Ambulance UK August 2021

Volume 36 No. 4 

August 2021 

DEDICATED TO THE AMBULANCE SERVICE AND ITS SUPPLIERS 

Real-time feedback on 

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In this issue 

Tools to improve CPR 

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CONTENTS 

CONTENTS 

Ambulance UK 

100 EDITOR’S COMMENT 

102 FEATURES 

102 New technologies and Artificial Intelligence in 

Emergency Medicine: tools to improve Cardio- 

Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) 

106 NEWSLINE 

128 IN PERSON 

131 COMPANY NEWS 

This issue edited by: 

Dr Matt House 

c/o Media Publishing Company 

Greenoaks, Lockhill 

Upper Sapey, Worcester, WR6 6XR 

ADVERTISING: 

Terry Gardner, Samantha Marsh 

CIRCULATION: 

Media Publishing Company 

Greenoaks, Lockhill 


Tel: 01886 853715 

E: info@mediapublishingcompany.com 

www.ambulanceukonline.com 

COVER STORY 

ZOLL RELEASES ADVANCED MONITOR/DEFIBRILLATOR WITH 

GROUNDBREAKING NEW TECHNOLOGY 

ZOLL Medical Corp. released the latest addition to its portfolio, the X Series ® Advanced*. 

ZOLL’s new monitor/defibrillator helps emergency care providers manage patients more 

effectively than ever before. 

PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY: 

February, April, June, August, 

October, December 

COPYRIGHT: 

Media Publishing Company 

Greenoaks 

Lockhill 


The X Series Advanced includes two new technologies: 

• Real BVM Help guides to deliver high-quality ventilations and reduce 

hyperventilation by providing real-time feedback on both volume and rate of bag-valve 

mask ventilation for intubated/non-intubated patients. 

• TBI Dashboard allows emergency care providers effectively manage traumatic 

brain injury (TBI) by providing a dashboard with trending data for the most critical 

parameters to TBI patients. 

The two new features come in addition to a full range of well-established technologies 

on the X Series. Fast and accurate vital sign readings, real-time feedback on chest 

compressions and seamless integration with the mechanical CPR system AutoPulse ® . 

Comprehensive data capabilities complete the ZOLL EMS solution: 

• Remote View enables effective decision support to help EMS providers meet their 

telehealth needs. 

• RescueNet ® CaseReview allows to review data from the X Series Advanced post-case 

for effective QA/QI. Data includes case-individual ventilation and CPR performance 

reports as well as comprehensive team reports. 

“With X Series Advanced, we continue our tradition by introducing proprietary Real BVM 

Help technology and TBI Dashboard. The feedback provided by the device is a natural 

extension of our existing range of feedback technologies, which also includes Real CPR 

Help ® ,” says Elijah A. White, President of ZOLL Resuscitation. 

Learn more at www.zoll.com/xseriesadvanced 

*Currently not available for sale in the U.S. and other non-European countries. 

PUBLISHERS STATEMENT: 

The views and opinions expressed in 

this issue are not necessarily those of 

the Publisher, the Editors or Media 

Publishing Company. 

Next Issue October 2021 

Subscription Information – August 2021 

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99

EDITOR’S COMMENT 

EDITOR’S COMMENT 

Welcome to the Emergency Services Show edition of Ambulance UK. 

I’m sure all readers will be aware that as lockdown measures have been removed over the last month or 

so, the workload in the ambulance service has continued to increase, with July seeing some of the busiest 

periods in our history. With this background, it is difficult to imagine what the next few months hold for 

ambulance services and our NHS and emergency service colleagues. 


“We aren’t 

out of the 

woods yet, 

so you’ll 

need that 

time to 

recharge 

your 

batteries, 

and spend 

time with 

family and 

friends.” 

However, despite the issues we all face, some areas of life are starting to return to normal. As you will see 

later in this edition, the Emergency Services Show is to return this year. The show will be held at NEC, 

Birmingham over 7-8 September. After the last eighteen months we’ve had, this will be a great opportunity 

for people to refresh their networks, whilst visiting the numerous exhibitors, live demonstrations, and CPD 

events. 

Not surprisingly, this year sees the introduction of a Health and Wellbeing Theatre at the show. This will 

cover key challenges, support programmes and proactive strategies around this vitally important area. 

The College of Paramedics will also be returning to the Show this year, with a dedicated area delivering a 

series of CPD events. As the College has just started the process to seek Royal Charter status, it is a good 

opportunity for non-members to join and support the College and the future of the Paramedic profession. 

It’s been a long time since any of us have had the opportunity to go to an event like this. If you get the 

chance to go, it promises to be an informative and educational couple of days. With a whole host of 

exhibitors at the event, there will also no doubt be a chance for you to stock up on pens for the coming 

year! 

Whether you can find time for the show, or not, make sure you take some time out for yourself over the 

summer. We aren’t out of the woods yet, so you’ll need that time to recharge your batteries, and spend time 

with family and friends. Also keep an eye out for your colleagues, and your boss. The pressures are intense 

at the moment, and people sometimes don’t recognise the signs of stress in themselves. 

Above all, stay safe! 

Dr Matt House, Co-Editor Ambulance UK 

100 

For more news visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com

FREE EDUCATIONAL PODCASTS 

In the knowledge that conferences and exhibitions may be difficult to attend we are delighted to offer you 

the opportunity to listen to the following presentations listed on www.ambulanceukonline.com FREE OF 

CHARGE with further presentations being added on a regular basis (average Podcast time is 30 minutes): 

The APCC Paramedic Team - Joel Symonds 

A Patient’s Perspective from a Road Traffic Collision - PC Ben Gates 

A Responders Perspective - Iain Craighead 

Head Injuries - Dr Jonathan Hanson 

The Role of Humour in Pre-Hospital Emergency Care - Joel Symonds 

Role of the Scottish Ambulance Service Special Operations Response Team - Pam Barker 

This unique section on our web site also gives you the opportunity to see the following products being 

demonstrated: 

• I-view(tm) video laryyngoscope 

• Water Rescue toddler 

VISIT www.ambulanceukonline.com 

• Advanced Water Rescue Manakin 

• OREALITI Go by Isimulate 

We are also seeking further presentation/podcasts to add to this exciting new educational concept 

therefore if you have anything to submit that would interest those working in Pre Hospital Care, 

Resuscitation and Simulation please forward it to info@mediapublishingcompany.com 

IT’S FREE - IT’S EDUCATIONAL - IT’S REWARDING 

WWW.AMBULANCEUKONLINE.COM 


DEDICATED TO THE AMBULANCE SERVICE AND ITS SUPPLIERS 

October 2020 


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FEATURE 

NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 

IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE: TOOLS TO IMPROVE 

CARDIO-PULMONARY RESUSCITATION (CPR) 

Abdo Khoury MD, MPH, MScDM 

Department of Emergency Medicine and Critical Care, Besancon University Hospital, France 

akhoury@chu-besancon.fr 

In the field of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), one might think 

that progress is more “laborious” than in other medical specialties, 

but the reality is more complex. Naturally, one would always wish that 

things move faster, certainly, especially in the last few years. Because 

it is clear that we are facing a stagnation in the survival rate of patient 

in cardiorespiratory arrest (CA). Survival to discharge slightly improved 

from the seventies to reach 8.8% [1]. We must therefore remain patient 

and determined. No choice: we must innovate and we can! 


Recently, practitioners have, for example, thought to optimise chest 

compressions by focusing on two parameters: the depth of the 

compressions and their rhythm. Without forgetting to give time for 

thoracic relaxation. Having a bystander initiating prompt CPR has led to 

an increase in survival rate up to 11.3% [1]. All these optimisations have 

already proven to have a positive impact on the survival rate, which is 

our main objective. There is no doubt that the European Resuscitation 

Council (ERC) Congress on Cardiac Arrest to be held in March 2021 (it 

should have been held in Manchester from 20 to 22 October) promises 

to be rich in new recommendations. The congress will certainly explore 

other avenues: improving ventilation is surely one of them, and in recent 

years many studies have been talking more and more about it. 

Proof of this is that things are “on the move”, these recommendations - or 

treatment protocols - are slowly but surely evolving. Although that to date, 

many of my colleagues would tend to consider them as optimal. The fact is 

that these international guidelines are relatively poorly applied, especially on 

ventilation [2] And this is where the problem lies: how to explain it? 

Today, the recommendations focus on chest compressions, recalling 

the uniformly accepted good practices: early warning, initiate chest 

compressions and ventilate if trained to do so... As for ventilation, which is of 

crucial importance, it has been proven long time ago, that hyperventilation 

of 30 times/minute reduces the chance of survival by a factor of 3 [3]. 

Hyperventilation increases the Mean Intrathoracic Pressure thus decreasing 

the venous return to the heart and decreasing the Coronary Arteries Perfusion 

Pressure (CPP) (fig 1). On the other hand, ventilating 12 times/minute 

multiplies survival by 3 folds... However, we still don’t know how to stick 

to the recommendations: the scientific knowledge is up to date, but 

putting it into practice remains... theoretical or even impossible. 

Moreover, in this field we are now seeing a return to the fundamentals, 

against a backdrop of specialist controversy: should we intubate or 

ventilate, taken up by the famous “intubate or not”? Two systems 

predominate: the Anglo-Saxon system based on mask ventilation with 

rapid transport to the nearest hospital where the doctors will perform 

advanced resuscitation, and the Franco-German system, with the 

dispatch of an emergency doctor capable of intubating on the spot, 

Figure 1. Hemodynamic Study (n=9). Changes in mean intrathoracic 

pressure (MIP), coronary perfusion pressure (CPP), and right atrial 

diastolic pressure (RA diastolic) with different ventilation rates during 

resuscitation in a porcine model of cardiac arrest. Probability value 

FEATURE 

Figure 2. Percentage of hyperventilation (black), adequate ventilation 

(grey) and hypoventilation (light grey) for professional categories 

(n=280 tests for each ventilation technique). 

ETT, endotracheal tube [6]. 

In addition to this, there are other needs, very strong regulatory 

constraints and clinical trials that are more difficult to carry out in the 

field. Nevertheless, over the last twenty years, new fields of research 

(digital, miniaturisation …) have enlarged our perspectives and 

possibilities in healthcare innovations. 

Figure 3. Comparison of mean tidal volume (a) and mean ventilation 

rate (b) for each participant between conventional ventilation (O) and 

ventilation with VFD (X) for Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced 

Life Support (ALS) groups. n = 20 participants/group, ventilation was 

performed during 5 min/participant [8]. 

become a reference in just a few years, has already inspired a number 

of manufacturers and, above all, generated new projects in research 

and development [9]. 

It is in this context that applied artificial intelligence could well 

revolutionise practices, or at least shake them up. It seems to be 

present everywhere: robots, glasses, microscopes, radios... or almost. 

Indeed, it is far from having revealed its full potential in our branch, 

and would even be cruelly lacking. If it is not a question of replacing 

humans, but of “completing” them, of perfecting their gestures, then it 

has a bright future in emergency medicine and CPR [7]. 

The time for breakthrough innovations may have come for emergency 

medicine. With solutions designed by and for practitioners, and 

validated by “field teams”. Significant progress which, besides relieving 

part of the extremely heavy burden of first aid to some extent, should 

save more lives. A real glimmer of hope in a particularly difficult context. 

Bibliography 

We only seem to be at the dawn of these advances... And the 

applications are flourishing. For example, a team of engineers and I 

led a project to design a completely innovative ventilation assistance 

device. This small device, recently marketed by the French company 

Archeon, is attached to oxygen insufflators to measure the quality of 

ventilation during CPR: the right volume of air to be administered, the 

optimum ventilation frequency, and it analyses the different variables, 

depending on the patient’s profile [8]. Packed with electronics, its 

“intelligence” results from the interpretation of 56,000 ventilation cycles, 

with the aim of identifying a volume trend of optimal frequencies and to 

tell, in real time, if we are within the standards. It starts to equip a large 

number of ambulances and emergency services across the world. 

EOlife ® Ventilation Feedback 

Device (VFD) 

We could just as easily mention the Lucas massage board, a real 

find, pure product of mechanical engineering. To automate and 

calibrate chest compressions gesture thanks to a machine, one had 

to think about it! An astonishing device that has opened up beautiful 

perspectives in terms of dealing with CPR. This system, which has 

1. Yan S, Gan Y, Jiang N, Wang R, Chen Y, Luo Z, et al. The global survival rate 

among adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients who received cardiopulmonary 

resuscitation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Crit Care 2020;24:61. 

2. Cordioli RL, Brochard L, Suppan L, Lyazidi A, Templier F, Khoury A, et al. How 

Ventilation Is Delivered During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: An International 

Survey. Respir Care 2018;63:1293–301. 

3. Aufderheide TP, Sigurdsson G, Pirrallo RG, Yannopoulos D, McKnite S, von 

Briesen C, et al. Hyperventilation-induced hypotension during cardiopulmonary 

resuscitation. Circulation 2004;109:1960–5. 

4. Sinning C, Ahrens I, Cariou A, Beygui F, Lamhaut L, Halvorsen S, et al. The cardiac 

arrest centre for the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest due to presumed cardiac 

cause - aims, function and structure: Position paper of the Association for Acute 

CardioVascular Care of the European Society of Cardiology (AVCV), European 

Association of Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (EAPCI), European Heart 

Rhythm Association (EHRA), European Resuscitation Council (ERC), European 

Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM) and European Society of Intensive Care 

Medicine (ESICM). Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care 2020;9:S193–202. 

