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North East Ambulance Service staff among the UK’s most outstanding

NIAS ambulances

An operational manager and a call handler from North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) were recognised nationally last night (9 February) at the annual Ambulance Leadership Forum (ALF) in Leicestershire.

The Association of Ambulance Service Chief Executives’ gala awards applaud excellence across the UK ambulance service sector in 10 categories.

NEAS 111 operator Craig Foster, of Gateshead, joined the service three years ago and was highlighted as the UK’s most outstanding control services employee.

He was quickly followed by operations manager Karen Gardner from Cramlington, who joined the service 30 years ago, as the UK’s most outstanding manager at Band 5-8a.

Both were put forward for the awards having been category winners at the Trust’s annual Above and Beyond the Call of Duty (ABCD) Awards in October 2015.

Chief Executive of NEAS, Yvonne Ormston, said: “We are enormously proud of Karen and Craig’s achievements. They represent the best in ambulance services across the country and are great ambassadors for the North East and our wider family at North East Ambulance Service.”

Cited during the ceremony as a ‘fantastic role model’, Craig is a dedicated call handler with a positive attitude who firmly believes that if he is doing what he should be, he will make a difference to more and more patients.

Passionate about what he does, Craig is described by his team leader as having a ‘caring and compassionate nature’ who always makes his patients the priority. This year he has had two successful CPR calls on infants from 111 callers, which is considered to be probably the best kind of patient experience.

Craig said: “This award has come completely out of the blue. Just to be nominated for is an honour but to win is amazing. This is for my team really. I have some fantastic colleagues in the Contact Centre at North East Ambulance Service.”

NEAS’s second winner, Karen, climbed the ranks from ambulance cadet to her current role as operations manager for north division over her 30 years of service.

Over the past 12 months, Karen has been instrumental in the recruitment, training and implementation of over 50 Emergency Care Clinical Managers at NEAS to improve leadership across the organisation.

Always with good humour and a smile on her face, Karen has single handed prepared everything from assessment materials to training courses, that she then went on to deliver, whilst also juggling the demands of changing roles and staff shortages.

She is described by colleagues as a fantastic example of someone who demonstrates every day to her staff that she and the organisation do care.

Karen said: “It’s lovely to be recognised after such a long time with the organisation. I just feel like I’m doing my job but the fact that I’ve been able to make a difference for my staff means more to me than anything.”

Ms Ormston added: “As a result of the work Karen has delivered, we are now far better supporting our staff with their welfare, their development and, ultimately, their patient care.”

Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) Managing Director Martin Flaherty OBE said: “The Outstanding Service Awards presented each year at the Ambulance Leadership Forum are a fantastic way to recognise and commend ambulance service employees from across England who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in their day-to-day roles.

“This year’s nominations were of a particularly high standard and the eventual winners were chosen for their outstanding contributions to the ambulance service and the patients it serves.”

North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) covers 3,200 square miles across the North East region. It employs more than 2,500 staff and serves a population of 2.7 million people by handling all NHS 111 and 999 calls for the region, operating patient transport and ambulance response services, delivering training for communities and commercial audiences and providing medical support cover at events.

In 2014/15 NEAS answered 1.107 million emergency 999 and NHS 111 calls, responded to 302,687 incidents that resulted in a patient being taken to hospital, treated and discharged 18,144 patients with telephone advice and treated and discharged 81,990 patients at home. In the same year, emergency care crews reached 134,745 incidents within the national target of 8 minutes.

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Paramedics in Greater Manchester are being assaulted almost every day

Paramedics in Greater Manchester are being assaulted almost every day, shocking figures have revealed.

Data shows there have been more than 1,000 verbal and physical attacks on North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) staff in the region since April 2012.

It means that paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), urgent care assistants, and even call handlers are being subjected to violent and threatening behaviour on an almost daily basis.

Some have been left with broken bones, cuts, bruises, needle wounds and even bites as a result of assaults which have taken place in public places, hospitals, private residences and care homes.

There were more than two dozen incidents where staff were racially abused or sexually assaulted.

In some cases, offenders have been prosecuted and put behind bars for the attacks.

Manchester Crown Court

According to the data, obtained through a Freedom of Information request by the M.E.N, a person was sentenced to 16 weeks in jail by magistrates in Manchester for biting a student paramedic inside an emergency vehicle in March 2015.

In September 2013, two female EMTs were attacked in a private dwelling, resulting in broken bones. The offender was locked up for a total of 19 months.

A person who stuck a needle into a paramedic in a public place in March 2014 received a community order and was forced to pay their victim compensation.

The figures also show that some staff have been threatened with weapons including knives.

Ambulances outside North Manchester General Hospital

Ambulance crews danger addresses almost triple in two years

A spokesman for NWAS said it’s disgraceful that people who are working to save lives are subjected to such unprovoked abuse.

He said: “The trust takes a zero tolerance approach to any form of abuse and we will always support our staff to report any violence or aggression towards them and encourage them to press charges to ensure appropriate action is taken against the perpetrator.

“Attacks on our crews can have a major effect, not only on the trust’s resources, but in the long term, as it can impact on their personal and professional life and even play a part in them considering leaving the job and this is the last thing we would want.

Life-saving role

“Attacks can come from patients, their family and friends and even those who are not directly involved in the incidents our staff are called to attend. Every member of staff plays a vital role in serving communities by helping to deliver the highest standards of care and staff should be able to fulfill their life-saving role without abuse or fear.

“Those who commit these acts should ask themselves – if their parent, grandparent or child was waiting too long for an ambulance because an assault has taken a vehicle off the road, would they find that acceptable?”

Last week a drunken woman who kicked a paramedic in the face then urinated in an ambulance was banned from leaving the house at night by magistrates.

Sarah Bradley, 29, also shoulder-barged another crew member out of the vehicle during the incident in Rochdale.

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Belfast: Ambulance workers ‘attacked by patient’ during call-out

NIAS ambulances

NIAS ambulancesTwo paramedics have been attacked while responding to an emergency call-out in Belfast, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) has said.

It happened in the Finaghy Road North area on Wednesday afternoon.

A paramedic was punched in the chest and face and his female colleague was badly shaken.

They are both now on sick leave and the ambulance is off the road for repairs. A 17-year-old who had requested the ambulance was arrested.

John McPoland from the NIAS said: “Any attacks on ambulance personnel are unacceptable and have a lasting impact on our personnel who are victims, when in fact they are simply trying to be carers.

“All these types of incidents impact on the ambulance service’s ability to respond due to a reduction in staffing and vehicles resources.”

Police said a youth was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage, and was later released on bail.

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The chief executive of the Ambulance Service for Nottinghamshire is to stand down

East Midlands Ambulance Service chief executive Sue Noyes

The chief executive of the Ambulance Service for Nottinghamshire is to stand down – due to “family reasons”.

The East Midlands Ambulance Service has announced that Sue Noyes will be leaving the service in June 2016.

