
situations. It was a privilege to
be able to host the course-at our
state-of-the-art clinical training
suite, inviting fellow advanced
clinical practitioners for training
to support the wider quality of
trauma care nationally.”
After receiving a positive response
from the group of delegates that
attended, the charity is hoping to
host another European Trauma
Course in spring 2024.
Learn more about the
European Trauma Course at
europeantraumacourse.com
To make an inquiry about booking
a bespoke training course at
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity,
please contact education@
midlandsairambulance.com.
Learn more about the charity by
visiting midlandsairambulance.
com or by following the charity on
social media.
EEAST team first in
country to win global
quality certification
A team at the East of England
Ambulance Service NHS
Trust (EEAST) has won an
international quality standard.
EEAST has a dedicated team
that maintains the Trust’s medical
devices. Medical devices are
lifesaving essentials such as:
• defibrillators,
• ventilators,
• patient monitoring,
• and oxygen equipment.
The certification process provides
an enhanced level of assurance
to patients, staff and volunteers.
It includes an audit of the quality
and documentation systems for
the whole lifecycle of the Trust’s
medical devices - from purchase,
deployment, servicing and
ultimately disposal.
EEAST is the first ambulance
service in the UK to receive
the global ISO 13485:2016
accreditation for medical devices.
Katie Birkenhead, Head of
Medical Devices said:
“This certification is a fantastic
achievement for the team,
they have all worked incredibly
hard and it is a credit to their
commitment.
“ISO accreditation has been
an ambition of mine for many
years, and I’m proud that we’ve
successfully delivered our goal.”
Picture: Andrew Macdonald –
Clinical Engineering Manager;
Matt Kent – Clinical Engineering
Technician; Charlotte Ennew
– Medical Devices Assurance
Manager; Neil Hogg – Clinical
Engineering Technician and
Paige Hogg – Clinical Engineering
Support with their ISO
certification.
Falls partnership for
Ambulance Service
and Cambridgeshire
Fire and Rescue
Service
People who have fallen in
their homes will benefit from
a new partnership between
Cambridgeshire Fire and
Rescue Service and East of
England Ambulance Service
NHS Trust.
The partnership is a 12-month
pilot which will see four
Community Wellbeing Officers
work across Cambridgeshire
responding to calls from people
who have fallen.
The Community Wellbeing
Officers completed a three-week
emergency responder training
with EEAST to learn the skills
required for their role.
Falls can account for up to 20%
of the ambulance service’s calls
and although some patients will
require hospital treatment, many
simply need to be helped to their
feet and checked over to make
sure they are safe to be left at
home. Currently, if a person falls
at home and has no injuries, they
could have a long wait for an
ambulance to become available.
The new partnership aims to free
up ambulance crews to attend
the most seriously ill people in
Cambridgeshire and this new
programme aims to send a
Community Wellbeing Officer
within an hour of the call.
Cambridgeshire Fire Service
Station Commander Scott
Fretwell, Community Risk
Manager said: “We are excited
to be working in partnership
with East of England Ambulance
Service Trust to introduce
community wellbeing officers.
“The collaboration will help to
save lives, enhance patient
experience and subsequently
improve community welfare.
When they are not responding to
calls, the community wellbeing
officers will be visiting homes of
the most vulnerable people in our
communities to help them stay
safe from fire and other risks such
as slips and falls.
“We are looking forward to
seeing the positive impact of
this new partnership over the
coming months.”
Tom Barker, EEAST Community
Response Manager said:
“We’re delighted to be part
of this collaboration with
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue
Service which aims to improve
the speed of response and
increase support for people who
have fallen in their homes.
“The people we’ll be responding
to are the vulnerable members of
our communities who will not only
benefit from a quicker response
to help them back on their feet,
but also the person-centred
home safety check that will be
carried out at the same time.
“I am confident that this
programme will see real benefits,
for not only for the ambulance
service, but more importantly to
our vulnerable members of our
community who we want to make
sure are safe in their homes.”
How the scheme will work
When a call is received by EEAST
via 999 or 111 to a person who
has fallen it will be clinically
assessed by the EEAST control
room. If the patient doesn’t have
any injuries, it will be assigned
to the Community Wellbeing
Officers. The officers, who will
be working in pairs, will then be
dispatched to the address to
safely get the patient off the floor.
The officers will then discuss the
patient’s condition with a clinician
in the EEAST control room to
ensure the patient can be safely
left at home.
Once the officers have assisted
the patient, they will also carry
out a tailored home safety check
to ensure their smoke alarms
are working and will also help to
reduce risk of fire or further falls
(loose rug, old slippers, steps
without hand rails).
The aim of the partnership is to
allow paramedics to be available
for serious medical emergencies,
while making vulnerable residents
safer in their homes.
Photo caption: Joshua Berrisford,
Tom Barker, Jo Fletcher, Scott
Fretwell and Megan Cantwell
Successful jockey
finds “second
calling” with the
ambulance service
A former professional jockey
who rode for Her Late Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II and football
legend Sir Alex Ferguson has
found his “second calling” with
the East of England Ambulance
Service (EEAST).
Thomas Brown, 31, rode 123
winners as a jockey with his
biggest success coming in 2016
on a horse called Educate in
the prestigious John Smith’s
Cup at York – the feature race
on a raceday which attracted
over 35,000 people and was
broadcast live on Channel 4.
One of Thomas’ other winners
was for Sir Alex Ferguson at
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For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com