5. Jabre P, Penaloza A, Pinero D, Duchateau F-X, Borron SW, Javaudin F, et al. Effect 

of Bag-Mask Ventilation vs Endotracheal Intubation During Cardiopulmonary 

Resuscitation on Neurological Outcome After Out-of-Hospital Cardiorespiratory 

Arrest: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA 2018;319:779–87. 

6. Sall FS, De Luca A, Pazart L, Pugin A, Capellier G, Khoury A. To intubate or not: 

ventilation is the question. A manikin-based observational study. BMJ Open Respir 

Res 2018;5:e000261. 

7. Jiang F, Jiang Y, Zhi H, Dong Y, Li H, Ma S, et al. Artificial intelligence in 

healthcare: past, present and future. Stroke Vasc Neurol 2017;2:230–43. 

8. Khoury A, De Luca A, Sall FS, Pazart L, Capellier G. Ventilation feedback device 

for manual ventilation in simulated respiratory arrest: a crossover manikin study. 

Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med 2019;27:93. 

9. Strugo R, Wacht O, Kohn J. Mechanical CPR Devices: Where is the Science? 

JEMS. 2019.https://www.jems.com/exclusives/mechanical-cpr-devices-where-isthe-science/ 

(accessed 10 Feb2021). 


Do you have anything you would like to add or include in Features? Please contact us and let us know. 

103

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NEWSLINE 


SCAS 

SCAS volunteers 

attend NHS Big Tea 

event hosted by Duke 

of Cambridge 

Volunteers from South Central 

Ambulance Service (SCAS) 

attended a special NHS Big Tea 

event at Buckingham Palace 

today hosted by the Duke of 

Cambridge. 

Major Emma Allen MBE, Anthony 

Larks and Mark Potts, who are 

all Community First Responders 

(CFRs), spent the day meeting 

and talking to guests who 

included NHS England Chief 

Executive Sir Simon Stevens. 

The event was organised by NHS 

Charities Together, of which the 

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge 

are patrons, as a thank you to 

NHS staff and volunteers for 

their work during the COVID-19 

pandemic and to mark the health 

service’s 73rd birthday. 

It took place in the Palace 

gardens and ran alongside 

thousands of afternoon teas 

held nationwide in homes, back 

gardens, schools, hospitals and 

community settings to show 

support for the NHS. 

CFRs Emma, Anthony and Mark, 

along with more than 1,000 other 

CFRs and Co-Responders at 

SCAS, are members of the public 

trained to support the ambulance 

service primarily by responding 

to medical emergencies and 

sometimes providing lifesaving 

first aid to patients before 

paramedics arrive. 

CFRs also assist with ongoing 

patient care at the scene 

and attend more than 30,000 

incidents every year. They are 

funded solely by South Central 

Ambulance Charity, which 

provides equipment, training and 

is responsible for the vehicle fleet. 

“I never imagined when I signed 

up to be a CFR that I’d be having 

tea at Buckingham Palace,” said 

Anthony, who is from Bracknell 

and began volunteering and 

fundraising at the start of the 

pandemic – raising £9,000 for the 

charity in addition to the hours he 

has given to caring for patients. 

“It’s been truly amazing to have 

met the Duke of Cambridge 

today and to recognise the 

amazing work of the NHS – I’m 

honoured and humbled to have 

the opportunity to work alongside 

our NHS heroes and see the work 

they do daily, it’s incredible. 

Emma, Mark and Anthony at the Palace 

“I’ve witnessed selfless 

professionalism and constant 

care by attending paramedics 

and emergency clinicians. Their 

efforts never faltered at a time of 

critical need.” 

NHS Charities Together recently 

provided a £410k grant to South 

Central Ambulance Charity to 

fund new projects and equipment 

to support CFRs, as well as 

new LUCAS 3 cardiopulmonary 

resuscitation (CPR) devices 

which are now out on the road 

with SCAS clinicians supporting 

patients in cardiac arrest. 

“We have more than 1,000 

CFRs and Co-Responders who 

attend emergency incidents 

across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, 

Buckinghamshire and Hampshire 

and they are such an important 

part of our service,” said Vanessa 

Casey, Chief Executive of South 

Central Ambulance Charity. 

“They are usually first on scene 

with the patient and able to begin 

taking basic observations and 

supporting them prior to the 

arrival of the ambulance. They 

all do such a fantastic job for our 

organisation so I am delighted 

they were recognised in this way 

with an invite to the NHS Big Tea 

with the Duke of Cambridge.” 

She added: “SCAS receives no 

statutory funding for our CFR 

volunteers and relies on voluntary 

donations to the charity to 

provide the equipment, vehicles 

and training to enable these 

volunteers to respond. 

“We are extremely grateful to all 

of our supporters for the part they 

play in helping us to fund and 

maintain this service and to NHS 

Charities Together whose grants 

have really helped us to push to 

programme forward.” 

Ellie Orton OBE, CEO of NHS 

Charities Together, which has 

raised more than £150 million 

to support NHS staff, volunteers 

and patients through the 

pandemic, said: “If the NHS has 

been the backbone of the nation 

during the most challenging of 

times, then NHS staff have been 

its beating heart. I’m in awe of 

NHS staff who have dealt with 

so much over the last year, we 

would have been lost without 

them. 

“As an independent national 

charity representing NHS charities 

across the UK, we are proud that 

we have been able to support 

the NHS to do more than would 

otherwise be possible at the most 

challenging time in its history. 

“The public have responded 

amazingly, which we can see 

through the money they have 

donated and the thousands 

taking part in our NHS Big Tea 

today. That support is more 

important than ever with the 

pandemic having taken a toll on 

NHS staff. We need to continue 

to be there to support the staff 

and volunteers who have done 

so much for us.” 

South Central Ambulance Charity 

has been inviting people to “raise 

a cuppa” to SCAS and the wider 

NHS today and donate £5 while 

sinking their brew. People can 

still do this by texting SCAS 5 to 

70085 and are urged to tag five 

friends on social media to do the 

same. 

Separately, the charity is seeking 

a team of 40 challengers willing 

to abseil 320ft down Portsmouth’s 

iconic Spinnaker Tower in 

September. The charity first 

embarked on this challenge last 

year and raised £14k for SCAS, 

with a target this time of £17k. 

Find out more and download 

a joining pack at https://scas. 

charity/spinnaker-tower-abseilare-you-brave-enough 

106 


NEWSLINE 

SECAmb 

Medical Director 

named in Queens 

Honours 

South East Coast Ambulance 

Service NHS Foundation 

Trust, (SECAmb), is delighted 

that its Medical Director, Dr 

Fionna Moore, has been 

named in this year’s Queen’s 

Birthday Honours to receive a 

prestigious Queen’s Ambulance 

Service Medal, (QAM). 

Fionna has enjoyed a 

distinguished and lengthy career 

in the ambulance service spanning 

more than 20 years. As one of the 

UK’s longest serving Emergency 

Medicine Consultants, she has 

contributed to significant changes 

in UK pre-hospital practice in the 

last 30 years. She is one of just six 

recipients to receive the medal in 

the June 11 announcement. 

Fionna has also served as 

SECAmb’s chief executive and was 

previously medical director and chief 

executive at London Ambulance 

Service. At SECAmb she has 

overseen work to raise clinical 

standards including exemplary work 

on medicines governance which 

was subsequently hailed by the 

CQC as outstanding. 

She is held in the very highest 

regard among SECAmb staff and 

the wider ambulance service, 

both nationally and internationally. 

She has been instrumental in 

the development of specialist 

paramedic roles in critical care 

and is a listed author in more than 

30 academic studies. 

SECAmb Chief Executive Officer 

Philip Astle said: “I am really 

pleased that Fionna’s dedication 

and career has been marked with 

her receiving such a prestigious 

honour. We have faced huge 

challenges in recent months and 

Fionna’s leadership and support 

has been vital. Her focus on 

patient care remains unstinting. 

She is happy to help any member 

of staff with any query at any 

time and as a Trust we feel very 

privileged and proud to have 

Fionna as our Medical Director.” 

Fionna said: “I am humbled 

and delighted to be named in 

the Queen’s Birthday Honours 

and to be receiving the Queen’s 

Ambulance Service Medal. I 

will accept it with pride and 

will be representing each and 

every member of staff within the 

ambulance service who work 

tirelessly every day to serve their 

communities and respond to the 

needs of our patients.” 

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107

NEWSLINE 


NEAS 

The outstanding 

contribution of 

ambulance staff was 

recognised 

The outstanding contribution of 

ambulance staff was recognised 

when North East Ambulance 

Service welcomed Her Royal 

Highness The Princess Royal to 

its Hebburn base. 

The visit had originally been 

planned last year to mark the 10th 

anniversary of its Hazardous Area 

Response Team (HART) and the 

region’s NHS 111 service but was, 

understandably, put on hold due 

to the pandemic. 

Her Royal Highness will also present 

the Ambulance Service (Emergency 

Duties) Long Service and Good 

Conduct Medal to 14 frontline 

ambulance staff who, between 

them, have more than 285 years of 

frontline emergency service. 

HART is a specialist team of 

paramedics who are trained 

to provide life-saving medical 

care to patients in hazardous 

environments, which would 

otherwise be deemed too 

dangerous for a paramedic 

to enter, such as a collapsed 

building or firearms incident. 

HART paramedics work alongside 

the police and fire and rescue 

services within what is known as 

the ‘inner cordon’ – or ‘hot zone’ 

– of a major incident. Their job is 

to triage and treat casualties and 

to help save more lives during the 

early stages of a major incident. 

Since launching in March 2010, 

the NEAS team has attended 

more than 19,000 incidents, 

working alongside their 

ambulance and other emergency 

service colleagues at the centre 

of serious accidents or threats to 

public health in order to keep the 

region’s residents safe. 

Between them, the 43 paramedics 

working in the NEAS HART team 

have over 650 years’ clinical 

experience. 

That same year saw NEAS also 

trial the NHS 111 service in the 

North East. 

The NHS 111 service, which is 

still operated by NEAS using 

dual trained 999 and 111 health 

advisors, is available 24 hours 

a day, 365 days a year, offering 

a multi-skilled team of advisors 

and experienced clinicians, who 

assess a patient’s symptoms 

before directing them to the most 

appropriate help. 

Her Royal Highness watched 

a live demonstration of the 

Hazardous Area Response 

Team’s response to a terrorist 

incident before meeting some 

of the ambulance staff based at 

Hebburn and witnessing first-hand 

the contribution made by some of 

the region’s 999 and 111 health 

advisors in keeping the region 

safe. The visit ended with the 

Ambulance Service (Emergency 


Conduct Medal presentation 

ceremony. 

The Ambulance Service (Emergency 


Conduct Medal is designed for 

emergency ambulance staff who 

have worked on the frontline for 

more than 20 years. 

NEAS Chief Executive Helen Ray 

said: “We were incredibly honoured 

to welcome Her Royal Highness to 

our service to mark the outstanding 

contribution our teams have made 

to the North East.” 

The Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne and 

Wear, Mrs Susan Winfield, said: 

“Every year it gives me great 

pleasure to meet the men and 

women who have given so much 

to our region over their years of 

service to present them with their 

Queen’s Medal. I can only imagine 

how hard the last year has been 

for all those working for our health 

and emergency services and I was 

delighted to welcome Her Royal 

Highness to such an outstanding 

facility and introduce her to some 

of the teams helping to keep our 

region safe.” 

SECAmb 

SECAmb to trial 

body-worn cameras 

to help tackle 

assaults against staff 

South East Coast Ambulance 

Service NHS Foundation Trust 

(SECAmb) is to trial the use 

of body worn cameras by 

ambulance crews to establish 

if the technology can act as a 

deterrent against aggression 

and violence and aid future 

prosecutions. 

The trial, which will last 12 months, 

follows the Trust’s successful 

application for funding from NHS 

England and NHS Improvement. 

The trial will involve approximately 

400 body worn cameras being used 

by crews across five areas covered 

by the Trust - Thanet, Medway, 

Gatwick, Brighton and Guildford. 

The trial also forms part of a wider 

trust approach to tackle violence 

and aggression against staff which 

includes close working with police 

services to ensure all incidents 

are robustly managed alongside 

conflict resolution training for staff. 

The trial will feed into wider national 

work already under way to ensure 

the Trust benefits from trials which 

are already taking place elsewhere 

in the country. 

In 2019-2020, SECAmb staff 

reported 245 incidents of physical 

assault. In the same year, 

staff reported 219 incidents of 

directed verbal abuse. Staff are 

encouraged to report all incidents 

so that they can be investigated 

and wherever possible the 

individual prosecuted and held to 

account for their actions. 

Executive Director of Operations, 

Emma Williams, said: “One 

assault against a member of staff 

is one too many. Our staff should 

expect to be able to come to work 

and care for people without the 

risk of violence or abuse. Sadly, 

there are a small number of 

individuals who seem to think this 

kind of behaviour is acceptable. 

“We are keen to establish if 

body-worn cameras can help to 

further protect our staff by acting 

as a deterrent and also provide 

valuable evidence for use in court. 

We will study the findings of the 

trial closely and also continue 

to work with police colleagues 

across our region and ambulance 

services nationally to tackle this 

issue that the huge majority of the 

public find abhorrent.” 

108 


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109

NEWSLINE 


SECAmb 

Air ambulance 

tribute to retiring 

SECAmb paramedic 

A South East Coast Ambulance 

Service (SECAmb) paramedic 

who was part of the first air 

ambulance crew to fly out of 

Rochester in 1989 has been 

recognised for her more than 37 

years’ service. 