Ms Noyes was parachuted into the service in 2013 to drive improvements – with the service called to an emergency risk summit in October of that year after health chiefs raised concerns around patient care and safety.

Paramedics and board members have since praised Ms Noyes for improving morale and taking time to listen to staff – but under the strain of increasing demand on the service performance has struggled.

Chairman Pauline Tagg said: “Sue is a valued and respected member of the EMAS team and we will be sorry to see her leave. She has made this decision for personal family reasons, and I know she has not made it lightly.

“I have asked Sue to stay on until June 2016, to continue to lead EMAS through the introduction of phase three of our quality improvement programme Better Patient Care – Driving Forward for 2016.

“Sue and I are committed to ensure that our work continues as normal over the following months. We will continue to meet and engage with staff and stakeholders across the East Midlands as we prepare our long term plan to secure EMAS’ future.”

In the coming weeks Pauline Tagg will be discussing with the EMAS Board and the NHS Trust Development Authority the future leadership arrangements for EMAS.”

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Student nurse could have survived if ambulance had arrived sooner, says coroner

London Ambulance

A student nurse who died after waiting almost five hours for an ambulance could have been saved if she had got to hospital sooner, a coroner has ruled.

Lisa Day had a heart attack after being forced to wait five hours for an ambulance (Coulter Partnership /PA Wire)

A student nurse who died after waiting almost five hours for an ambulance could have been saved if she had got to hospital sooner, a coroner has ruled.

Lisa Day, 27, a type 1 diabetic, fell severely ill on September 7 last year and spent the day vomiting blood and complaining of a headache and stomach pains, St Pancras Coroner’s Court heard.

London Ambulance Service was struggling to cope with “extreme demand” and did not have enough ambulances to send to patients, the court heard.

An ambulance eventually arrived at 10.30pm after Miss Day suffered a cardiac arrest and fell unconscious. She was taken to hospital but never regained consciousness and died five days later from a lack of oxygen to the brain stem.

Coroner Mary Hassell said: “The reason for the approximate four and a half hour delay in an ambulance attending was because demand outstripped capacity.

“If Lisa had received definitive hospital care before she suffered a cardiac arrest in the evening of September 7, the likelihood is she would have survived.”

Speaking after the inquest through tears, Miss Day’s mother Doreen Proud said: “She should still be here. What can I say? It’s every mother’s nightmare.”

She later added: “I’m never going to get over this, no mother would.

“As a mum, your kids come first. No matter what happens you are always a mum.”

Asked if she thought she had justice now, she said: “It is helping everyone else but it can’t bring my daughter back.”

Miss Day’s sister Katie Edwards said: “She was completely let down.”

The court heard that Miss Day was assessed by NHS Direct 111 call handlers as DX012, meaning that an ambulance should have been with her within 30 minutes.

But the London Ambulance Service was “remarkably busy” that day – a fact the 111 call handlers were aware of – and did not arrive until nearly five hours later.

Susan Watkins, the head of quality assurance at the London Ambulance Service who reviewed the case, said the service was struggling with “extreme demand”.

She told the inquest: “On the day in question we faced increased levels of demand for the service. Incoming calls exceeded the amount of resources we had available – operational resourcing was low.

“We were receiving over 300 calls an hour in the hour we got the call from Lisa.”

More than 200 patients were waiting for an ambulance along with Miss Day, the inquest a heard.

The ambulance service was under such strain it upgraded its operations to ‘purple-enhanced’ – the third most serious category behind ‘black’ which denotes “catastrophic” conditions.

This meant that calls were redirected to other agencies such as 111, and saw staff who usually ring back patients waiting for an ambulance are redeployed to take emergency 999 calls.

Miss Watkins said: “Significant pressures were on the service we couldn’t reach our immediately life-threatened patients.

“Obviously there was a delay to an ambulance being sent to Lisa. While we are handling calls that are being held there should be further ring backs made to the patient.

“On the day in question there were two staff allocated to ring backs for all the calls waiting and sadly there was a delay in the ring backs.

“There just weren’t the people to ring back patients, they should be done but in those circumstances of extreme capacity we redeploy handlers.”

Miss Day, who lived in Fortune Green, West Hampstead, north London, was staying at a friend’s house when she fell ill on the morning of September 7.

The day before, her glucose levels had been so high they were off the chart, the court heard.

Her friend Luke Halliburton, an acting sergeant with the Met Police, phoned NHS Direct shortly after 5pm and a request for an ambulance was formally made at 5.49pm.

By 10.15pm an ambulance had not arrived and the service made a long-delayed call back checking Miss Day’s symptoms had not changed.

Eight minutes later her friend called 999 after discovering Miss Day had lost consciousness and suffered a cardiac arrest.

She was taken to the Royal Free Hospital but never regained consciousness and died five days later from lack of oxygen to the brain caused by diabetic ketoacidosis – complications arising from her diabetes.

Miss Day had been due to start training as a nurse at City University in London days after the incident.

The coroner delivered a narrative verdict.

Speaking after the inquest, Miss Day’s brother-in-law Matthew Edwards blamed her death on the under-resourcing of London Ambulance Service.

He said: “We are extremely saddened by Lisa’s death, and the sadness will last with us now until the rest of our lives.

“We believe the death was completely avoidable and ultimately resulted from the under-resourcing of the ambulance service in London. I hope these lessons will be learnt and this case will not happen again.”

The family said they will continue to campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of diabetes.

London Ambulance Service deputy director of operations Peter McKenna said: “We would like to once again offer our sincere condolences to the family of Lisa Day.

“We will carefully consider the recommendations of the coroner’s court so we can deliver the best care to our patients.

“We have also completed our own internal investigation into the circumstances of Lisa’s death. The findings of this investigation have been presented to the Day family.”

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Donated defibrillator to make Horsham safer

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Donated defibrillator to make Horsham safer

08 February 2016

Swan Walk defibrillatorA defibrillator funded by a donation made by a cardiac arrest survivor has been installed at an entrance to Swan Walk in Horsham, West Sussex.

The life-saving equipment, which can be used by anyone if someone suffers a cardiac arrest, has been placed at the West Street entrance to Swan Walk, next to Wilkinsons. The town centre is now covered by defibrillators at the new location as well as the Carfax entrance to Swan Walk and by a third defibrillator managed by shopping centre staff.

Neil James, from Horsham, donated money for South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) to purchase a defibrillator after his life was saved by ambulance crews when he was on a fishing trip near Uckfield in August last year.

The installation of the new defibrillator was officially marked when Neil was joined by representatives from Swan Walk and Horsham Heartsafe to unveil the defibrillator on Friday (5 February).

Horsham Heartsafe was established last year to improve cardiac arrest survival rates across the Horsham District. The work includes increasing the number of Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) and CPR awareness.

