Ambulance UK April 2024

NEWSLINE
NEWSLINE
AMBULANCE UK – APRIL
Ascot and he also achieved a
third place aboard a horse in
the royal silks when he was an
apprentice jockey.
But injuries saw Thomas give up
his jockey’s licence in 2017 and
a knee injury in a football match
in 2022 left him unable to ride
horses for three months.
During his rehabilitation he
considered a career outside of
horse racing and consulted with
a career adviser at JETS – the
Jockeys Education and Training
Scheme. They identified a career
with the ambulance service to
help fulfil Thomas’ desire to be
outside meeting new people
every day and providing a similar
adrenaline rush to being a jockey.
JETS arranged for Thomas
to meet EEAST paramedics
providing medical cover at
a raceday at Newmarket so
he could find out more about
working for the ambulance
service.
They told Thomas he could
retrain to work for the ambulance
service without a university
degree, as internal career
pathways within EEAST would
allow him to progress from
an entry level position as an
emergency care assistant to
become a paramedic.
Thomas successfully applied
to become an emergency
care assistant working in the
Bury St Edmunds area and
started in March 2023. He was
on the road in an ambulance
working alongside a qualified
paramedic after six weeks of
intensive training.
Celebrating his year anniversary
at EEAST, Thomas says he
looks forward to every shift and
his ambition is to become an
emergency medical technician
and then a paramedic.
He said:
“I feel incredibly proud to wear
the green uniform and work for
the ambulance service.
“I had some great days as a
jockey, but it feels like I have
found my second calling at
EEAST and I’m loving every
minute of it.
Successful jockey finds
“second calling” with the
ambulance service
“To see the difference you make
to patients is incredible. It’s a
good feeling when you see the
relief on a patient’s face when
you arrive on scene and it’s even
better when you make them
more comfortable.
“Becoming a paramedic is the
eventual goal but I’m taking
things one step at a time and
enjoying learning new skills from
supportive colleagues who want
you to do well.
“Working in the ambulance
service has matured me a lot and
given me a wider perspective
on life.”
Jemma Varela, head of clinical
operations in Suffolk and North
East Essex, said:
“Thomas is an excellent example
of someone starting in the
ambulance service later in life
and seeing a career pathway to
progress and do well at EEAST.
“Working for the ambulance
service is incredibly rewarding
and it’s great that Thomas loves
his job and feels he has found his
second calling.”
Thomas is sharing his story of
how he joined EEAST at the start
of National Careers Week. He will
be taking part in a Q&A session
on EEAST’s Instagram account
on Thursday 7th March from
12pm to 2pm alongside a fellow
emergency care assistant.
He also speaks at seminars to
young apprentice jockeys about
his riding career and his second
career with the ambulance
service, discussing the skills he
was able to transfer from horse
racing to the ambulance service.
He said: “JETS has given me
so much help in supporting me
into a career that I love, so it’s
important I give something back
to them by sharing my experience
and what I have learned from it.
“When I was starting out in
racing aged 16, I never thought
of anything other than being a
jockey. I now encourage people
to think about your options if
a career as a jockey doesn’t
work out.”
Pilot programme
gives volunteers
a pathway to join
East of England
Ambulance Service
A new programme run by the
East of England Ambulance
Service provides a direct route
for volunteers to start a career
with the ambulance service.
The ‘Volunteer to Career’
programme provides training for
people to get the skills needed to
begin full time roles at EEAST.
And the course now has its
first success stories, with
graduates Grant Harvey and
Matt Sharp taking up new roles
as emergency care assistants
in Ipswich and Hellesdon
respectively in April.
Grant and Matt were two of 11
people on the NHS Englandfunded
pilot programme and
joined EEAST as volunteer
community first responders after
receiving induction training.
The students then shadowed
ambulance crews and call
handlers in an emergency
operations centre to see which
role would suit them best, before
being trained to kickstart a career
in that role.
In Matt and Grant’s case it was
a career in frontline operations
that appealed most and they
undertook more clinical training to
complete the course.
Grant also completed the
four-week course to drive an
ambulance on blue lights – the
certificate in emergency response
ambulance driving (CERAD) – so
will be ready to hit the ground
running when he joins the Trust
in April.
The programme offers no
guarantee of a job, but everyone
on the course is supported
throughout and secures
qualifications that enhance their
career prospects.
Matt joined the programme from
the care industry having long
wanted to pursue a career with
the ambulance service, while
Grant had previously been a
lorry driver.
The programme has support from
Helpforce, a charity which aims to
accelerate the growth and impact
of volunteering in health and care.
It is hoped that the early success
of the programme will lead to
it being continued and provide
another pathway for people to
join EEAST.
Vikki Darby, a leadership
development manager at EEAST
who led up the programme, was
delighted to hear the news that
Grant and Matt had secured jobs.
She said:
“It has been a privilege to support
everyone on the pilot of the
Volunteer to Career programme
and I was ecstatic to hear Matt
and Grant had been successful in
their applications to join the Trust.
“The teamwork across the
organisation to help launch
this programme has been
phenomenal and ensured it has
been a success.
“Grant and Matt securing jobs at
EEAST shows that the pathway
works and we are looking to
continue and develop this
programme.”
Grant said:
“I would recommend this
programme to anyone who is
thinking about working in the
ambulance service.
“It takes a lot of effort and
sacrifices as there are many hours
of studying, but it gives you a real
sense of achievement when you
have completed all the courses.
“The support from everyone
involved with the programme
has been fantastic and it gives
volunteers a real insight into
working at the ambulance service
before committing to the job
full time.”
Matt said:
“The support from Vikki and
her team this on programme
is exceptional. I can’t thank
them enough.
“The course was challenging but
very rewarding and you always
felt supported.
Save more lives with
the SPR
“I feel incredibly lucky to be the
first to have gone through this
route to secure a job.”
Photo caption: From volunteers
to a career at the ambulance
service, Matt Sharp (left) and
Grant Harvey who have secured
jobs at EEAST after completing
the Volunteer to Career
programme; they are pictured
with Vikki Darby, leadership
development manager.
£1 million boost for
wireless innovations
to improve patient
care
Highest
IP66
Rating
Trials of new wireless
technologies to help improve
patient care and strengthen
connectivity in A&Es and
ambulance bays are set to
launch across seven NHS
trusts, following new funding
from NHS England.
Around £1million in total has been
awarded to seven trusts as part
of NHS England’s Wireless Trials
programme, which seeks to make
the most of cutting-edge wireless
technologies to provide the best
care and experiences for patients,
while freeing up more staff time to
spend with their patients.
Manchester University NHS
Foundation Trust will trial an
innovative approach of combining
satellite and cloud-based wireless
solutions to enhance connectivity
across their 10 hospital sites and
wider community services.
AMBULANCE UK – APRIL
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For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
WEL Medical Half Page.indd 1 11/01/2024 10:23
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com
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