Penny Scrimgeour, who retired 

from SECAmb this week, was 

given a fitting tribute by Air 

Ambulance Kent, Surrey and 

Sussex, (KSS), along with hospital 

colleagues as the charity’s crew 

flew into Tunbridge Wells Hospital 

this week to thank her for her 

dedication over so many years. 

Penny, who was one of the first 

female paramedics to serve 

in Kent, retires 50 years since 

the UK’s first paramedics were 

introduced in Brighton. 

Penny began her career with 

Kent Ambulance Service in April 

1984 initially working out of 

Southborough Ambulance Station 

before other areas across Kent 

including Tonbridge, Tunbridge 

Wells, Cranbrook, Coxheath 

Emergency Operations Centre 

and Paddock Wood. She spent 

four years working on the air 

ambulance. Most recently Penny 

worked out SECAmb’s HQ in 

Crawley as part of the Trust’s 

Operational Improvement Hub. 

KSS Air Ambulance CEO, David 

Welch said: “I think 37 years’ service 

and the contribution Penny has 

made to her patients and community 

is absolutely phenomenal and she 

should be really proud of that. And 

as the first female HEMS paramedic 

and first crew out of Rochester back 

in 1989, this is something else that 

Penny should be hugely proud of. 

It is fantastic that we are able to 

celebrate that.” 

SECAmb Executive Director of 

Operations, Emma Williams, 

said: “On behalf of everyone at 

SECAmb, I’d like to thank Penny 

for her commitment in serving our 

communities over so many years. 

I’m sure she is very proud to 

have been part of the very first air 

ambulance crew in Kent and for 

everything she has done to help 

people in their hour of need. I wish 

her a happy and well-deserved 

retirement.” 

John Weeks, Head of Emergency 

Planning & Response and 

Maidstone and Tunbridge Well 

NHS Trust, who has known Penny 

for many years and worked 

with her in the past, helped to 

arranged the special tribute to her. 

He said: “It was a real pleasure 

to invite Penny to Tunbridge Wells 

Hospital for a retirement farewell. 

Penny has been a real friend 

to the hospitals in Tunbridge 

Wells over the years, promoting 

partnership working with the 

Emergency Departments. So it 

was also very fitting that she drove 

the first ambulance into the new 

Tunbridge Wells Hospital when it 

opened. I’d like to thank her for 

her commitment to patients and 

our staff over the past 37 years.” 

Penny added: “I’m so surprised 

that they had done this for me and 

hugely honoured. I didn’t expect 

it. I’ve been very fortunate in my 

career and seen and done many 

things the public would not get an 

opportunity to do. 

“Throughout an ambulance 

service career you touch so many 

lives and don’t really comprehend 

the impact that has. We may not 

remember all the patients that 

we see but they most certainly 

remember us. And that’s just 

such a great privilege.” 

SCAS 

SCAS Chief Executive 

helps raise more than 

£5k for ambulance 

staff charity 

South Central Ambulance 

Service (SCAS) Chief Executive 

Will Hancock helped raise more 

than £5k for staff in ambulance 

services across the UK by 

completing the fastest zip wire 

in the world and climbing Mount 

Snowdon. 

He joined forces with colleagues 

from the College of Paramedics, 

Association of Ambulance Chief 

Executives (AACE) and East 

Midlands Ambulance Service to 

help support The Ambulance Staff 

Charity (TASC) on an actionpacked 

expedition in North Wales. 

First up on the Ultimate 

Fundraising Challenge on 

Saturday was Zip World’s Velocity 

2, a zip wire which travels at 

speeds of over 100mph and has 

been described as the ‘nearest 

thing to flying’. 

Later in the evening the group 

laced their walking boots, turned on 

their torches and trekked 3,560ft to 

the top of Snowdon – the highest 

mountain in England and Wales. 

Will completed the challenge 

alongside Anna Parry, Deputy 

Managing Director of AACE, 

Kerry Gulliver, Director of Human 

Resources and Organisational 

Development at East Midlands 

Ambulance Service, and Tracy 

Nicholls, Chief Executive of the 

College of Paramedics. 

The idea was the brainchild of Ms 

Nicholls who wanted to embark 

on an event to highlight the impact 

of pressures on ambulance staff, 

particularly in light of COVID-19, 

and the importance of ensuring 

the support they require is there 

when needed most. 

The funds raised through their 

efforts will go towards initiatives to 

help care for the mental, physical 

and financial wellbeing of the UK’s 

ambulance community. 

“This challenge ticked a lot of boxes 

for me and I would do it all again 

in a heartbeat, despite being pretty 

nervous as the clocked ticked down 

towards the zip wire,” said Will, who 

is the lead CEO for mental health 

for UK ambulance services. 

“Anyone who knows me will 

know that was certainly out 

of my comfort zone, but the 

camaraderie was fantastic and the 

activities were exhilarating. 

“TASC is a charity doing hugely 

important work at a time when it 

has never been more essential 

given the challenges our staff 

have faced for such a sustained 

period and continue to. 

“In my role as the national lead 

for mental health for ambulance 

services, I really do understand 

the issues and just how important 

the work of the charity is and I 

am delighted to be part of a team 

which has helped raise funds but 

also much-needed awareness. 

“As I said before the challenge, I 

want to encourage everyone in the 

ambulance sector to ask for help 

if they need it – it is the hardest 

step but the most important.” 

Anyone interested in making a 

donation can still do so via the 

group’s JustGiving page at www. 

justgiving.com/fundraising/ 

tracy-anna-will-kerry. 

110 

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111

NEWSLINE 

and the importance of therapy for 

the COVID-19 pandemic. The 

of stress and pressure and 

Tools to improve 

wellbeing make 

frontline work safer 

and more effective 

999 teams. 

Audiences will also hear about 

the real-life experiences of 

practitioners, front line responders 

and experts in the field including 

platform has been used by NHS 

Practitioner Health, the Royal 

College of Emergency Medicine, 

Air Ambulances UK, the London 

Ambulance Service and Police 

Scotland. 

PSTD999 will be offering trauma 

response training, and expertise 

on psychological health and 

safety and the assessment and 

treatment of PTSD. 


The Emergency Services Show, 

NEC, 7-8 September 2021 

This year’s Emergency Services 

Show (ESS), taking place at the 

NEC, Birmingham, on 7 and 8 

September 2021 is designed to 

equip front line workers with the 

tools and techniques needed to 

maximise wellbeing and drive 

performance. 

“Employees of blue light 

services are at greatest risk of 

experiencing mental health issues 

and yet among the least likely to 

deal with them. A recent survey 

also showed 69% of emergency 

responders feel their mental 

health has deteriorated during 

the pandemic[1]. Improving 

wellbeing makes frontline working 

safer, more effective and more 

rewarding, so we must now make 

it a priority to build resilience in 

our emergency services,” explains 

David Brown, Event Director, The 

Emergency Services Show. 

The dedicated Health & Wellbeing 

Seminar Theatre, sponsored 

by MSA Safety, will feature a 

speaker line-up of experienced 

professionals who will share their 

expertise of mental wellness, 

health and nutrition, menopause, 

fatigue, workforce diversity 

and the latest digital support 

platforms. Mind Blue Light will 

talk about Mind’s Covid-19 

response and offer advice on 

how emergency responders can 

look after their own mental health 

and support their colleagues 

during the pandemic. Consultant 

psychotherapist Rebekah Golds- 

Jones will present findings from 

her MSc thesis on suicide and 

first responders which considers 

how to reduce the stigma around 

seeking mental health support 

the likes of Andy Elwood, 

an experienced former RAF 

paramedic and now campaigner 

on mental wellbeing. Other 

speakers include Greg Lesson 

from London Fire Brigade who will 

talk about the work he has been 

doing on nutrition and diet with 

the Fire Service to help maintain 

firefighters in peak physical 

and mental shape. Anna Stec, 

Professor in Fire Chemistry and 

Toxicity at UCLan will present a 

session on minimising firefighters’ 

exposure to toxic fire effluents. 

The mental health of service-users 

will be the subject of a session 

presented by James Lewis of 

South Western Ambulance. 

He will showcase the Trust’s 

ground-breaking project which 

uses animal therapy to help fight 

community isolation; thereby 

reducing pressure on the 

ambulance service. 

Delegates will also hear how the 

Police Federation is fighting for 

changes to current legislation 

on police conduct cases which 

currently have no time cap, 

and are often the cause of 

considerable distress to officers. 

Diversity in the fire and rescue 

service will be covered by Jenny 

Pollock and Emma Shute from 

the organisation Women to Work. 

They will share their experiences 

of working with South Yorkshire 

Fire and Rescue to overcome the 

barriers to women’s progression 

in the service, enabling them to 

maximise their potential. 

Visitors can also find out how 

a digital workplace platform 

called 87% has helped tens of 

thousands of frontline workers to 

build mental fitness throughout 

In the networking hub of the 

show, The Collaboration Zone, 

over 80 emergency services, 

voluntary groups, charities 

and NGOs will be sharing 

details of the support they offer. 

Organisations involved include 

Christian Ambulance Association, 

Railway Mission, Response 

Pastors, The Fire Fighters Charity 

and UK Firefighters Sailing 

Challenge. Visitors can also 

find out more about the UK’s 

first ever cycling club to support 

emergency service workers. 

Launched this summer, the 

Bluelight Cycling Club provides 

emergency service workers 

with an opportunity to network 

and access peer support from 

like-minded colleagues whilst 

enjoying the mental and physical 

benefits of cycling. The club 

raises money for five emergency 

services charities and members 

can access deals and discounts 

from major sports brands. 

The newly launched Future 

Policing Zone will also showcase 

organisations such as Oscar Kilo, 

Police Care UK, Surfwell – Devon 

& Cornwall and Dorset Police, 

and Service Dogs UK; who are 

providing best practice, research 

and guidance to help shape the 

wellbeing agenda and encourage 

collaboration. 

In the main exhibition, visitors 

with an interest in wellbeing 

can speak to safety technology 

experts MSA Safety about 

their campaign to protect 

firefighters’ health. Meanwhile 

people services’ experts Rego 

will be discussing transforming 

workplace culture, The Eleos 

Partnership will be sharing 

tips on reducing the impacts 

Health & Wellbeing is also a key 

theme in the co-located Health 

& Safety Event. As post-Covid 

working practices evolve, experts 

in the Lone Worker Theatre 

will share their knowledge 

and practical experience of 

managing wellbeing for lone 

and remote workers. The British 

Safety Council’s Conference 

programme includes an entire 

day dedicated to health and 

wellbeing, while each afternoon 

in the Professional Development 

Zone, HSE Recruitment 

Network’s team of advisors will 

host a sessions on culture and 

community, showing employers 

how to build a diverse and 

inclusive workforce. 

Free-to-attend and based in Hall 

5 and the Outside Area at the 

NEC, The Emergency Services 

Show 2021 will for the first time 

be co-located with not only The 

Health & Safety Event but also 

the Safety & Security Event 

Series, The Fire Safety Event, 

The Security Event, The Facilities 

Event and newly launched 

National Cyber Security Show, 

creating the UK’s largest event 

dedicated to the protection of 

people, places and assets. 

The NEC Venue Protect 

programme ensures all 

participants in The Emergency 

Services Show enjoy a COVIDsafe 

and secure visit with 

comprehensive social distancing 

measures and enhanced 

cleaning and sanitisation. 

Parking at the NEC for show 

visitors is free. Register in 

advance for free entry to all six 

events with a single pass at: 

www.emergencyuk.com 

112 


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113

TESTED 

ADVANCED 

AMBULANCE SEATING 

LAS 

Commendations for 

London Ambulance 

Service medics 

tackling knife crime 

Medics from London Ambulance 

Service who educate school 

children on the realities of 

knife crime to deter them from 

carrying weapons have been 

commended by the police. 

“We tell them about treating 

patients their age; our talks are 

emotional and relatable and we 

know it makes a difference.” 

Paramedic Sukhjit Kadri and 

emergency medical technician 

The presentations are aimed at 

Keith Plummer give youngsters in 

schools across east London honest 

and hard-hitting facts about what 

knife injuries look like and the lifechanging 

impact they can have. 

Year 9 pupils in an area which has 

a high rate of knife crime. 

Keith said: “It is really nice and 

unexpected to get an award for 

They also play a recording of a 

harrowing 999 call that was made 

after a fatal stabbing of a teenager. 

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The medics are part of a team 

who have worked alongside 

officers from the Metropolitan 

Police to educate hundreds 

of teenagers across Barking 

& Dagenham, Havering and 

Redbridge schools to stem the 

tide of gang violence in London. 

Detective Chief Superintendent 

Stephen Clayman presented 

Sukhjit and Keith with a 

Commander’s Commendation at 

a small ceremony in Romford to 

recognise their commitment and 

collaborative work on tackling 

knife crime. 

Sukhjit, who led the project for 

London Ambulance Service, 

said: “I’m so passionate about 

this work and it is so rewarding 

being able to give back to the 

community that I grew up in. I 

have been able to work in my old 

secondary school and sixth form. 

“It is a real honour to be 

recognised, but the real reward 

has been the feedback from 

pupils who have talked about the 

impact we have had. 

“We have knowledge and 

experience of the consequences 

of knife crime; of seeing people 

hurt and seeing their families. 

So we are passionate and 

enthusiastic about educating kids 

and we can say to them: this is 

what we do, this is what we see, 

this is real.” 

Sukhjit and Keith deliver their 

workshops alongside police 

colleagues PC Halleron and PC 

Harris; and Nathan Levy, who 

runs the Robert Levy Foundation, 

a charity set up after his brother 

was murdered. All five were 

commended. 