Neil said: “I would like to see far more defibrillators accessible for the public to use in an event of real emergency. Without doubt these pieces of equipment save lives. In an event of real emergency the general public should not be frightened to use them. I’ve been told they are simple to use and my family have learned how to use them. By intervening and helping the person with this piece of kit you are giving them a real chance to live.”

Swan Walk Centre Manager Gill Buchanan said: “The safety of our customers is always a priority for the team at Swan Walk and the centre has for many years had on site equipment with all security officers being defibrillator trained. We are therefore delighted to be able to host the two public access defibrillators and it is especially poignant that one has been funded by a donation from someone who directly benefitted from this critical equipment.”

Horsham GP, Dr Liz Fisher, from Park Surgery added: “I’m delighted that this defibrillator has been donated by a Horsham resident after surviving a cardiac arrest and being successfully defibrillated with a similar machine. Effective CPR and early defibrillation with a defibrillator like this one doubles your chances of going home alive from hospital after having a cardiac arrest.”

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Surge in Ambulance Calls

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Surge in Ambulance Calls

Monday 8 February saw a surge in 999 calls to the North West Ambulance Service, with the Trust recording a 22 per cent rise in calls and a 24 per cent rise in life-threatening ‘red’ calls, compared to the same day last year.
The unexpected surge in calls presented the Trust with a huge challenge and did mean that some patients had to either wait longer than they should have done for a response, or those with minor conditions were told that an ambulance could not be sent.
Assistant Director of Operations, Ged Blezard comments: “We are better resourced than ever before. Last year we increased our frontline staff by 3.5 per cent and our call handling staff by 6.1 per cent. Even so, the rise in 999 calls is a challenge for us and when we have unexpectedly busy days, it is patients who suffer.
“I have worked in the ambulance service for 30 years, starting out on the frontline myself and I cannot understand why people call us for minor ailments which can be easily dealt with by either visiting a pharmacy, a GP or attending a walk in or minor injuries unit. The ambulance service is not a taxi or mobile first aid service. We are here for life threatening or potentially life-threatening emergencies and those who call us for minor complaints will be advised to use the right service.
NWAS answered 3,827 ‘999’ calls yesterday, compared with 3,115 on the same Monday last year and while most people do genuinely call for an emergency, there are still those who call for minor ailments that do not warrant an ambulance response, for example:

Lancashire – a patient called to report a pain in her hand
Cheshire – someone had cut their toenail and reported that the toe was hurting
Cumbria – cut to the forehead in the morning and called 999 at 9pm to say it might need stitches
Greater Manchester – worried because they had swallowed chewing gum
Merseyside – a caller said they had ‘had the runs’ all day

All of these callers were advised to seek advice elsewhere. Each 999 call to our control centres costs the NHS £8.47 and more importantly, can tie up a line needed by someone who urgently needs help. A fully crewed ambulance response and subsequent journey to hospital costs approximately £240.
Ged adds: “We are here to come to the aid of people who are in urgent need but are consistently called for ailments such as these which we can’t deal with. Because of the sheer volume of calls, patients who really need us are waiting longer than they should do and our crews find this deeply frustrating.
“One of our greatest achievements is the increase in our ‘hear and treat’ and ‘see and treat’ responses. Calls triaged as not life-threatening or even potentially life-threatening can be transferred to a Specialist Paramedic who can ask further questions to ascertain the level of response required or provide advice over the telephone (hear and treat). They may then request that an ambulance is despatched for treatment safely given within the home (see and treat). This prevents unnecessary journeys to busy hospitals. The number of hear and treat episodes has increased by 11 per cent with see and treats up by 20 per cent.

“Our message to the public is that if your call is not urgent, it would make more sense to seek advice elsewhere before calling.”

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Downgrading of Scottish ambulance response times is suspended

Scottish Ambulance

Downgrading of Scottish ambulance response times is suspended

Scottish Ambulance

A downgrading of ambulance response times to calls reporting falls and chest pains has been suspended by the Scottish government.
Scottish Ambulance Service management proposed that 12 kinds of call-outs would be changed from a “red” to a “yellow” response.
It meant crews would be required to attend within 19 minutes, rather than eight minutes.
Critics claimed response times were increased to meet government targets.
The ambulance service said the changes were based on “detailed clinical analysis of cases for which those codes have been applied, as well as feedback from staff in clinical practice”.
Current targets are for 75% of the most serious calls to be responded to within eight minutes, but a report last week found that only 66% of calls are seen within that time.
ambulance

The proposed changes to response categories came to light in a document published in the Daily Record.
It detailed 12 changes including the response to someone “not alert after falling” downgraded from red to yellow and calls reporting someone “not alert with chest pains” or “difficulty speaking between breaths” treated as an amber rather than red response.

The Scottish government said the proposed changes had been “paused” as Chief Medical Officer Dr Catherine Calderwood had “expressed concern”.
A government spokeswoman said: “We have been alerted to the Scottish Ambulance Service’s decision to change the classification of certain calls.
“The Chief Medical Officer has expressed concern regarding the clinical implications of this change of coding. As a result, the proposed changes to the coding have been paused by the ambulance service.
“They are reverting to their previous coding system while the Chief Medical Officer works with the team to understand the changes. This will help to ensure patient safety is maintained at all times.”
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said: “The changes to 12 clinical codes, out of over 1,700 codes, were introduced to enable the fastest response to critical and immediately life-threatening conditions, such as cardiac arrest.
“The plans are based upon detailed clinical analysis of cases for which those codes have been applied, as well as feedback from staff in clinical practice and trade union partners have been fully engaged in the process.
“We have paused these plans to allow more time to review them with the Chief Medical Officer.”

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PARAMEDICS are to be taught to speak Gaelic !!

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PARAMEDICS and other ambulance staff are to be taught to speak Gaelic in a move branded a “waste of money” by critics.

By PAULA MURRAY

Scottish ambulance

SNP’s Gaelic logo plan for the Scottish ambulance service has been branded as ‘a waste of money’

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) will also come up with a new bilingual logo to “demonstrate respect” for the nation’s second official language.

Some 4,400 workers and over a thousand volunteers are to be given the opportunity to pick up the old tongue as the Holyrood drive to make the language “equal to English” picks up speed.

Under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 all public bodies must draw up plans to create a “sustainable future for Gaelic by raising its status and profile and creating practical opportunities for its use”.

In September 2014, Government quango Bòrd na Gàidhlig issued a notice to the SAS to develop a plan and submit it for the board’s approval.

The service is now asking feedback on its draft proposal which includes additional training sessions, a new logo and signs plus a promise to hold a Gaelic capacity audit to “establish the levels of spoken, reading and writing Gaelic skills among staff”.

Staff uniforms, vehicles, buildings and even SAS stationery will also be redesigned to incorporate Gaelic, which has around 60,000 bilingual speakers across Scotland – or just over one per cent of the population.

There is also an ambition to “improve access to Gaelic interpreting” and introduce “Gaelic awareness training” alongside the actual language classes.