Det Chief Supt Clayman said: 

“The workshops have so much 

impact - they have resulted in 

students coming forward and 

giving information about other 

pupils carrying weapons. 

“This collaborative project is 

delivered alongside their other 

work commitments and they are 

passionate about their goal as 

ultimately they are trying to make 

youths in London safer.” 

114 


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115

NEWSLINE 

LAS 

Cardiac arrest 

survivor thanks 

“humble heroes” for 

saving his life 

A 54-year-old man whose 

heart stopped beating for 21 

minutes has thanked London 

Ambulance Service staff that 

helped save his life. 

Nicolas De Santis, a tech 

entrepreneur, was working at 

home in his study when he started 

to feel slight discomfort in his 

chest which he brushed off as an 

infection or bad cold. 

Fortunately for Nicolas his 

daughter, Alaia, 22, was also at 

home that day in December 2019, 

and had gone to check on him 

before they went out to dinner 

when he collapsed in front of her. 

She immediately dialled 999 

and followed the advice from 

London Ambulance Service call 

handler, Elliott, who began to talk 

Alaia through cardiopulmonary 

resuscitation (CPR). 

She said: “When I saw my dad 

collapse, I knew something severe 

had happened to him. I had never 

learnt CPR before, but, I knew I 

had to act quickly as he was not 

breathing. The call handler kept 

me calm and helped talk me 

through what to do.” 

As Alaia continued to give chest 

compressions to her father, 

medics Kirsty, Junaid, John and 

Vijay arrived. 

Junaid, an Advanced Paramedic 

for London Ambulance Service, 

recalled that day: “21 minutes is 

a very long time for someone’s 

heart to stop beating. Every 

second counts when a person is 

in cardiac arrest and good chest 

compressions – like those Alaia 

gave – helps to resupply the heart 

and brain with vital oxygen. 

“Alaia’s quick actions that day 

truly saved her father’s life.” 

After the medics helped to 

stabilise Nicolas, they rushed 

him to hospital where he was put 

in an induced coma. He spent a 

month recovering in an intensive 

care unit. The doctors said he had 

suffered a cardiac arrest because 

of a blocked coronary artery. 

Nicolas, who lives in Mayfair with 

his wife, Melissa Odabash, and his 

two daughters, Alaia and Avalon, 

18, says the incident has made 

him see the world a little differently. 

“I left this life for 21 minutes. I realise 

how lucky I am to be alive, and life 

really is much more beautiful than it 

was before. The way I see it I came 

back to understand how precious 

life really is,” he said. 

Recently Nicolas visited London 

Ambulance Service’s HQ to meet 

the staff there that helped to save 

his life that day. 

He said: “It has been so important 

for me to be able to thank them. 

Without them I’m not sure I would 

have survived. I call them my 

‘humble heroes’, because they 

really are heroes and so humble.” 

Since recovering Nicolas wants to 

raise awareness of the importance 

of cardiac health and learning 

lifesaving skills such as CPR. 

He said: “I’m a 54-year-old 

man, fairly fit, play football every 

weekend and look after myself 

with a healthy diet. I never thought 

anything like this could happen to 

me. It is totally unpredictable. 

“And that’s the point, you never 

know who it could happen to 

or when, so that’s why it’s so 

important to learn these skills. As 

sadly, you’re much more likely to 

have to save someone close to 

you – a friend or family member.” 

Not only has Nicolas thanked 

the ambulance service for saving 

his life, he says he is indebted to 

his daughter: “I have said to her, 

whatever she wants, she can have! 

“I can’t thank everyone enough 

for giving me another chance at 

life and the opportunity to see my 

daughters grow up, get married 

and graduate. I am so grateful to 

everyone that day.” 

Nearly 90% of patient transport users rate quality measures and booking reminders as important 


Non-emergency patient transport users believe it is important for 

providers to have good quality measures and notify them when their 

transport will pick them up. 

A research poll conducted by national health and social care transport 

provider ERS Medical has found that patients who use a transport 

service to and from hospital appointments have rated several quality 

measures and booking reminders as important service aspects. 

87% of respondents said the following quality measures were 

“extremely important” or “important” with a further 7% of respondents 

saying they are “somewhat important”: 

• Friendliness and experience of the provider and crews; 

• Cleanliness and age of vehicles; 

• Appointment reminders; 

• A caring approach 

Additionally, a significant 99% of poll respondents said it was 

important to know when the patient transport service would pick 

them up for their appointment. 

Andrew Pooley, Managing Director at ERS Medical, comments: 

“Although every contract has different KPIs for “journeys on time” - as 

an example, in our largest contract area, over 97% of our journeys 

are on time. However, we know there are inevitable delays in a busy 

healthcare environment with many moving components making up the 

entire system of patient flow. Effective communication with patients is 

imperative to let them know when their transport is due to arrive. 

They would also like the reassurance that their provider is a good 

quality and reliable one, whether this is reflected in the calibre of crews, 

the provider’s caring approach or via the condition of vehicles. These 

aren’t ground-breaking findings for the industry, but these poll results 

echo what we all have assumed for many years. It’s our collective 

responsibility to continue to deliver it.” 

ERS Medical conducts over 600,000 patient journeys per annum. In the 

last year, on-board ambulance patient feedback surveys (either completed 

during or after the journey and sent back to ERS Medical) show that 

over 94% of the patients transported by ERS Medical were “extremely 

likely” or “likely” to recommend their service to friends and family. 

116 


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117

NEWSLINE 

WYMRT 

West Yorkshire 

Medic Response 

Team launch 

lifesaving vehicle 

The West Yorkshire Medic 

Response Team (WYMRT), 

a specialist pre-hospital 

emergency trauma crew, who, in 

their spare time, responded to 

266 serious medical and trauma 

cases across West Yorkshire last 

year, has launched a new BMW 

X5 emergency response vehicle. 

It was made possible after the 

group successfully bid for a 

total of £41,220 from a pot of 

£250,000, which is given to the 

British Association for Immediate 

Care every year by the County 

Air Ambulance HELP Appeal - 

the only charity in the country 

dedicated to funding NHS 

hospital helipads. 

The BMW, which has been 

converted with blue lights, 

sirens, navigation technology 

and cameras will now be active 

across Leeds, West Yorkshire 

and beyond, carrying volunteer 

medical teams, consisting of 

senior doctors and paramedics, 

to the scene of critically ill or 

injured patients in the community 

or at the roadside. This new car 

replaces a Volvo XC70, which has 

been in use since 2013. 

WYMRT is one of a network of 

schemes across the UK, which 

operates under the umbrella of the 

British Association for Immediate 

Care – a national organisation. It 

currently has 35 active responders, 

including 15 trainees, who were 

dispatched 266 times last year. Of 

these, 159 were active jobs, with 

WYMRT being first on the scene 

in a quarter of these cases. The 

key reasons for call outs were, 

road traffic accidents (77 cases), 

long falls (19 cases), stabbings 

(14 cases) and cardiac arrest (13 

cases). 

In December 2020, after the 

County Air Ambulance HELP 

Appeal’s presented its second 

annual £250,000 donation 

to the British Association for 

Immediate Care, WYMRT was 

also successful in securing an 

additional £15,369.55. This has 

enabled them to buy ten new PPE 

uniforms, equip its garage base 

with laundry facilities to wash 

uniforms after every incident, 

purchase new crew responder 

helmets and also winter tyres for 

existing responder vehicles. 

WYMRT Chair, Dr Andy 

Pountney said: “The support 

given to WYMRT by the HELP 

Appeal has been tremendous and 

many patients in West Yorkshire 

have received this valuable 

specialist care and attention by 

Doctors at scene. The work has 

also helped both Doctors and 

Paramedics to understand the 

important roles played by each 

other in this type of work.” 

Robert Bertram, Chief Executive 

of the County Air Ambulance 

HELP Appeal added: “These 

volunteers are the unsung 

heroes of emergency care. This 

important addition to their fleet of 

cars and new PPE uniforms are 

in recognition of their lifesaving 

work - all carried out in their spare 

time - supporting local ambulance 

crews faced with hugely complex 

incidents, where people’s lives 

are at serious risk. This new car 

will help these volunteers to reach 

incidents quickly and safely to 

help treat patients and give them 

the best possible chance of 

survival and recovery.” 

The HELP Appeal was created 

12 years ago by the County Air 

Ambulance Trust. It is the only 

charity in the country dedicated 

to funding NHS hospital helipads 

including at Leeds General 

Infirmary which has state of the art 

lighting, to enable air ambulance 

take offs and landings at night 

and a firefighting system, thanks 

to a £132,000 donation from the 

charity. 

To date it has funded 45 helipads, 

which have received over 17,750 

landings. The HELP Appeal relies 

solely on charitable donations and 

does not receive any government 

funding or money from the 

National Lottery. 

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119

NEWSLINE 

LAS 


Service 

recognised at NHS 

Parliamentary 

Awards 

London Ambulance Service 

has been recognised at an 

awards ceremony celebrating 

excellence in the National 

Health Service. 

The Service’s End of Life Care 

Team, which ensures terminally ill 

people get compassionate care 

that respects their wishes, was 

announced as a winner at the NHS 

Parliamentary Awards on 7 July. 

The End of Life Care Team received 

the Excellence in Urgent and 

Emergency Care Award, while the 

Mental Health Team was shortlisted 

in the Excellence in Mental Health 

Care Award category. 

Both attended a ceremony in 

Westminster, where staff and 

volunteers across the country 

were recognised for going above 

and beyond the call of duty to 

make the NHS a better service. 

Dr John Martin, Chief Paramedic 

and Quality Officer for London 

Ambulance Service, said: 

“It’s been a challenging year for 

all staff and volunteers at London 

Ambulance Service and we are 

proud of them all. 

“The NHS Parliamentary Awards 

recognise how our pioneering 

services are helping our patients 

receive the best treatment for their 

needs. 

“I am incredibly proud that the 

Mental Health and Macmillan End 

of Life Care teams were shortlisted 

and I’m delighted that the 

Macmillan End of Life Care Team 

picked up an award for excellence. 

“This team has given staff the 

confidence to make decisions 

that meet the patient’s wishes, 

which can often be achieved by 

supporting them and their families 

at home. 

“Congratulations to all the 

nominees who were shortlisted. 

It is an honour to be recognised 

alongside so many talented and 

hardworking people.” 

The End of Life Care Team provides 

staff and volunteers with specialist 

training to ensure terminally ill 

people get care that meets their 

needs but respects their wishes. 

They are funded by Macmillan 

Cancer Support, and also work 

with hospices and palliative care 

services to develop new care 

pathways that prevent a patient at 

the end of their life needing to be 

taken to hospital. 

Emma Tingley, Macmillan Head of 

Partnerships for London & South 

East Regions, said: 

“A huge congratulations to the 

entire Macmillan End of Life Care 

Team on this richly deserved 

recognition. We are immensely 

proud to have partnered with the 

London Ambulance Service on this 

innovative programme – a first for 

the capital, which has combined 

Macmillan’s expertise with the 

UK’s busiest ambulance service. 

“Macmillan has invested over 

£862,000 into the development 


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120 


NEWSLINE 

and training of all 4,500 of the 

London Ambulance Service’s 

clinical workforce, so they 

can better support terminally 

ill patients. And the positive 

impact of this pioneering 

project is already being shared 

nationwide, so will have a 

lasting legacy in London and 

beyond.” 

Our Mental Health Team was 

recognised for the Service’s 

Mental Health Joint Response 

Car. This was piloted in South 

East London for six months in 

2018 – and, due to its success, 

was eventually rolled out across 

London in 2020. 

The scheme pairs up mental 

health professionals with medics in 

response cars to ensure people with 

mental health needs get the right 

and most appropriate treatment. 

“Macmillan has 

invested over 

£862,000 into 

the development 

and training of 

all 4,500 of the 


Service’s clinical 

workforce, so 

they can better 

support terminally 

ill patients.” 



121

NEWSLINE 

SCAS 

Pioneering 

ambulance service 

initiative helps 

30,000 patients 

avoid unnecessary 

emergency 

department transfers 

A pioneering initiative led by 

South Central Ambulance 

Service (SCAS) is helping 

patients receive the right 

treatment more quickly – 

and has so far seen more 

than 30,000 people avoid 

unnecessary transfers to 

emergency departments. 

The urgent care pathways 

project, established in 2019, 

sees ambulance service 

clinicians take a leading role in 

assessing and treating patients 

over the phone or in their homes 

when handling 111 or 999 calls 

and determining their next 

destination for ongoing care. 

It has led to many patients 

being treated at home, referred 

onto their GP, transported to a 

treatment centre or admitted 

directly into a specialist hospital 

service covering medical, 

surgical, paediatric, respiratory, 

frailty or mental health needs. 

More than 30,000 patients to-date 

who would previously have been 

conveyed to busy emergency 

departments for further 

assessment and investigations 

have had their journeys changed. 

The system has “significantly 

improved” patient experience 

by reducing delays accessing 

the care they need and has 

been referred to as a “gamechanger” 

in reducing pressures 

on emergency departments at the 

front door of hospitals. 

It also proved an invaluable asset 

during the COVID-19 pandemic 

for managing residents in care 

homes and avoiding the need 

for hospital admissions through 

treatment at home, referral to 

community services or by-passing 

emergency departments. 

The project focuses on 

moderately unwell patients 

with medical conditions, older 

patients who are frail with chronic 

conditions who are at risk of falls, 

those with respiratory conditions 

such as COPD and asthma, 

people in mental health crises or 

children who require a specialist 

paediatric assessment. 