Last night, the Scottish Conservatives admitted they were baffled as to why energy and resources were being poured into Gaelic when there were plenty of other challenges the service has to cope with.

The party pointed out there was no mention of the costs or budgets for the Gaelic drive in the draft document and Alex Johnstone MSP added: “This is the Scottish Government’s patriotic obsession to push Gaelic at all costs rearing its head again.

“Given the challenges faced by the Scottish Ambulance Service, this can hardly be something of even remote importance.

“There is absolutely no public demand for this, and people will see it for the waste of money it is.

“The SNP should be supporting ambulance staff to improve response times and cut down on sickness absence, not playing political games with paramedics.”

Last night the Scottish Ambulance Service said they had to present a Gaelic plan under Government legislation and insisted the cost impact would be “minimum”.

A spokesman added: “The Scottish Ambulance Service is currently consulting publicly on its draft Gaelic Language plan to 2020, which sets out how it will play its part in sustaining the future of Gaelic and creating practical opportunities for its use.

“The draft plan anticipates that any changes in signage, or branding, such as on vehicles or uniforms, would only be undertaken when they are being renewed or replaced in a normal lifecycle so as not to incur additional costs.”

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Medical Equipment Servicing

Merlin ECG Machine

Medical Equipment Servicing

Wessex Medical is able to arrange for servicing and repair of much of your on board equipment including oxygen, while we specialise in the service and repair of the LIFEPAK 12 and Zoll range of defibrillators we are are by no means restricted to these models.

We aim to offer a value led service and respect the fact that owners of these older machines still have a need to maintain them at the highest standard.

We offer a field based service if the work allows it to be cost effective for you otherwise you just need to return the items to our warehouse in Wiltshire for an estimate of the costs involved.

It usually takes around 2/3 days for a service, obviously a repair can take longer if we have to wait for parts to arrive, however if you are in a hurry we will do what we can to speed things along, but we need to be able to plan it.

If you would like us to quote for a repair you can just send the unit to us at our address but please do make sure you always enclose your return details and a description of the faults.

You can also call us on 01722 410084 for a chat about your requirements.

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Paediatric First Aid Made Easy Book – £2.25

Paediatric First Aid Made Easy Book

paed_Front_Ed_6__84902_zoom

Paediatric First Aid Made Easy (Edition 7) has been designed to complement first aid training for parents or people who work with young children.

The book covers all the topics required by Ofsted for childminders, nursery worker and teachers.

Updated with the latest guidelines.
Designed as an easy to understand reference book and learning guide for paediatric first aid courses.
Includes most relevant childhood topics, including croup, asthma and the latest meningitis advice.
Covers adult, child and baby CPR and choking guidelines.
Simple, accurate information with lots of full colour pictures and diagrams.
Logical and easy to understand page layout
Written by an experienced paramedic and first aid instructor.
New nursery and pre-school staff will be required to undertake paediatric first aid for the first time, thanks to new government proposals.

Nursery teacher and children playing.

The new proposals will mean newly qualified staff with a childcare level 2 and 3 qualification must have an emergency paediatric first aid or full paediatric first aid certificate – a life-saving change that will add approximately 15,000 additional trained early years professionals to our nurseries and pre-schools each and every year.

Childcare and Education Minister, Sam Gyimah said:

As a parent myself, I know that every single mum and dad wants the confidence that those tasked with caring for their child have the right training should the absolute worst happen.

Today’s proposals will mean that thousands more staff will be able to respond to emergencies more quickly, making sure parents really can access the very best possible childcare choices for their families.

Not only will this help ensure children are safe while they learn, grow and develop, but it will also raise the quality and skills of the early years workforce to help them deal with day-to-day first aid issues, such as allergies and knowing when to call parents.

http://www.wessex-medical.com/shop/books/paediatric-first-aid-made-easy-book

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Is the driving test fit for purpose? Experiment shows just half of drivers would fail test again if retaken

Is the driving test fit for purpose?

03 December 2015

 

Half of experienced drivers would fail their driving test if they were asked to take it again – if the results of an experiment by Auto Express and the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) are anything to go by.

The industry-leading magazine and website (autoexpress.co.uk) magazine joined forces with the Britain’s biggest independent road safety charity in an exercise to see if the UK’s driving test, which marks its 80th anniversary this year, still meets its objective in allowing only the most competent drivers onto the road.

The IAM found 12 experienced drivers who were prepared to undertake a mini-driving test again and discover if they would pass their test if they had to take it in today’s conditions.

Going by the criteria of the IAM’s qualified assessors on the day, just 50% (six of the 12 who took part) would pass if they took it again today.

Auto Express revealed that 46 million people have taken their driving test since it was introduced in 1935. Back at the start the pass rate was 63% – today it has fallen to just 47%.

At the same time as the pass rate falling, the volume of vehicles has risen sharply over the years – currently there are 35 million cars registered for use on UK roads.

Failing to use mirrors enough, overspeeding and underuse of signals were typical of bad habits picked up by the IAM’s volunteers on the day of the experiment.

Of the 12 volunteers, seven had undergone advanced driver training with the IAM. Of those, five passed the mini test. And of the five who had had no advanced tuition, just one passed.

Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief of Auto Express, said: “Driving standards has always been a hot topic and the result of our tests shows that too many people just aren’t as good at driving as they think they are.

“Although technology is making driving safer than ever, the attitude and ability of the person behind the wheel is the most important element. We always encourage people to take pride in their driving and take additional training if necessary.”

Added Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive officer: “The results of our joint experiment were very interesting. It shows that keeping your skills topped up and knowledge of the Highway Code current is crucial in making safer drivers and riders.

“Road skills cannot be allowed to lapse. Keeping your skills current through advanced tuition and other proven methods can only be a benefit to everyone who uses our roads.”

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Fingertip Pulse Oximeter – Just £19.00

Contec 50DL Pulse oximeter cheapest pulse oximeter

Contec 50DL Fingertip Pulse Oximeter

The CMS50DL Pulse Oximeter is one of the best value pulse oximeters on the market today.

CMS50DL

The product is suitable for being used in the following environments, home, hospital, community healthcare, physical care in sports (It can be used before or after doing sports, and it is not recommended to use the device during the sporting activities as the device is likely to fly off the finger and be damaged.

Main Features

■ Integrated SpO2 probe and processing display module
■ Small size、lightweight and convenient to carry
■ Simple to Operate, low power consumption ensuring long battery life
■ Clear SpO2 value display
■ Pulse rate value display, bar graph display
■ Low-voltage indication: low-voltage indicator appears before working abnormally which is due to low-voltage
■ Automatically power off function: it will automatically power off within 5 seconds if the finger is removed from the probe
■ Colours do vary

Price £19.00 plus vat

Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive method for monitoring a person’s oxygen saturation (SO2). Its reading of SpO2 (peripheral oxygen saturation) is not always identical to the reading of SaO2 (arterial oxygen saturation) from arterial blood gas analysis, but the two are correlated enough within an acceptable deviation such that the safe, convenient, noninvasive, inexpensive pulse oximetry method is valuable for measuring oxygen saturation in clinical use.