Ambulance staff are supported to 

assess patients at home and take 

a lead role in working with GPs 

and consultants in hospitals to 

determine a patient’s next steps. 

They have also piloted 

paramedic-led blood testing 

at the bedside on frail patients 

which saw 58% avoid hospital 

admission as a result of more 

comprehensive assessments in 

the community. 

In addition, an online directory – 

SCAS Connect – was developed 

to categorise all of the urgent care 

options available across Berkshire, 

Buckinghamshire, Hampshire 

and Oxfordshire to assist staff 

with locating clinical and support 

services and making the right 

clinical decision in the community. 

“We have known for some time 

just how much scope there was 

to focus on the role of ambulance 

services as ‘care navigators’ given 

the fact our mobile clinicians 

are dispersed across vast 

geographies 24/7 and in a unique 

position to facilitate the most 

appropriate care for patients,” 

said Chris Jackson, a specialist 

paramedic and urgent care 

pathways lead at SCAS. 


122 

AVS STEPS_Ambulance UK Half Page Advert_June 2021_FINAL.indd 1 01/07/2021 18:04 


NEWSLINE 

“The need for change was clear in 

Lord Carter’s review of ambulance 

services in 2018 which urged better 

use of GP and community facilities 

to avoid unnecessary ambulance 

conveyance, access to a directory 

of services, greater clinical and 

managerial support for ambulance 

staff and new technology. 

“I am proud to say at SCAS we 

have taken this challenge on and 

produced a programme which is 

truly changing how we care for 

patients by enhancing the skills of 

our paramedics, ensuring patients 

get the right care as quickly as 

possible and reducing the burden 

on emergency departments.” 

Mark Ainsworth, director of 

operations at SCAS, said: “This 

is one of the biggest clinical 

transformational pieces of work 

ever undertaken to deliver on the 

core principles of specialist practice 

– right care, right place, right time. 

“By empowering staff to be 

confident in decision-making, 

ensuring the options available 

for patients are clear to our 

clinicians and moving away from 

a default approach of transfer to 

emergency departments, we are 

seeing the delivery of better care 

and a more integrated system.” 

In an extension of this work in 

February SCAS became the first 

ambulance service in the country 

to supply COVID-19 patients with 

home oxygen monitoring kits if 

they didn’t require immediate 

admission to hospital but were 

at higher risk of complications. 

In the same month the Trust 

introduced COVID-19 testing 

of all 999 patients visited at 

home – including those without 

symptoms – if they required 

transfer to hospital to speed up 

handovers and release crews 

more quickly. 

Dr John Black, medical director 

at SCAS, added: “The urgent 

care pathways initiative at SCAS 

has significantly improved care 

for patients and has shown 

better, more appropriate 

management of patients is 

achievable. 

“It is a real game-changer when 

it comes to reducing pressure 

in emergency departments, as 

is evident from the avoidance 

of 30,000 journeys, and that is 

of particular importance given 

the constant strain being seen 

across the country. 

“SCAS is a leader in this field 

and we were able to accelerate 

progress in this space 

significantly during the pandemic 

with our pulse oximetry and 

lateral flow testing pilots which 

demonstrated innovation in 

the ambulance sector at an 

extremely challenging time.” 

“It is a real 

game-changer 

when it comes 

to reducing 

pressure in 

emergency 

departments, as 

is evident from 

the avoidance of 

30,000 journeys, 

and that is 

of particular 

importance given 

the constant 

strain being 

seen across the 

country.” 

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123

NEWSLINE 


YAS 

Lifesaving Restart 

a Heart campaign 

scoops prestigious 

award 

A Yorkshire Ambulance Service 

campaign which teaches 

schoolchildren how to become 

lifesavers has won a top accolade 

at the Yorkshire Choice Awards. 

The initiative, which has provided 

CPR training to 151,000 Yorkshire 

students on Restart a Heart Day 

since 2014, received a Special 

Recognition Award at the online 

event. 

Journalist and broadcaster Christa 

Ackroyd, who announced the award 

winners, said the recent high-profile 

resuscitation of Danish footballer 

Christian Eriksen highlighted the 

importance of the campaign. 

She said: “Christian Eriksen is 

now well due to the incredible 

life-saving actions taken on the 

field and that is what Yorkshire 

Ambulance Service aims to 

teach which they have done with 

amazing success. Keep up the 

good work of teaching these skills 

that we should all learn.” 

Jason Carlyon, Community 

Engagement Manager for Yorkshire 

Ambulance Service, said: “We are 

so thrilled to win this award! We 

know the campaign has directly 

influenced the patient outcomes 

and we know of lives saved as a 

result – we can’t ask more than that. 

“Thank you to the project team, 

volunteers, partner organisations, 

Yorkshire Ambulance Service 

Charity and, of course, all 

the schools and students for 

supporting this vital campaign. 

Together we are improving 

chances of survival.” 

More than 700 staff and 

volunteers are looking forward 

to returning to schools for 

face-to-face CPR training on 

Restart a Heart Day on Friday 15 

October 2021 after the COVID-19 

pandemic meant the lessons had 

to be online last year. 

The 114 participating schools are: 

West Yorkshire - 43 

Airedale Academy, Castleford 

Brigshaw High School, Allerton 

Bywater 

Honley High School, Honley 

Castleford Academy, Castleford 

Outwood Academy, Hemsworth 

Heckmondwike Grammar School, 

Heckmondwike 

Upper Batley High School, Batley 

Garforth Academy, Garforth 

Bruntcliffe Academy, Morley 

Lawnswood School, Leeds 

Leeds City Academy, Leeds 

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High 

School, Leeds 

Crawshaw Academy, Pudsey, 

Leeds 

Rida Girls High School, Dewsbury 

Rida Boys High School, Dewsbury 

Manorcroft Academy, Dewsbury 

St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary 

Academy, Dewsbury 

The Brooksbank School, Elland 

Jaamiatul Imaam Muhammad 

Zakaria, Clayton 

Holmfirth High School, 

Thongsbridge, Holmfirth 

Coop Academy Grange, Bradford 

Trinity Academy Bradford, Bradford 

Brighouse High School, Brighouse 

Highfield School, Ossett 

Ossett Academy, Ossett 

Pudsey Grangefield School, 

Pudsey, Leeds 

The Farnley Academy, Leeds 

Temple Moor High School, Field 

End Grove, Leeds 

Temple Learning Academy, Leeds 

Abbey Grange C of E Academy, 

Leeds 

Prince Henry’s Grammar School, 

Otley 

Bingley Grammar School, Bingley 

The Crossley Heath School, 

Halifax 

Ryburn Valley High School, 

Sowerby Bridge, Halifax 

The Halifax Academy, Halifax 

North Halifax Grammar School, 

Illingworth, Halifax 

Kirklees College, Huddersfield 

Shelley College, Huddersfield 

North Huddersfield Trust School, 

Huddersfield 

Crofton Academy, Crofton, 

Wakefield 

Outwood Grange Academy, 

Wakefield 

Outwood Academy City Fields, 

Wakefield 

Woodkirk Academy, Tingley 

East Yorkshire - 14 

Driffield School, Driffield 

Riverside School, Goole 

Howden School, Howden 

Beverley Grammar School, 

Beverley 

Wolfreton School and Sixth Form 

College, Willerby 

Hessle High School, Hessle 

Wilberforce College, Hull 

Hymers College, Hull 

St Mary’s College, Hull 

Wyke Sixth Form College, Hull 

Oakfield School, Hull 

Sirius Academy West, Hull 

Headlands School, Bridlington 

Withernsea High School, 

Withernsea 

North Yorkshire - 34 

Settle College, Settle 

Ripon Grammar School, Ripon 

Barlby High School, Barlby 

Norton College, Norton 

Huntington School, York 

York High School, York 

Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate, 

York 

Archbishop Holgate’s School, York 

Fulford School, York 

Cundall Manor School, York 

All Saint’s RC School, York 

Outwood Academy, Easingwold, 

York 

Selby High School, Selby 

King James School, 

Knaresborough 

Sherburn High School, Sherburn 

in Elmet 

Tadcaster Grammar School, 

Tadcaster 

Queen Mary’s School, Topcliffe, 

Thirsk 

Thirsk School & Sixth Form 

College, Thirsk 

The Wensleydale School and Sixth 

Form, Leyburn 

The Skipton Academy, Skipton 

Skipton Girls’ High School, 

Skipton 

Upper Wharfedale, Skipton 

Bedale High School, Bedale 

Richmond School, Richmond 

St Francis Xavier, Richmond 

The Holy Family Catholic High 

School, Carlton 

Stokesley School, Stokesley 

Northallerton School, Northallerton 

Scarborough College, 

Scarborough 

Scalby School, Scarborough 

Scarborough Sixth Form College, 

Scarborough 

Scarborough University Technical 

College, Scarborough 

Harrogate High School, Harrogate 

Eskdale School, Whitby 

South Yorkshire - 23 

Holy Trinity Academy, Barnsley 

Outwood Academy Shafton, 

Barnsley 

Maple Medical PRU, Balby, 

Doncaster 

Serlby Park Academy, Doncaster 

Outwood Academy Adwick, 

Doncaster 

Don Valley Academy, Doncaster 

Oakwood High School, 

Rotherham 

Wingfield Academy, Rotherham 

Saint Pius X Catholic High School, 

Rotherham 

Thrybergh Academy, Rotherham 

Al-Mahad Al-Islami, Sheffield 

Tapton School, Sheffield 

UTC Sheffield City, Sheffield 

Westfield School, Sheffield 

Notre Dame High School, 

Sheffield 

Stocksbridge High School, 

Sheffield 

Outwood Academy City, Sheffield 

Firth Park Academy, Sheffield 

The Birley Academy, Sheffield 

Bradfield School, Sheffield 

Hinde House School, Sheffield 

Dinnington High School, Sheffield 

Ecclesfield School, Ecclesfield 

For more information about 

Restart a Heart Day, visit www. 

restartaheart.yas.nhs.uk 

124 


NEWSLINE 

EAAA 

East Anglian Air 

Ambulance choose 

Japanese Sleep 

Capsules 

The new £7m base of East 

Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) 

has been built to facilitate the 

charity’s move from using rapid 

response vehicles at night to 

operating a 24/7 service by 

air. This operational change 

means that rest space is now 

needed not only for doctors and 

paramedics, but also for pilots. 

In an innovative move, EAAA 

chose to install six Japanese 

sleep capsules in their new 

rest area. These capsules are 

accommodated in a room 

measuring just 4.1 x 3.6 metres, 

and will provide privacy and rest 

for crew on the night shift. 

The capsules were manufactured 

in Japan by Kotobuki Corporation, 

who invented the sleep capsule 

concept and fitted out the first 

of the iconic Japanese capsule 

hotels back in 1979. The capsules 

have of course evolved since 

then, and these days provide rest 

space in hostels, workplaces and 

even on board ships all over the 

world. 

The project was managed and 

installed by Audience Systems, 

which is based in the UK and is 

part of the Kotobuki Group. 

Matthew Jones, Director of 

Operations at East Anglian 

Air Ambulance says, “People 

weren’t sure about having sleep 

capsules here at first. There was 

a lot of scepticism about privacy 

Photography: Sarah Toon 

and noise. Crew members also 

worried that the capsules would 

be claustrophobic, and that you 

they would feel the capsules 

move when other users got in and 

out. So far though, everyone has 

been pleasantly surprised on all 

fronts.” 

“It’s clear that these capsules are 

a very well-engineered solution. 

They don’t appear to translate 

vibration at all. When we were 

looking at capsules, we looked at 

some alternatives manufactured 

in China, and we had some real 

concerns about their solidity and 

stability, but this just served to 

confirm that the Kotobuki capsule 

was the solution we wanted.” 

To find out more about sleep 

capsules, call Audience Systems 

on +44 1373 865050 or email 

enquiries@audiencesystems.com 

About Audience Systems 

Audience Systems was 

established in 1972 and has 

been part of the Kotobuki Group 

of companies since 1994. 

Based in Westbury, Wiltshire, 

the company employs over 120 

people across manufacturing, 

engineering, project management 

and aftersales, and manages 

hundreds of interior fitout and 

servicing projects every year. 

As well as sleep capsules, 

Audience Systems’ prime 

business is in the manufacture 

and installation of retractable 

seating. It is the UK’s market 

leader in this field, and exports 

to over 50 countries worldwide. 

Clients include The O2 Arena, The 

Royal Albert Hall, Royal Caribbean 

Cruise Lines, Europa Point in 

Gibraltar, and Qatar University. 

NEAS 

New ventilation 

device study starts 

North East Ambulance Service 

(NEAS) has begun a new 

research study exploring 

whether a real time ventilation 

feedback device can improve the 

quality of ventilations delivered 

by ambulance clinicians. 

An out of hospital cardiac arrest 

(OHCA) occurs when a person’s 

heart suddenly stops beating. 

NHS ambulance services attempt 

resuscitation on about 30,000 

OHCA’s every year but sadly, 

despite the efforts of everyone 

involved, less than one in ten 

people survive. 

As part of the ongoing work 

behind the scenes to improve 

this, the research team at 

NEAS has developed the 

Ventilation Accuracy in NEAS 

using Zoll feedback (VANZ2) 

study, which will see ambulance 

clinicians working from Blucher, 

Middlesbrough and Redcar 

ambulance stations using a real 

time ventilation feedback device 

when they deliver ventilations 

during OHCA. 

The aim of the trial, which began 

on August 1st and is expected to 

last for four months, is to see if 

the real time ventilation feedback 

device improves the quality of 

ventilations delivered, and if this 

leads to an improved rate of 

survival. 