;Do You Have a Question about This Product – Ask Wessex

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Emergency services team up to save even more lives in three London boroughs

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Emergency services team up to save even more lives in three London boroughs
23 November 2015

A new initiative which sees police officers prepared to respond to life-threatening emergencies launches next week, Monday 30 November.

The scheme, piloted by London Ambulance Service and Metropolitan Police Service, will see 110 defibrillators added to police vehicles and stations across the boroughs of Enfield, Croydon and Ealing.

Chris Hartley-Sharpe, Head of First Responders at London Ambulance Service said “We’re committed to providing the best possible care for all of our patients and are always looking for new ways to improve patient outcomes.

“This initiative is a fantastic opportunity for the emergency services to work together and share resources, saving more lives across London. Police officers on the pilot boroughs will be alerted to a potential cardiac arrest alongside our ambulance crews, which means that if they are in a closer proximity, they can respond first.

“We know that around 32 per cent of people survive a cardiac arrest in a public place but, where there is a defibrillator and someone trained to use it, the chance of survival can increase to 80 per cent. The more people available to respond to these types of incidents, the better.”

The pilot is the latest in a number of initiatives supported by the London Ambulance Service to increase cardiac arrest survival rates in the Capital. Last year, the ambulance service launched a campaign which saw over 1,000 accredited defibrillators added to shops, gyms and businesses across London.

More recently, the Service embarked on an exciting new partnership with the internationally acclaimed GoodSAM app, in which clinically trained ambulance staff and members of the public trained to an approved standard are able to sign up as volunteers to respond to life-threatening emergency calls, including cardiac arrests.

Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt from Metropolitan Police Service said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with the London Ambulance Service across the boroughs of Ealing, Croydon and Enfield. Equipping our response team vehicles and station offices with this essential life saving equipment will enable over 725 officers to be available to respond to these critical life or death emergency calls. ”

During the pilot, which will run between December 2015 and May 2016, it’s thought that police officers will be able to respond to 12-13 potential cardiac arrests every week, as part of a dual response with London Ambulance Service.

 

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Ambulance Control Centres – Scottish Ambulance Service

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Ambulance Control Centres

The Scottish Ambulance Service operates with three Ambulance Control Centres (ACC) in Inverness, Cardonald and South Queensferry. The Service has operated with three centres since 2004 when as part of a £22 million modernisation programme that introduced clinical triage and categorisation of 999 calls to ensure that those with most need receive the fastest response.

The three ACCs handle over 800,000 calls every year and dispatch ambulances to over 650,000 emergencies and requests from doctors to transfer patients to hospital.

Patient Transport Service teams are also based in the ACCs and manage requests from patients who have a medical need for transport to their hospital appointments. There are over 1 million journeys of this type every year.

There has been continued investment in the three Ambulance Control Centres in the ten years since the move to a prioritised response to 999 calls. They operate with state of the art mapping technology that shows a caller’s location as soon as the call is answered.  Satellite tracking systems display ambulance availability in real time. The system shows dispatchers the nearest available ambulances, along with time and distance information that takes account of traffic congestion that occurs at different times of day.

Since the introduction of clinical triage and categorisation of calls ten years ago, the average response time for potential life threatening incidents has reduced from 8.6 minutes to 6.5 minutes. Callers are kept on the line and given medical advice on what to do to help the patient while the ambulance is on its way. Many more lives have been saved as a result.

What happens when I call 999?

The 999 operator will ask you which service you require.  Your call will automatically be routed to the Ambulance Control Centre (ACC) that handles calls for your region. If there are unusually high spikes in call volumes, your call will automatically be routed to one of the other two ACCs. The technology in control rooms is seamless so that any of the three ACCs in Scotland can answer and triage your call and dispatch an ambulance to you, wherever you are.

Once you are put through to an ambulance call taker they will ask you for location details to confirm the information displayed on mapping systems. They will then ask a series of questions to establish the clinical severity of the call and categorise it for the most appropriate response. While this is happening, the dispatcher can see your location and will be tasking the nearest available ambulance. This happens simultaneously so that there is no delay in dispatching an ambulance. If the triage establishes that the call is not an emergency or does not require an ambulance response, the dispatcher may stand down the ambulance.

The questions that you are asked will help to establish the category of call which could be:

Category A – potentially immediately life threatening
Category B – serious but not life threatening
Category C  – does not normally require an emergency ambulance

An ambulance will always be sent to Category A and B calls but Category C calls will often be referred to NHS24 for advice and support as some do not require the skills of an emergency ambulance team.

What happens when I call the Patient Transport Service line?

Patients call the Patient Transport Service (PTS) booking line if they have a medical need for transport to their hospital appointment. When you call to request transport, the operator will take you through a series of confidential questions about your health and circumstances to establish that you have a medical need for transport. It is not a free service for anyone who has a hospital appointment, but is available to patients with medical need.

If you qualify for transport, the operator will confirm timings and arrangements for your ambulance transport to and from your hospital appointment.

If you do not have a medical need for transport, then the operator will refer you to information about alternative transport to hospital.

The PTS teams manage over 1 million journeys for patients across all of Scotland every year.

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Physical assaults on ambulance staff in West Midlands up by 30%

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Physical assaults on ambulance staff in West Midlands up by 30%

 

Steve Elliker
WMAS regional security manager Steve Elliker called for tougher sentences to stop a rise in assaults on ambulance staff

An ambulance chief is calling for more support after physical assaults on staff rose by 30%.

The West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) said attack numbers rose from 108 between April and September, 2014, to 139 this year.

Verbal assaults on ambulance workers also rose 13% to 246 reported incidents in the same period.

Assaults on emergency services staff included employees being kicked, punched and threatened with knives.

‘Outrageous’ violence

Ambulance trust chief executive Anthony Marsh said he is writing to magistrates calling for more deterrents to offending.

“It is quite outrageous that our staff are having to put up with such violence,” he said.

“We are asking them to support us by taking the toughest possible action against people who assault staff.

“We know the public abhor this violence so we are hopeful that they will support this move.”

Steve Elliker, regional security manager for WMAS, said magistrates needed to hand down the most severe sentences possible for assault to make ambulance staff feel protected.

“The fact that some of our staff do not report cases of violence because they do not believe that enough action will be taken against the perpetrator is a sad reflection on how they feel.”

The maximum sentence for common assault is six months’ imprisonment, while assault occasioning actual bodily harm or making threats to kill can incur prison sentences of up to five years and 10 years respectively

 

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FOI: Trust made to reveal £12.3m cost of using private ambulance firms

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FOI: Trust made to reveal £12.3m cost of using private ambulance firms

IN AUGUST this year, amid the growing NHS recruitment crisis, the Oxford Mail used an Freedom of Information request to reveal that Oxfordshire’s ambulance service had been forced to spend £12.3m in one year on private contractors to take patients to hospital.

Two months later, with the crisis ongoing, paramedics’ union Unison said the Oxford Mail’s story had helped focus attention on the problems.

South Central Ambulance Service, which also serves Bucks, Berks and Hants, had increased spending on private contractors – often for 999 cases – by nearly 50 per cent in comparison to the same period in 2013 and 2014.

The service said it hired six private providers – including St John Ambulance – to help meet an increasing demand on its services when it did not have enough staff.

Unison regional organiser Sarah O’Donoghue said: “This was useful: we knew private providers were being used but we didn’t know the scale of it. What this has done is focus attention on staff shortages in the ambulance service and the fact we are just not training enough people.

Crisis: Oxfordshire’s ambulance service was forced to spend millions on private firms

She said she had submitted a number of FOI requests herself to find out more about the NHS’ uses of private contractors.

But she said she was not aware that Unison as a whole was having a conversation about the potential changes to the Act.

She said: “Personally I do use it and I would say it is very useful.”

Our FOI also revealed that SCAS spent more on private companies than any other ambulance trust in the country.

Paramedic and SCAS Unison representative Gavin Bashford said FOI was a useful tool to bring about change.

He told the Oxford Mail: “We are still using lots of private providers, but I think this will make a difference in the long run, making the public aware of what is going on.”

He said he had not used the FOI Act himself, but had threatened to use it on SCAS several times – which had produced the desired effect.

He said: “That is always an option we have if management don’t answer our questions – it is a powerful tool.The proposed changes to the FOI Act concern me because we are a public service and the public have a right to know these things. Having an organisation which can operate in secret does not serve the public.”

In a statement the ambulance service said: “We recognise that Freedom of Information requests play a key role in offering our stakeholders insight and scrutiny into the services we provide.

“FOI requests give appropriate assurance of the high standard of care we provide and the work we carry out for our patients.”

 

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South East Coast Ambulance Service – Calling an Ambulance

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South East Coast Ambulance Service – Calling an Ambulance

 

The video is designed to be used with people with learning disabilities who want to learn more about calling an ambuance to provide information and generate discussion. It can also be used in training sessions for Ambulance Service staff about working with people with learning disabilities and may be helpful for other healthcare professionals.

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Welsh Ambulance Service thanks Gilfach Goch for CFR support

Welsh Ambulance Service thanks Gilfach Goch for CFR support

 

AT A recent training course for five newly-recruited Community First Responders (CFRs), the Welsh Ambulance Service presented a certificate of appreciation in grateful recognition of the support provided by Gilfach Goch Community Association and Taf Cluster Communities First for the work in training CFRs to help save lives in the local community.

Matt Robertson, Taf Cluster Communities First and Kate O’Sullivan, Manager of Gilfach Goch Community Association, received the certificate from Welsh Ambulance Service Chief Executive Tracy Myhill:

“Gilfach Goch is home territory for me”, said Tracy Myhill, “So it’s with great pride that I find myself presenting a certificate to people of my own community who have shown not only such tremendous support to the Welsh Ambulance Service, but by actively enabling the training of Community First Responders they have also shown their care and concern for their own community.”

The CFR training course was delivered by three trainers, Gilfach Goch resident and Welsh Ambulance Service Unscheduled Care Services (UCS) technician Mark Priddle, Neal Jones, Cynon Valley CFRs, and David Thomas, Welsh Ambulance Service Paramedic.

The building and its facilities are provided free of charge to the Welsh Ambulance Service specifically to train CFRs who will in turn provide life-saving support in the Gilfach Goch community.

Matt Robertson of Communities First commented: “We have a close relationship with the Welsh Ambulance Service and that’s been the case for many years now. It’s a two way thing really. By supporting the training of local CFRs we are also helping people in the surrounding communities and hopefully providing a chance of survival that, in the event of a cardiac arrest, some of them may not get otherwise.”

The Welsh Ambulance Service has over 160 CFRs in the Cwm Taf Health Board area, and over 2,000 across Wales as a whole.

 

 

 

UCS, Gilfach Goch resident and CFR Mark Priddle added: “The Welsh Ambulance is currently investing additional money into the Community First Responders programme across Wales and areas like Rhondda Cynon Taf will hopefully see the benefit from this investment.

“Being a Community First Responder requires some time and commitment, but the satisfaction of being able to perhaps save the life of a family member, friend, neighbour, colleague or stranger makes it all worthwhile.”

The Welsh Ambulance Service is currently looking for more recruits in the Gilfach Goch, Aberfan, Blaencwm, Cynon, Maerdy, Merthyr Tydfil, Pontyclun, Porth, Pontypridd, Tonypandy, Tonyrefail, Treharris, Troedyrhiw, Ynysybwl and Ynysowen areas.”

Community First Responders play an important role alongside frontline ambulance staff in making sure patients receive appropriate help quickly and efficiently, explained the Welsh Ambulance Services’ Cwm Taf Locality Manager Sally Gronow: “Community First Responders are very much part of the whole Welsh Ambulance Service family. They are a valuable support and I am personally proud to be associated with such dedicated life saving schemes in Wales.”

To become a First Responder you must be over 18 years of age, be physically fit and hold a clean UK driving licence. Applicants need to successfully complete over 30 hours of training, and will also need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service check and Occupational Health check before being registered to the scheme.

 

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Trainers in GP surgeries could tackle inactivity and mental health, experts say

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Trainers in GP surgeries could tackle inactivity and mental health, experts say

Every GP surgery should have access to personal trainers who can help patients improve their fitness and mental health, a report launched by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson has proposed today (5 November).

This recommendation was the result of contributions from several health experts and charities, including former health minister Lord Darzi and leaders from the Royal College of GPs, the Royal Society for Public Health, Nuffield Trust, Mind and Age UK. It was formally published by not-for-profit organisation ukactive.

The report’s launch also accompanied a poll of MPs showing more concern about physical inactivity than smoking, alcohol abuse or sexually transmitted diseases.

Professor Mike Pringle, president of the Royal College of GPs, said: “GPs are experts in delivering patient-centred, holistic care, which includes promoting measures that could prevent serious illness in our patients and managing the care that our patients with these conditions receive.

“Some of the initiatives outlined by ukactive today will go a long way to raising awareness of the importance of physical activity – and support GPs and our teams to deliver services that could make a real difference to our patients’ lives.

“Encouraging patients to be more active is a key factor in ensuring a sustainable NHS for the future and general practice is at the heart of the NHS.”

Pringle also used the opportunity to request that the government invest more in GPs in general by upping the workforce in order to cope with current demand.

The baroness, chair of ukactive, said: “What we’ve set out, together with a coalition of health experts, is a plan for how we can build physical activity into everybody’s lives. Some of these steps will be easier than others, but the key point is that we need to take action on a number of fronts to tackle such an entrenched and serious problem.

“With precious public services like the NHS already stretched to a breaking point, we’ve got to be bolder about prevention – and that starts with getting people moving more.”