The clinicians involved in the 

trial will only use the device on 

patients aged 18 or over, who 

are not involved in a traumatic 

incident and who are not, or 

suspected of being, pregnant. 

Research paramedic Karl 

Charlton, who is leading on the 

research, said: “When a patient’s 

heart stops their body becomes 

deprived of oxygen. One of 


the treatments a clinician will 

undertake during a cardiac arrest 

is to provide support for the 

patients breathing, which involves 

inserting a tube into the patient’s 

mouth, and squeezing a bag 

inflated with oxygen to assist or 

take over a patient’s breathing. 

“When delivering oxygen, 

it is important to deliver the 

right amount. The European 

Resuscitation Council provides 

guidance about how much oxygen 

to deliver with each rescue breath, 

and how often each breath should 

be delivered, but there’s currently 

no way for a clinician to know how 

much oxygen they are giving to a 

patient and how often. 

“This new feedback device 

attaches to the tube that is 

inserted into the patient’s mouth. 

The other end of the device 

connects to the defibrillator 

screen used by the clinician. 

When the clinician squeezes the 

bag to deliver oxygen, the amount 

of oxygen delivered appears on 

the screen, so the clinician can 

respond to any under or over 

delivery of oxygen. A five second 

counter tells the clinician when to 

squeeze the bag at the right time. 

“This study alone won’t change 

paramedic practice overnight. But 

we hope that the results will help 

inform further studies to ultimately 

improve patient care and lead to 

improved rates of survival” 

For more information, including 

how to opt out of the study, visit 

www.neas.nhs.uk/our-services/ 

research-and-development/the- 

ventilation-accuracy-in-neas- 

using-zoll-feedback.aspx 


125

NEWSLINE 

SCAS 

Ambulance service’s 

resuscitation and 

defibrillator app sees 

spike in downloads 

An ambulance service 

app which provides 

cardiopulmonary resuscitation 

(CPR) guidance and locates the 

nearest defibrillator saw a 1,300 

per cent increase in downloads 

following Danish football star 

Christian Eriksen’s cardiac 

arrest at Euro 2020. 

The Save a Life app, developed 

by South Central Ambulance 

Service (SCAS), uses GPS 

navigation to locate the nearest 

automated external defibrillator 

(AED) as well as a list of others 

in the area and features videos, 

instructions and a question-andanswer 

section. 

The subject of CPR was thrust into 

the spotlight when Inter Milan ace 

Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest 

on the pitch during his country’s 

clash with Finland and had 

immediate life-saving assistance 

from players and medics. 

Around 60,000 out-of-hospital 

cardiac arrests (OHCA) occur in 

the UK every year and emergency 

services attempt resuscitation 

in around half – but just one in 

10 people survive to hospital 

discharge. 

However, chances of survival are 

two to three times higher with 

immediate bystander CPR – and 

a report published earlier this 

year by the National Confidential 

Enquiry into Patient Outcome and 

Death (NCEPOD) found 35.5% of 

patients who received CPR from 

a bystander survived to hospital 

discharge. 

The boost in interest in the 

app comes after data at SCAS 

showed requests for training and 

information on how to perform 

CPR and use AEDs, which are 

now stationed in many local 

communities, were down 67% last 

year and 86.5% this year in the 

South Central region compared to 

pre-pandemic levels in 2019. 

“The shock of the incident 

involving Christian Eriksen and its 

very public nature has had such 

a significant impact on people 

across the world and we, along 

with all other well-wishers, were 

delighted to see him stabilised 

so quickly and now discharged,” 

said Nicola Dunbar, Head of 

Community Engagement and 

Training at SCAS. 

Ms Dunbar said the swift action 

shown in the case of Eriksen 

could make the same difference 

to anyone in any walk of life. 

“This was a stark reminder of the 

instant and impromptu nature of 

cardiac arrest and highlighted 

the importance of quick thinking 

– the decisive interventions by all 

involved saved the player’s life,” 

she said. 

Professor Charles Deakin, 

Divisional Medical Director at 

SCAS and lead for resuscitation, 

said: “A person in cardiac arrest 

will not survive if they don’t 

receive assistance. Learning how 

to perform CPR before you need 

to use it and how to use an AED 

– and where they are located in 

your area – will give someone the 

best chance of survival.” 

LAS 

NatWest Group helps 

support over 200 


Service apprentices 

NatWest Group has agreed 

apprenticeship funding to 

help support over 200 London 

Ambulance Service (LAS) staff 

wanting to further develop their 

careers on the frontline. 

The funding, made through the 

apprenticeship levy transfer 

scheme, will help pay towards 

apprenticeship courses at LAS for 

up to four years. 

apprenticeship course run by the 

University of Cumbria. This course 

is open to medics already working 

on the frontline, helping them to 

further develop their emergency 

care skills while they progress to 

degree level. 

Emergency Medical Crew, Femi 

Coker, has worked at LAS for six 

years and has recently enrolled 

on the paramedic apprenticeship 

course. 

He said: “The apprenticeship 

course offers a unique opportunity 

for me to improve my clinical skills 

as I can study and work at the 

same time. 

“I’ve always dreamed of 

becoming a paramedic and 

this course has definitely made 

becoming one so much more 

accessible – especially as the 

tuition is paid for. I’m really 

looking forward to developing my 

skills further and becoming fully 

qualified in the future.” 

Recent NHS Digital workforce 

data found an increase in the 

numbers of people wanting to join 

the NHS and become paramedics 

since the start of the Covid-19 

pandemic. 

Dr John Martin, Chief Paramedic 

and Quality Officer for London 

Ambulance Service, said: 

“It’s so encouraging to hear more 

people are wanting to start a 

career as a paramedic. Working in 

the ambulance service is such a 


The ambulance service offers a 

multitude of different routes for 

external and internal candidates 

to develop or start a career 

in healthcare. The Associate 

Ambulance Practitioner 

apprenticeship, which is open 

to external applicants, is a route 

to becoming an Emergency 

Ambulance Crew without any prior 

medical qualifications. 

LAS also offers a paramedic 

Femi Coker 

126 


NEWSLINE 

rewarding and fulfilling role, and 

that’s why it’s so important for 

us to introduce more accessible 

routes for people to be able to 

fulfil their dreams – whatever 

their circumstances. 

“The support of NatWest is 

invaluable, and will allow us to 

continue to develop and train 

more talented individuals across 

the capital that will go on to care 

for those in need.” 

The funding from NatWest 

Group will help pay towards 

both the Associate Ambulance 

Practitioner and paramedic 

apprenticeship courses. Those 

enrolled onto the programmes 

will have the opportunity to learn 

new skills on the job, whilst 

working alongside qualified 

experienced clinicians, with the 

support from practice educators. 

Craig Neill, Global Head of 

Talent Acquisition at NatWest 

Group, said: 

“At NatWest Group, we know 

how rewarding a thriving 

apprenticeship programme 

can be for both an organisation 

and those who participate. 

Apprenticeship programmes 

help people to access new 

careers they may have never 

considered whilst building skills 

for the future, helping families, 

communities and businesses. 

“I am delighted that this funding 

will be redirected to the London 

Ambulance Service and will 

allow young people to develop 

the new skills and capabilities 

they need to succeed in their 

career.” 

For more information on 

the different apprenticeship 

opportunities visit the London 

Ambulance Service website: 

www.londonambulance.nhs. 

uk/working-for-us/careeropportunities/apprenticeshipopportunities/ 

SCAS 

Military volunteers 

at SCAS receive 

prestigious Queen’s 

Award 

A group of military volunteers 

at South Central Ambulance 

Service (SCAS) have been 

awarded one of the Queen’s 

most prestigious honours in 

recognition of their lifesaving 

work in local communities. 

MOD Corsham, a Ministry of 

Defence base located in Wiltshire, 

provides personnel who make up 

one of the military co-responder 

schemes at SCAS which sees 

individuals trained to attend 

medical emergencies. 

The scheme is one of 241 

charities, social enterprises and 

voluntary groups across the UK 

to receive The Queen’s Award for 

Voluntary Service this year. 

The award was created in 2002 

to celebrate the anniversary of the 

Queen’s coronation and is the 

highest given to local volunteer 

groups across the UK, with winners 

announced during the annual It 

recognises outstanding community 

work and is equivalent to an MBE. 

Volunteer co-responders, who 

are made up of members of 

the Armed Forces and other 

emergency services, attend 

a variety of emergencies and 

provide first aid in the crucial 

minutes before the arrival of 

paramedics. 

The MOD Corsham Military Co- 

Responder Scheme, although 

based outside of the SCAS patch 

in Wiltshire, can be deployed 

across the SCAS counties of 

Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, 

Hampshire and Oxfordshire. 

These volunteers also spend time 

raising funds for South Central 

Ambulance Charity to provide 

vehicles and equipment for use in 

their local communities as part of 

their responder schemes. 

“As volunteer co-responders, 

our mission is to make that big 

difference with patients who 

require a time-critical, pre-hospital 

response,” said Louis Edwards, 

a member of the MOD Corsham 

Military Co-Responder Scheme 

at SCAS. 

“At a time when every minute 

counts, we contribute to getting 

the most positive outcome 

possible to their situation.” 

Nicola Dunbar, Head of Community 

Engagement and Training at 

SCAS, said: “We are extremely 

grateful to our colleagues in other 

emergency services and the military 

who generously give their time to 

train and work as volunteer coresponders 

for us. 

“Our military co-responders in 

particular spend significant time 

not only assisting with medical 

emergencies in their local 

communities but also voluntarily 

raising funds to provide vehicles 

and equipment. 

“This award rightly recognises 

their outstanding commitment, 

dedication and achievements and 

is thoroughly deserved given the 

role these individuals play in caring 

for patients and saving lives.” 

Vanessa Casey, Chief Executive of 

South Central Ambulance Charity, 

added: “We have more than 

1,200 community first responders, 

medical students, military, 

police and fire co-responders 

trained to attend life-threatening 

emergencies and they all deserve 

the highest praise. 

“This recognition for our military 

co-responders during Volunteers’ 

Week is absolutely fantastic and 

the perfect way to celebrate 

the role they play in delivering 

excellent patient care as well as 

raising vital funds for our charity – 

thank you.” 

Representatives of the MOD 

Corsham Military Co-Responder 

Scheme will receive the award 

crystal and certificate from Mr 

James Puxley, Lord-Lieutenant of 

Berkshire, later this summer. 

In addition, two volunteers from 

MOD Corsham will attend a 

garden party at Buckingham 

Palace in May 2022 along with 

other recipients. 

MOD Corsham Military Co-Responder Scheme volunteers 



127

IN PERSON 

LAS News 


appoints new Chief Executive 

The Chair of the London Ambulance 

Service (LAS), Heather Lawrence OBE, 

has announced the appointment of Daniel 

Elkeles as the Trust’s new Chief Executive. 

Daniel, who will join LAS on secondment on 

16 August 2021, has significant experience 

in the NHS and healthcare, and is currently 

Chief Executive of Epsom and St Helier 

Hospitals NHS Trust, where he has served 

for nearly seven years. Prior to this, he was 

Accountable Officer for five of the clinical 

commissioning groups in North West 

London. 

During his time at Epsom and St Helier 

hospitals, Daniel has led on plans, and 

secured funding, to build a brand new £500 

million Specialist Emergency Care Hospital 

in Sutton. He has also overseen a significant 

improvement in patient care, quality, 

finance and leadership, culminating in the 

organisation being rated as ‘Good’ by the 

Care Quality Commission. 

Daniel has also led on many initiatives to 

improve culture and morale, resulting in 

Epsom and St Helier having strong scores in 

the staff survey in measures about equality, 

diversity and inclusion, as well as staff health 

and wellbeing. 

Heather Lawrence OBE, Trust Chair, said: 

“I am delighted to announce Daniel’s 

appointment as Chief Executive of the 

London Ambulance Service. Daniel has 

significant experience of working in and 

developing large NHS organisations. 

“Daniel’s commitment to supporting and 

improving the welfare and wellbeing of staff 

and volunteers is well known, including 

developing a culture where people feel valued 

and respected. 

“Daniel’s experience of securing major 

investment to modernise organisations will be 

key as we develop and deliver plans to invest 

in new buildings, vehicles, equipment and 

technology across our service.” 

Daniel Elkeles said: “I am absolutely delighted 

to have been appointed as the new Chief 

Executive for the London Ambulance Service. 

As the world’s busiest ambulance service, 

LAS plays a vital role in providing care for 

London’s population of nearly nine million 

people. 

“I look forward to joining the team and to 

helping to shape its future strategy, including 

ensuring staff and volunteers receive the best 

possible support after what has been the most 

challenging year in the NHS’s history. 

“The LAS team are held in the highest regard 

across London and further afield and I look 

forward to doing all I can to support them to 

deliver the best possible care and to improve 

their own working lives.” 

Sir David Sloman, Regional Director for the 

NHS in London, said: 

“On behalf of the NHS in London, I would like 

to personally congratulate Daniel Elkeles on 

his appointment, on secondment, as chief 

executive at London Ambulance Service NHS 

Trust. Daniel is an experienced leader who 

has been pivotal in securing support for a new 

specialist emergency care hospital in Sutton 

which will ensure that local people can access 

the care they need. I look forward to working 

with and supporting Daniel in his new role.” 

David Ruiz-Celada will join the Trust as 

Executive Director of Planning and Business 

Development later this year in September. 

The role comes with an extensive portfolio 

including system forecasting and planning 

to ensure the Trust’s Operations Directorate 

has the right level of resources to deliver 

timely patient care as well as the delivery of 

Information Management, logistics and Fleet. 