The report sought to tackle Britain’s inactivity level, a serious contributor to the NHS yearly bill, through a cross-agency initiative that would be just as relevant in primary care as it would in local transport services.

For example, Grey-Thompson also suggested that NHS England should appoint a ‘physical health tsar’ to lead new policies excluding “exercise on prescription” for those who would benefit from it.

But she also pitched a physical activity referral programme that could be launched by the Department for Work and Pensions to improve the health of the long-term unemployed.

Other recommendations included seeing care homes and councils introducing free or subsidised activity sessions for older people, low-interest loans helping small firms invest in physical activity schemes for staff, and a Cabinet Office-led physical activity strategy.

Previous research by ukactive showed that 29% of England is considered to be physically inactive, seriously increasing their risk of 20 grave conditions like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, dementia and mental health problems. Managing these long-term conditions is responsible for eating up around 70% of the NHS annual budget.

But despite the suggested measures, the Department of Health announced just yesterday that public health budgets across the country – responsible for tackling exactly this – would see £200m worth of cuts during this financial year.

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UK healthcare ‘lagging behind other rich nations’

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UK healthcare ‘lagging behind other rich nations’

By Nick TriggleHealth correspondent
  • 4 November 2015
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Image copyrightThinkstock

Standards of healthcare in the UK are lagging behind many developed nations with thousands fewer doctors and nurses being employed, a report says.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development review of 34 countries found the UK was behind in key areas such as stroke and cancer.

It also found spending was lower per head and there was less equipment.

The Department of Health said there was room for improvement and money was being targeted in those areas.

The report found the UK has 8.2 nurses per 1,000 people compared with an OECD average of 9.1, while it has 2.8 doctors per 1,000 compared with 3.3.

Experts said 26,500 more doctors and 47,700 nurses would be needed to match the OECD average.

In terms of equipment, the number of MRI and CT scanners was well below average.

Obesity rates

Spending, it said, had seen “zero growth” per person in real terms between 2009 and 2013.

Countries such as France, Canada, Belgium, Germany, New Zealand and Denmark were all spending more.

The report, which also took into account the private sector for some measures, highlighted lower rates for survival for cervical, breast and colorectal cancer.

Levels of hospital admission for stroke and respiratory illness were also higher.

But the report also found evidence that Britons were leading unhealthy lives.

Obesity rates were among the highest, while alcohol consumption and smoking rates were also above average.

But the UK did perform well in terms of waiting times for key treatments and ensuring everybody had access to services.

Mark Pearson of the OECD said: “The UK is world leader in developing innovative approaches to healthcare but often does not do the basic things very well.

“While access to care in the UK is good, the quality of care is uneven and continues to lag behind that in many other OECD countries.”

Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust think tank, said: “For the UK, the message seems to be that where healthcare is concerned, you get what you pay for.

“Our lower-than-average level of public investment in healthcare is mirrored by our somewhat mediocre performance across the board.”

A Department of Health spokeswoman said the extra investment being made in the NHS this Parliament would help improve services.

“We know there are areas where the NHS can improve which is why we have prioritised investment in the front line.”

But she added: “The OECD report shows there are many indicators where the NHS continues to be the envy of the world.”

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More than 17,000 convicted of careless driving in past two years, IAM discovers

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The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) can reveal that more than 17,000 people have been convicted of careless driving offences since police were given the power to issue fixed penalty notices for it two years ago.
The figures come from a Freedom of Information request by the IAM, Britain’s biggest independent road safety charity, to every police force in England and Wales.
The statistics cover the two years from August 2013 to August 2015. A total of 17,468 people were convicted of this charge in this time period.
Some 33 out of 43 police forces responded to the IAM’s request. The force area with the highest number of people convicted was Essex (3,630), followed by Humberside (1,998), Nottinghamshire (1,139), Derbyshire (949) and Hampshire (929).
On 16 August 2013 police were given the power to give on-the-spot penalties for drivers who put other road users’ lives at risk for offences such as tailgating and poor lane discipline (reference 1).
The rest of the top 12 overall numbers of people convicted according to police force area were:
6. Thames Valley: 924
7. Surrey: 830
8. West Yorkshire: 804
9. Cheshire 720
10. Greater Manchester 607
11. Lancashire 578
12. Dyfed-Powys 440
Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive officer, said: “While these offences fall under the lower end of the scale for motoring transgressions, such driving behaviour could easily have caused a serious accident.
“Tailgating is an aggressive action designed to intimidate another driver, while unpredictable lane-changing is both thoughtless and dangerous.
“We hope these on-the-spot fines and remedial courses have helped concentrate the drivers’ minds and make them think twice about these potentially hazardous manoeuvres in the future.”
In the case of Essex with the highest number of people convicted 2,958 of them undertook a course, 484 went to court and 188 took a conditional offer.
In Humberside, the second highest area 1,469 attended and completed a retraining course and 364 have been put forward for consideration for court prosecution.
Nottinghamshire’s 1,139 were issued with fixed-penalty notices and a summons to court issued to 72 of those.
A more detailed breakdown of actions deemed to qualify for the offence of careless driving was provided Merseyside Police; which showed 32 drove on the wrong side of the road, or the wrong way down a road (driving without due care and attention), 13 for bad driving at a roundabout (same category), 12 for tailgating and two for intimidating or obstructing a cyclist.

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Cycle Response Unit

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The bicycle ambulance

While we are all familiar with the sight and sound of an ambulance, a paramedic on a bicycle is a novelty.

 The story behind what is officially known as the Cycle Response Unit tells how one man’s vision has resulted in a team of 60 staff in London.

Tom Lynch remembers the day that he first decided to become a paramedic. “When I was a young boy at school I had a nasty accident. There was panic, but I can remember the ambulance crew bringing calm to the situation.” From that moment, he had found his calling.

But his skill as a competitive cyclist took Lynch in quite another direction at first. From the age of 11, he toured the world as a British and European BMX champion.

At 22, after another bad accident, Lynch joined the ambulance service. By 1993, he was working on the front line at Waterloo’s busy ambulance station in London. It was while responding to an emergency call-out and sitting in heavy traffic that the idea of combining his two passions came to him.

“I thought, ‘I could do this quicker on my bike’,” he says. “When I got back to the station and started talking about it, everyone just laughed at me, but I knew I could do the job on my bike because of my previous history. In 2000 I got the go-ahead for an official trial.”

 The results of the trial showed that Lynch was right and he could get to patients in built-up or pedestrianised areas more quickly. In addition, a cycle responder could tackle many emergencies alone and avoid the need for an ambulance.

“We worked out that we can save 250 hours of ambulance availability time in a six-month period,” says Lynch. “That was great for me, to know that I was able to give Londoners back fully equipped ambulances.”

The unit is not only improving efficiency. Lynch feels that it gives the cycling paramedics a valuable opportunity to meet the public. He calls it “community ambulancing”. Lynch says: “If you think about it, no-one really gets to have any contact with ambulance personnel, so this has given the service a face. It’s brought it alive and given it a presence in the community. We’ve never had that before.”

The cycle responders, who are made up of both paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs), attend a range of incidents, from simple trips or falls to more serious situations such as drug overdoses or cardiac arrests. “We carry defibrillators and, on a few occasions, we have restarted somebody’s heart.

“And, because we got there faster, the person has been able to leave hospital and go back to work sooner than they would have done otherwise.”

If the decision is made to cancel an ambulance, the cycle responders will treat the patient at the scene and will advise on other options, such as self-care, or going to an NHS walk-in centre.

The cycle responders do one week of training on an emergency services cyclist training course run by Public Safety Cycling. Now that the service is growing, Lynch and his team advise units all over the UK and the rest of the world.

He says: “It’s becoming standardised and guidelines are being written. I’m very proud. We’re doing really good work.”

Lynch is a passionate advocate of the Ambulance Service, as well as the NHS as a whole, and in 2007 his dedication was rewarded with an MBE for his role in setting up the Cycle Response Unit.

“When I think of the NHS, I think of the red blanket you get in the back of an ambulance,” says Lynch. “You put it round someone. It’s comforting, and that’s the NHS to me.

“You don’t have to rely on a gesture of goodwill, and when other systems fail you can almost guarantee that an ambulance will be there to help you in an emergency.

“I see it in my colleagues. A call is always answered and it will always be answered professionally.”

About the Cycle Response Unit

The bikes and kit

The Cycle Response Unit uses custom-built Rockhopper mountain bikes with London Ambulance Service livery, blue lights and a siren. The bikes are lightweight and have a strengthened back wheel and stronger spokes, puncture-proof tyres, front and rear pannier bags and rack, tool kit, water bottles, cycle computer, and lights.

The medical kit

This includes, among other things, a defibrillator, one litre of oxygen and entonox (commonly known as gas and air), a pulse monitor, a blood pressure monitor, adult and child bag and mask resuscitators, adrenaline, aspirin, asthma and diabetes drugs, bandages and dressings, rubber gloves, and cleanser.

The rider

The rider is clothed in London Ambulance Service livery and protective equipment, which consists of a helmet, gloves, glasses, reflective jacket/jerseys, trousers (shorts for hot weather), waterproofs, cycle shoes, baselayers, socks, padded undershorts, skull cap, anti-pollution mask, protective body armour, utility belt with pouches, a radio with earpiece, and a mobile phone.

The distance

A bicycle paramedic cycles approximately 140 miles a week.

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Kent, Surrey and Sussex air ambulances to fly from new base

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Kent, Surrey and Sussex air ambulances to fly from new base

Kent, Surrey and Sussex air ambulance
Image copyright KSSAAT

Image caption Almost 2,000 people are treated every year by the specialist doctors and critical care paramedics on board the air ambulances

An air ambulance trust serving the south east of England is to invest £10m in relocating its flying base.

The Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Trust (KSSAAT) will operate out of a single base near Paddock Wood, replacing two at Redhill and Marden.

The Old Hay Airfield will allow pilots to reach emergency incidents anywhere in the south east within 25 minutes, the trust said.

One of the older helicopters is also being upgraded.

Central operating base

KSSAAT chief executive, Adrian Bell, said the new airfield in Kent, which will also provide space for a helipad, hangar and control room, represented a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for the trust to establish a “resilient and sustainable base”.

The trust, which relies almost entirely on donations, said the move to one central operating base was considered vital to securing the future of the life-saving service.

Almost 2,000 people are treated every year by the specialist doctors and critical care paramedics.

KSSAAT hopes to have planning permission to begin using the new site by the spring of 2016 and to be operating flights from the end of 2017.

The project has received a £1.5m government grant, with the rest of the money raised through donations.

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Boost for global health

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Boost for global health as UK and China agree £2 billion of healthcare trade and investment deals

Chinese and UK companies, universities and organisations have signed more than £2 billion of healthcare trade deals and collaborations.

More than £2 billion of healthcare trade deals and collaborations have been signed between Chinese and UK companies, universities and organisations during President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Britain.

Speaking today (21 October 2015) at the Life Science and Healthcare Business Forum, Minister for Life Sciences George Freeman said that the collaborations will provide benefits that go beyond the populations of China and the UK, and will have a positive effect on global health:

With a population of more than one billion and a rapidly developing economy, China is set to become the world’s fastest growing healthcare market. Today’s £2 billion trade package for UK exports in research, hospital construction, training, diagnostics and drug discovery shows the huge potential of UK/Chinese Life Science trade.

Mr Freeman said both Britain and China have long been admired for producing some of the world’s leading scientists and academics, whose advances have improved and saved the lives of millions of people suffering from serious diseases such as cancer:

Cancer is the number one killer of people in the UK and China and like many nations we are in hot pursuit to find an effective treatment. Which is why collaborations such as those being announced today between Warwick University and Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Centre on training and research to co-develop anti-cancer treatments are so important.

UK patients will also benefit from China’s technological advancements with deals such as United Imaging and Cerno who have collaborated to bring the latest oncology imaging technology to the UK.

And the sharing of expertise will flow both ways, said Mr Freeman.

UK organisations Annie Barr, Glasgow Caledonian University and Kings College London are supporting the training of Chinese health professionals in Nanjing, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Shenzhen as the Chinese government aims to train 150,000 doctors and 2 million nurses by 2020.

All of these collaborations announced today show how Chinese and UK organisations recognise each other’s potential. Together we have a real opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives and improve the health outcomes for millions across the globe.

UK leadership in Life Science is helping to support both UK economic growth and the sustainable development of emerging economies. This is a win-win for the NHS, UK and China.

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Federation of Small Businesses

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What is #ibacksmallbusiness?

#ibacksmallbusiness is the FSB’s campaign to ensure candidates hoping to stand in the General Election 2015, know about the challenges facing small businesses. Whether they’re the Leader of one of the main political parties or an independent candidate, we at the FSB want them all to be using #ibacksmallbusiness during their election campaigns and crucially, change business regulations in the next Parliament if they win a seat as an MP.

How does the campaign work?

The #ibacksmallbusiness campaign is designed to be shared across social media platforms; on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn. The website www.ibacksmallbusiness.com has all the information for FSB members and Prospective Parliamentary Candidates, about the policies the FSB wants the next Government to implement. Each FSB region has it’s own page with statistics and infographics about the issues affecting small businesses in that area. All the content, including a video featuring FSB members, can be easily shared across social media.

How can I get involved?

Anyone who has a social media profile can get involved by using the #ibacksmallbusiness hashtag with their friends, followers, connections and circles. Simply by sharing the infographics, statistics, video or tweets, more people will come across the campaign and pass it on through their social media contacts. If you know someone hoping to become your next MP, then make sure they know about #ibacksmallbusiness.