Originally from Barcelona and an aeronautical 

engineer by training, David now lives in Kent 

and will join SECAmb after a decade of 

working in the aviation industry. With a focus 

on operations planning and management, 

logistics and improvement, he has worked 

across airlines and air handing operators in 

Spain and most recently at London City Airport 

since 2014 where he is currently Director of 

Operations Strategy and Planning. 

His current role has seen him lead a number 

of key areas including developing forecasting 

and modelling capability within the airport and 

delivering a number of improvement initiatives 

using technology and process changes to 

increase capacity. 

SECAmb Chief Executive Officer Philip Astle 

said: “I am really pleased to have appointed 

David to this important role and I am confident 

his character, personality and experience 

will prove hugely beneficial to SECAmb. I 

would like to formally welcome him ahead of 

his arrival in September and look forward to 

working closely with him in future.” 

David said: “I am delighted to be joining the 

SECAmb team and look forward to meeting all 

of the colleagues who day-in, day-out make a 

difference to our communities. I trust that my 

slightly different background will bring in a new 

perspective that will help make SECAmb even 

better in the years to come.” 


Daniel replaces Garrett Emmerson who is 

leaving the Trust at the end of August 

SECAmb News 

SECAmb appoints new 

Executive Director 

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS 

Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is pleased 

to announce the appointment of a new 

Executive Director. 

128 


IN PERSON 

YAS News 

New Non-Executive Director 

Appointments 

NHS Improvement has confirmed the 

appointment of a new Non-Executive 

Director (NED) at Yorkshire Ambulance 

Service NHS Trust. In addition, the Trust 

has successfully recruited to an Associate 

Non-Executive Director (Development) post. 

Deputy Head of Internal Audit and Counter 

Fraud Specialist for the Department of Health 

and Social Care; Head of Internal Audit for the 

Health Research Authority and Head of Internal 

Audit for the NHS Counter Fraud Authority. He 

has extensive audit/business knowledge and 

experience with over 20 years advising central 

government departments in governance, 

assurance, risk management and counter fraud 

environments and 10 years working in publicfacing 

frontline roles in the civil service. 

‘Good’ overall’ Care Quality Commission rating 

from 2018. 

He led the Service through multiple major 

incident responses, including the Grenfell 

Tower fire tragedy, the two London Bridge 

terror attacks and, most recently, the 

organisation’s response to the COVID-19 

pandemic. 

In addition he has overseen the development 

Zafir Ali has joined the Trust as an Associate 

Non-Executive Director (Development) for a twoyear 

period up to 4 June 2023. He has declared 

no political activity in the last five years. 

of an ambitious strategy to modernise urgent 

and emergency care in London, treating 

more patients closer to home, reducing the 

numbers of patients needing to go to A&E 

and developing LAS’s role in providing and 

coordinating 999 and 111 healthcare services 

across London. 

Heather Lawrence OBE, Chair of the Board 

said: 

“Garrett has worked with the Trust Board 

and me to develop the ambulance service 

Amanda Moat has been appointed as Non- 

Executive Director. She is an experienced senior 

manager in risk, compliance and quality, with 

particular expertise in the financial services and 

legal sectors. She has advised on strategic 

matters including resourcing, diversification, 

product innovation, mergers and acquisitions, 

and change management. Amanda currently 

holds a number of non-executive directorships, 

including The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS 

Trust where she is the NED Safeguarding Lead, 

Bolton@Home and Arcon Housing Group. She 

is also a Director at Candam Ltd, a Taekwondo 

school, and is a volunteer at Highfield School 

in Wakefield, a secondary school for pupils 

with complex needs, and at the Change 

Management Institute. 

Yorkshire Ambulance Service Chairman Kath 

Lavery commented: “We are delighted to 

welcome Amanda and Zafir to the Trust and 

I know their abundance of knowledge and 

experience will broaden the skills in our Board 

and benefit the organisation, our staff and 

patients across Yorkshire.” 

Non-executive appointments to NHS Trusts 

made by the NHS Improvement are subject to 

the Governance Code for Public Appointments. 

in London, managing it through some of the 

most difficult and trying times in its history. 

“The last year has been very difficult and I 

support Garrett’s decision and thank him for 

his contribution to the ambulance service.” 

Sir David Sloman, NHS Regional Director for 

London said: 

“Working as part of the NHS in London, 

Garrett’s role in leading LAS through the 

COVID pandemic was fundamental to the 

city’s response to this national emergency.” 

Garrett Emmerson said: 

“I am incredibly proud to have led the London 

Amanda Moat has been appointed for a two-year 

period up to 4 June 2023. She has declared no 

political activity in the last five years. 

As part of the Trust Board’s succession plans 

to improve diversity at senior level, a NExT 

programme development placement has been 

created for someone to learn first-hand about 

the challenges and opportunities associated 

with being a non-executive director in the NHS. 

Zafir Ali has been successfully recruited to 

this post in a process aligned to that used by 

NHS Improvement to appoint non-executive 

directors. Zafir currently holds a number of roles 

at the Government’s Internal Audit Agency: 

LAS News 


Chair announces that Chief 

Executive is to step down 

The Chair of the London Ambulance 

Service, Heather Lawrence OBE, has 

announced that Garrett Emmerson is 

to step down from his position as Chief 

Executive Officer at the end of August. 

Mr Emmerson joined the organisation in May 

2017 and led the Service out of NHS ‘special 

measures’, achieving and maintaining a 

Ambulance Service over the last four years, 

however the time is now right for me to step down. 

“I’d like to place on record my thanks 

and admiration to every one of my 8,000 

colleagues. They do an incredible job every 

day, being there for Londoners when they need 

us most. It has been the greatest honour of my 

professional career to have led them.” 

Commenting on plans to replace Garrett, 

Heather Lawrence OBE added: 

“I am pleased to announce that the Board has 

appointed a new Chief Executive, Daniel Elkeles, 

who will be in place by 16 August 2021.” 



129

IN PERSON 

EEAST News 

New chief executive takes up 

his post at EEAST 

Tom Abell has taken up his post as 

chief executive of the East of England 

Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST). 

Tom has joined EEAST from Mid and South 

Essex NHS Foundation Trust, where he 

was deputy chief executive. He takes over 

the reins from deputy chief executive and 

medical director, Dr Tom Davis, who has led 

the service as interim chief executive since 

last September. 

Tom brings with him extensive NHS 

experience having held a variety of 

senior roles across the region. This 

includes deputy chief executive and 

chief transformation officer at Mid Essex 

Hospitals, Southend University Hospital and 

Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals. 

He has also worked in commissioning and 

was director of service improvement at 

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS 

Foundation Trust. 

Tom said: “I am honoured to have joined 

EEAST as chief executive and am proud 

to be working for the Trust that serves 

my family and friends across the East of 

England. I am looking forward to working 

closely with our people, stakeholders and 

partners to further develop and improve the 

services we provide. 

“I recognise that we have some major 

problems that we need to tackle – 

particularly how our people treat each 

other. We have too many examples of poor 

behaviour and it must be brought to an end. 

Let me formally underline my commitment 

to turn this around. 

“We also need to keep working with our 

communities and partners to create a 

modern ambulance service which is fit 

for the 21st century. I look forward to 

continuing to build on the good work which 

is already underway. 

“Although we have many challenges, 

including how we respond to the incredible 

demand we are seeing for our services, 

I truly believe we have the opportunity to 

make our own future. By working together 

with partners, we can be bolder and 

stronger.” 

Nicola Scrivings, Chair of EEAST, said: 

“I am delighted to welcome Tom to the 

Trust. With substantial NHS leadership 

experience in acute, mental health and 

commissioning, Tom brings a wealth of 

expertise to the position of CEO along with 

the experience and drive to deliver real 

improvements for our patients and staff.” 

SECamb News 

Executive Director 

announces decision to leave 

the NHS 

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS 

Foundation Trust’s (SECAmb) Executive 

Director of Nursing and Quality has 

accepted a new position outside the Trust. 

Bethan Eaton-Haskins, who has also been 

SECAmb’s Lead Director for COVID-19, 

has decided to take up a new role outside 

of the NHS. The Trust is working to finalise 

Bethan’s leaving date. 

Bethan has made a significant contribution 

to SECAmb since joining in 2018, 

transforming the Trust’s approach to quality 

and playing a key role in helping the Trust 

achieve a ‘Good’ rating from the Care 

Quality Commission in August 2019. 

SECAmb Chief Executive, Philip Astle, 

said: “Bethan will undoubtedly be a loss 

to SECAmb. She has contributed a huge 

amount since her arrival and, as our Lead 

Director for COVID-19, has been and 

remains instrumental to our response to 

the pandemic. I am extremely grateful 

for the exemplary way she has helped to 

lead SECAmb through this unprecedented 

challenge.” 


Tom Abell 

Bethan said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my 

time at SECAmb and this has not been an 

easy decision. I have worked with so many 

fantastic people but I personally feel that it is 

the right time for me to make a change. I will 

always be incredibly proud to say I worked 

for the ambulance service and I am in awe at 

the way everyone has risen to the challenges 

of the pandemic.” 

SECAmb has begun the process to recruit to 

a permanent appointment to replace Bethan. 

130 


COMPANY NEWS 

Durabook launches 

most powerful, 

reliable rugged laptop 

to support emergency 

services crews 

Durabook, the global rugged 

mobile solutions manufacturer, 

has launched its most 

powerful rugged laptop yet. 

The upgraded Z14I provides 

superior performance and 

experience with speeds of up 

to 1.6x faster than the previous 

model. 

Technology sits at the core of 

successful ambulance team 

operations, and powerful rugged 

devices are often required 

to enhance the benefits this 

technology can bring to mobile 

and response teams. Durabook’s 

Z14I offers a 16-hour battery life 

so that ambulance crews can rely 

on it to support an entire shift. 

It can also withstand the often 

challenging environments of 

ambulance crew work, including 

drops of up to six-foot, vibrations 

and spillages, as well as extreme 

temperatures. 

The device can also support 

patient care and drive efficiencies. 

Advanced wireless technology and 

improved connection robustness 

enable ambulance crews to 

instantly send critical patient data 

back to the hospital, allowing them 

to prepare for arrival. Health crews 

can also quickly access historical 

patient information, which may 

help inform treatment and record a 

diagnosis. 

To see what the Z14I can do to 

boost productivity and efficiency 

in your organisation, visit www. 

durabook.com, or contact us at 

marketing@durabook.com 

Bluelight UK Invests 

Northern based Bluelight 

UK Ltd has been the “go-to” 

place for ambulance vehicles 

for some 20 years now. Their 

depot near Manchester is 

within easy reach of the 

motorway network and 

supplies vehicles to most 

private ambulance services 

and charities, providing 

valuable support to the NHS. 

When it comes to ambulance 

vehicles, there are very few 

with the expertise of Bluelight 

UK Ltd in their field. 

At present there are over 45 

frontline ambulance vehicles in 

stock. With Euro six Mercedes 

Sprinters from as little as £10k 

there are some bargains to be 

had too. All the vehicles are ex 

NHS Trust and have been wellmaintained. 

Pre-owned vehicles 

(especially ex NHS Trust) can 

make a huge difference to both 

your capital expenditure and the 

environment. Recycling good 

quality used vehicles has got to 

be better than building new ones 

and at a fraction of the cost, there 

is a capital saving. 

“Used vehicle values are rising 

dramatically,” commented 

General Manager Matthew 

Forster. “We try our best to 

purchase the best quality used 

vehicles for stock through our 

normal channels, but because 

of the extended lead-times for 

new vehicles, lack of availability 

and increased demand, used 

ambulance values are higher 

than ever. This is no surprise 

since supply chains have been 

massively affected by Brexit, 

Covid19 and the Suez. Unless 

older vehicles can be used, there 

will be an even bigger shortage 

going into the winter pressures 

period this year”. 

Bluelight UK has a great 

reputation in the ambulance 

industry and can often offer 

solutions for short, medium 

and long term whether you 

normally purchase or lease your 

C1 ambulances. Their rental 

ambulances can also provide you 

with a stop-gap for delayed new 

vehicle builds, VOR downtime or 

new contracts. 

Their relationship with Venari 

Group also allows them to tap in 

to the resource of O&H Vehicle 

Technology, the UK’s largest 

ambulance vehicle converter for 

new vehicle supply. So if you need 

a new PTS, HDU or secure vehicle 

the team at Bluelight UK can help. 

Managing Director, Simon Forster 

added, “We have a fantastic and 

loyal customer base. We want to 

keep them and the only way we 

can do this is by working together. 

If customers need new ambulance 

vehicles or need to move vehicles 

on, we are best placed to 

effectively manage this process.” 

Bluelight UK will be opening 

new premises soon, which will 

assist them to engage in different 

markets. This new facility is 

within 2 minutes of the M6 and 

will provide another string to their 

already powerful bow. 

If you are interested in new or 

used ambulance or PTS vehicles, 

you can contact Bluelight UK Ltd 

on 01942 888800 or 

sales@bluelightuk.co.uk. 

Alternatively you can find them 

on www.bluelightuk.co.uk or 

meet Simon at Stand E51 at the 

Emergency Services Show 2021, 

NEC Birmingham. 

“The new advanced Z14I laptop 

goes above and beyond the 

standard requirements to elevate 

the user experience and create 

critical efficiencies for emergency 

services teams,” said Fred Kao, 

CEO at Twinhead International 

Corporation, the organisation that 

owns Durabook. 



131

COMPANY NEWS 


NEC Software 

Solutions launches 

revolutionary control 

room dispatch 

technology 

NEC Software Solutions has 

launched software designed to 

revolutionise the dispatch of 

emergency services teams. 

NEC Software Solutions 

is the new name for APD 

Communications, the leading 

supplier of software to emergency 

services, control rooms and other 

public safety sectors. 

APD was acquired by NEC 

Corporation, one of the world’s 

most advanced and innovative 

technology businesses, in 2019. 

Now, adoption of the renowned 

NEC brand signals the beginning 

of an exciting new era for the 

business. 

NEC Corporation is a global 

leader in advanced IT and 

network technologies that benefit 

businesses, public organisations 

and people across the world. 

The rebranding of APD enhances 

NEC’s presence in the UK, where 

it already has its European head 

office. 

NEC Software Solutions has 

marked the rebrand by launching 

ground-breaking control room 

software that will help emergency 

services organisations save lives 

and keep communities safe. 

The cutting-edge Computer 

Aided Dispatch (CAD) product, 

named Dispatch, takes 

control rooms to a new level 

of operational efficiency and 

performance. When every second 

counts, Dispatch gives operators 

the tools to manage incidents 

better than ever before. 

The cloud-based software has 

been developed with input from 

control room operators who are 

best placed to understand what is 

required to respond as effectively 

and rapidly as possible to 

emergency incidents and protect 

the public. 

It enables dispatchers and call 

handlers to prioritise and record 

incident calls, identify the status 

and location of resources, and 

dispatch them effectively to 

incidents. 

NEC Software Solutions Director 

of Control Room, Rhiannon 

Beeson, said: “With our new 

name we have become even 

closer to our parent company, 

which has a long and proud 

history of taking pioneering 

technologies from concept to 

reality. 

“We will benefit from the NEC 

global brand and access to NEC’s 

financial firepower and investment 

in world-class technological 

innovations. 

“That means we are able to 

accelerate our development and 

deployment of game-changing 

technologies, such as Dispatch, 

that enable our customers in the 

emergency services and critical 

control sectors to serve and 

protect the public and, ultimately, 

save lives.” 

Dispatch enables two-way 

information sharing between 

frontline responders and control 

room operators, can be accessed 

from any location, and is 

integrated with the Police National 

Computer, which stores criminal 

records information across the 

UK. 

The software also identifies 

duplicate incidents and enables 

the easy sharing of information 

with colleagues within the control 

room as well as other agencies. 

Dispatch is the latest of NEC’s 

cloud-based applications on its 

Public Safety OS platform, so it 

seamlessly integrates with Maps 

and Stream to provide a truly 

unique control room solution. 

Maps enables blue light teams 

to reach locations rapidly with 

pinpoint accuracy, while Stream 

provides unparalleled visibility 

from emergency incidents by 

streaming video from 999 callers. 

Dispatch is also integrated 

with other complementary NEC 

Software Solutions’ software, 

including its renowned Integrated 

Communications Control System 

(ICCS) Cortex, and CRM, Aspire, 

as well as Connect, a records 

management system, which 

supports police to act rapidly and 

effectively by providing instant 

access to accurate, logical and 

consistent information. This helps 

to assess threat, harm and risk in 

real time, reducing manual work 

and quickly directing resources to 

where they are needed most. 

Rhiannon Beeson added: “Our 

new Dispatch software has been 

built with control room employees’ 

feedback throughout the 

development process to ensure 

it is the very best it can be at an 

operational level, meeting the 

needs of the emergency services 

now and into the future. 

“This is a truly next-generation 

solution which will revolutionise 

how control room teams dispatch 

resources to incidents. It pulls 

data from multiple sources in real 

time and presents them on one 

screen, integrating seamlessly 

with other systems to provide 

a full end-to-end control room 

solution and deliver enhanced 

operational efficiency. 

“All of this means control room 

teams are better informed and 

equipped than ever before to 

protect people and communities.” 

Dispatch is also compatible with 

TETRA and LTE networks, which 

132 


COMPANY NEWS 

gives control rooms confidence 

that it will integrate to Emergency 

Services Network (ESN), a new, 

state-of-the-art communications 

network for the UK’s emergency 

services, meaning organisations 

that adopt it are perfectly 

placed for the transition to this 

revolutionary platform. 

The technology’s many other 

features and benefits include: 

• The ability to manage the 

full lifecycle of an incident, 

from creation to dispatch and 

reporting. 

• Control room colleagues can 

be tagged in an incident log 

to enlist their support or input, 

without the operator losing 

concentration on the call. 

• Operators can see who is on 

shift and available to respond, 

as well as the skillsets and 

assets they can deploy. 

• A diary appointment function, 

enabling control rooms to 

book officers’ time for nonemergency 

callouts. 

Dispatch has been launched 

to UK police forces initially, 

with further functionality to 

be developed to meet the 

requirements of fire and rescue, 

ambulance and coastguard 

control rooms, and future plans 

for the technology to be rolled out 

internationally. 

For more information about NEC 

Software Solutions visit 

www.necsws.com 

To find out more about Dispatch 

go to www.necsws.com/cad 

VCS reveals new 

MAN-based ULFA 

low floor platformbased 

concept for 

ambulance, police 

and fire services 

The UK’s market-leading 

emergency service vehicle 

specialist, VCS, has revealed 

a range of ground-breaking 

concepts based on a new 

Ultra Low Floor Architecture 

(ULFA) platform developed 

by sister company, Promech 

Technologies. The all new 

ULFA platform’s construction 

offers a combination of 

strength, versatility and 

accessibility never seen 

in the emergency services 

sector. enabling VCS to 

produce a new generation 

of front-line ambulance and 

police vehicles. 

VCS’s use of the MAN TGE-based 

ULFA platform opens a new world 

of opportunity for it to produce a 

next generation of vehicles, with 

gross vehicle weights including 

3.5, 4.0, 4.25, 4.5 and 5.0 tonnes. 

This gives VCS the ability to bring 

about a new generation of box 

body emergency service vehicles, 

including front-line ambulances 

and police support units, as well as 

fire, search, and rescue vehicles. 

By using the ULFA platform, VCS 

has already been able to introduce 

Europe’s first 5.0T front wheel 

drive, single rear wheel modular 

ambulance, which is designed 

specifically for St John Ambulance 

as a bariatric ambulance. 

The new ULFA embraces 

technology to ensure future VCS 

vehicles continue to offer the 

lightweight, robust construction 

for which it is renowned, while 

delivering even greater levels 

of versatility. Its low floor gives 

VCS the ability to develop a 

wider range of configurations of 

emergency service vehicles, as it 

can increase interior space of the 

box body without compromising 

the overall height of the vehicle 

and delivering a lower centre of 

gravity overall. 

The durable construction of the 

ULFA platform, combined with the 

load-lugging ability of the MAN 

TGE means that VCS vehicles 

using this architecture will be 

able to carry exceptionally heavy 

loads. This opens up possibilities 

for VCS in specialist care 

ambulances and a wider range of 

armoured policing vehicles. 

Mark Kerrigan, Managing Director 

of VCS, said: “Our new ULFA low 

floor platform opens up a world 

of possibilities to both ambulance 

and police services, offering 

a solution that offers greater 

versatility while retaining our core 

values of lightweight and quality 

engineering. The ULFA has a 

great deal of potential, and we 

look forward to unlocking this with 

several new low floor vehicles in 

the near future.” 

Designed, developed and 

produced at VCS’s facilities in 

Bolton, Greater Manchester, and 

Bradford, West Yorkshire, the first 

vehicle to use the new ULFA low 

floor platform will be unveiled later 

this year, in partnership with a 

major ambulance service. 

Promech Technologies, which 

sits within Woodall Nicholson’s 

Technology Division, draws 

upon its expertise in driveline 

engineering, innovative low-floor 

chassis design and eMobility 

solutions. 

Naoki Yoshida, Senior Vice 

President at NEC Corporation, 

said: “We regard NEC Software 

Solutions as an important part 

of our global business. We are 

proud of the company’s success 

and excited for the future as we 

continue to work with the team to 

drive innovation across the sector 

under the new company name.” 

NEC Software Solutions 

technology is used by every 

UK police force, as well as 

other emergency services 

organisations. 



133

ADVERTISING FEATURE 

EVER CONSIDERED LIVING AND 

WORKING IN THE SOUTH WEST? 

a higher level of care. This 

enables more of our patients 

to be treated closer to 

home; resulting in the lowest 

conveyance rate across the 

ambulance sector. 

The South West is an attractive and beautiful part of 

the country and a great place to live and work. It has 

one major city Truro – though the more picturesque 

St. Austell has a larger population – and easy access 

to the bustling metropolis of Plymouth. That said, it is 

worth noting that as a county Cornwall has the smallest 

economy in the UK. Devon offers beauty in abundance 

and no one can deny Dorset is truly somewhere special. 

With miles and miles of sandy beaches some of the best 

weather in the uk and the longest life expectancy in Britain 

Cornwall, Devon and Dorset makes for a happy home. 

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 

provides accident and emergency services throughout the 

South West region. The areas we cover include Bath and North 

East Somerset, Bristol, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, 

Dorset, Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, Somerset, 

Swindon and Wiltshire. 

Our commitment to 

supporting our staff is 

evidenced by our dedicated 

staying well service and in 

our commitment to a clinical 

career framework, which 

supports the development 

of Paramedics into specialist 

and/or managerial roles. The 

success and internal career 

progression of many of our 

existing staff is testament 

to the importance we place 

on growing, developing and 

supporting our workforce. 

We are the largest ambulance service in the UK, covering 

one-fifth of the country, including some of its most beautiful 

and life enriching locations. Whether you crave a coastal 

location, the best of the British countryside or the historic cities 

of Bath, Exeter, Bristol and Cheltenham to name but a few, the 

South West provides the best of everything. 


Join us and you will find an ambulance service that 

understands; the better we look after you, the better equipped 

you’ll be to look after our patients. We listen and work with our 

staff to ensure a progressive, clinically advanced service which 

takes account of feedback, organisational learning, providing 

staff with the equipment and support necessary to help them 

fulfill their demanding roles. 

Our diverse geography, including some remote rural 

communities, has driven our ambition to equip all our staff 

with the training, support and skills they need to deliver 

Picture courtesy of Poole Tourism 

134 


ADVERTISING FEATURE 

Clinical Hub Triage Nurse / Paramedic 

Job Reference: 202-A-21-14958 

Employer: South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 

Location: Bristol or Exeter 

Salary: £30,401 - £37,267 pa + Unsocial Hours Payment * 

Job Type: Permanent 

Working pattern: Full time 

Pay Scheme: Agenda for change 

Pay Band: 6 

Staff Group: Additional Clinical Services 

Closing Date: 

This job advert will close as soon as sufficient applications have been 

received. Please apply for this job as soon as you can, if interested. 

Contact Name: HR Services Team 

Email Address: hrservices@swast.nhs.uk 

We are currently looking to appoint Nurses and Paramedics to 

expand the clinical teams based in our Bristol and Exeter Clinical 

Hubs (999 control rooms). 

Our Clinicians provide primary clinical triage to patients, making 

interventions across the whole spectrum of health and social care 

to direct callers to the most appropriate care. They also provide 

advice and assistance to Clinical Hub staff and managers as 

required, whilst ensuring the safe and effective delivery of our 

emergency and urgent care service. 

Applicants must be a registered Paramedic or Nurse with a broad 

general experience as a qualified professional. You must have a 

wider knowledge of healthcare pathways, and have experience in 

triaging patients. 

This can be either a full or part time position but not bank at this 

time. 

By joining us in return we offer competitive professional 

development packages including academic enhancement along 

with flexible working opportunities within a supportive working 

environment which challenges and rewards in equal measure. 

At South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) 

every team member matters, we have a culture where everyone is 

valued for being themselves. Our aim is to work together to promote 

the most inclusive environment possible, which attracts people from 

the widest possible range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich 

the work that we do together, for the benefit of all of our employees 

and patients and communities we serve. We offer flexible working 

opportunities, inclusive policies and a range of feedback mechanisms 

to support individual needs and to enable a positive, welcoming 

environment in which our people and their careers can thrive. 

As the first Ambulance Trust in the Country to be registered as a 

NHS Foundation Trust (FT) SWAST offers consistent high-quality, 

locally responsive and trusted care to the residents and the transient 

population of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Dorset, 

Somerset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. 

If you are shortlisted for this post, we will send you a direct email to the 

address entered on your application form. Please ensure you check 

you Junk items. We will also send messages through your NHS Jobs 

account, to keep you updated on your application process. To access 

emails from us via NHS Jobs, please log into your account, and go to 

‘My Applications’. 

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust reserve 

the right to close this vacancy early, should we receive sufficient 

applications. 

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check 

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 

(Exceptions) Order (as amended) and as such it will be necessary for 

a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring 

Service (DBS) to check for any previous criminal convictions. 

UK Registration 

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further 

information please see https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/advice/overseas_cand.html 

If you would like to find out more information regarding the role 

you can contact clinicalteamleadersnorth@swast.nhs.uk for 

Bristol or clinicalteamleaderssouth@swast.nhs.uk for Exeter for 

an informal conversation. 

Applicants are welcomed and would be encouraged to arrange 

a visit to our Clinical Hubs and can do so by contacting the 

above. 

(*) Paid under Section 2 of NHS Terms and Conditions. Please see A4C 

Handbook at https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/tchandbook 



135

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© 2020 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. Smart Help, Ventilation Simplified, Z Vent, and ZOLL are trademarks or registered trademarks of ZOLL Medical Corporation in the 

United States and/or other countries. 

MCN EP 1811 0246

Ambulance UK August 2021

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