Yorkshire Ambulance Service will be part of a new Northern Ambulance Alliance

Yorkshire Ambulance Service is to team up with two other trusts to form a new Northern Ambulance Alliance.
North East, North West and Yorkshire Ambulance Service Trusts say the collaboration will help to improve the efficiency of ambulance services in the North of England.
Joint procurement exercises and major changes to IT systems will take place, and specialist expertise will be shared across the region.
The trusts emphasised that the alliance is not a ‘merger’ of the organisations, but “the creation of a body that will facilitate greater collaboration and realise benefits individual Trusts are unlikely to be able to achieve on their own.”
Rod Barnes, Chief Executive of Yorkshire Ambulance Service described it as a ‘great opportunity’ that will be ‘for the benefit of patients.’
“This is a great opportunity to explore how we can deliver the improvements expected from the ambulance service within existing resources and for the benefit of patients.
This might mean the procurement of a single agreed vehicle specification for all three services, identifying savings through the standardisation of maintenance and equipment contracts, which is something that has proved elusive at a national level.”

Dr Glyn Phillips and Professor John Ashton were both at the FA Cup semi-final as Liverpool FC fans

Professor John Ashton and Dr Glyn Phillips who both gave evidence at the Hillsborough inquests
When Lord Justice Taylor published his interim report on the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 he exonerated the emergency services.

He dismissed the opinions of two Merseyside doctors who had been at the match as fans – the only two Taylor inquiry witnesses to criticise the South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service (SYMAS) response on the day.

More than 25 years later those two doctors – Dr Glyn Phillips and Professor John Ashton – gave evidence to the new inquests into the 96 deaths, where the ambulance service admitted delays in their actions on the day.

The inquests found that SYMAS made errors which “caused or contributed” to the loss of lives in the disaster, after the crush in the had begun to develop.

They concluded: “SYMAS officers at the scene failed to ascertain the nature of the problem at Leppings Lane. The failure to recognise and call a Major Incident led to delays in responses to the emergency.”

Yesterday’s findings led to the current head of Yorkshire ambulance service , Rod Barnes, issuing an apology and admitting that lives could have been saved at Hillsborough if its response had been different.

Criminal charges could now follow
The ECHO spoke to both Dr Phillips and Professor Ashton bout how it felt to hear their evidence validated more than two decades on.

DR GLYN PHILLIPS

Dr Glyn Phillips, a GP originally from Huyton but living in Scotland at the time, was in pen three of the Leppings Lane terrace with his younger brother and two friends for the FA Cup semi-final on April 15, 1989.

After managing to climb into a side pen, he jumped up through a gate onto the pitch, cutting his head in the process.

Once on the field, Dr Phillips successfully resuscitated 18-year-old fan Gary Currie – who was believed to be in cardiac arrest but went on to survive.

Dr Phillips, who is still in touch with Gary and his family today, said: “Gary was incredibly lucky to be found on the pitch very quickly by somebody who knew CPR and somebody who knew you had to keep it going for a decent length of time.

“In that sense he was he was so fortunate and I just feel saddened that many more of the the other victims weren’t as fortunate, in terms of the time it took to get out of the crush.”

He added: “My experience with Gary has provided perhaps the exemplar of what could have happened if some of the others had been treated like that.

“Importantly, it totally undermined and disproved the 3.15pm cut off time used in the original inquests.

“If that’s my contribution to the families’ case then I’m glad I have been able to make it.”

In the months after the disaster, he gave evidence to the Taylor inquiry but said barrister Michael Kallipetis, representing South Yorkshire Ambulance Service, attempted to discredit him.

He said: “I was just disgusted by the whole process.

“I thought we were there to find out what happened to the poor, innocent people who died.”

Dr Phillips told the Taylor Inquiry an oxygen cylinder he was handed was empty, but in Lord Justice Taylor’s interim report the judge said St John Ambulance divisional superintendent Peter Wells had described taking the oxygen cylinder to Mr Phillips and said it was full and working.

But the new inquests were shown footage of Dr Phillips being handed the cylinder by a police officer, not Mr Wells.

Lord Justice Taylor wrote: “In my view, Dr Phillips may have been mistaken as to the cylinder of which he complains being empty.

“He agreed he was under great pressure, in an awkward situation; his head was injured and he became very angry at what he regarded then as wholly the fault of the police.”

Lord Justice Taylor also disagreed with Dr Phillips’ view that there should have been defibrillators at the ground.

Dr Phillips said: “I felt let down by the process and reading Lord Justice Taylor’s report but by then we had had all these allegations about fans and what did we expect?”

The retired GP said he felt a “joyless vindication” following the evidence which came out at the inquests.

He said: “I was not only at the match but I was in pen three with my friends and my brother so I knew how bad it was – we didn’t imagine it was that bad, it was that bad.”

He said he had expected to be called to the original inquests, which started in 1990.

He said: “I expected to be called because I think it was the proper thing to happen and I also expected John Ashton to be called.

“Paradoxically, I had the feeling neither of us would be called.

“Clearly we were persona non grata with regard to the various authorities in Sheffield.

“I discovered relatively recently that the coroner was specifically asked by Doreen and Les Jones, who wrote to him asking whether we could appear.

“He replied and had clearly made his decision not to call us.

“I think that was a serious error of judgment on his part.

“It was frustrating but nowhere near as upsetting and frustrating as it must have been for the families.”

He added: “I cannot fathom why he didn’t call us, other than he specifically did not want to hear our evidence, in which case the first inquests were coloured and flawed before they even started.”

PROFESSOR JOHN ASHTON

Professor John Ashton, now President of the Faculty of Public Health, was a lecturer in public health in 1989, as well as a Liverpool fan.

He was sitting in the West Stand, above the terraces where the fatal crush happened, with his two sons and nephew and went to the inner concourse after a call for doctors in the stadium,

Prof Ashton, who worked to establish a triage system in the area behind the stand, gave a number of radio and television interviews after the disaster in which he criticised the emergency response.

He went on to give evidence to the Taylor Inquiry, but said his experience there made him apprehensive about appearing at the inquests in Birchwood Park, Warrington.

He said: “At the Taylor Inquiry I was given no briefing, no coaching, no mentoring and I didn’t know what to expect.

“I felt like I went into the lion’s den.”

He added: “I naively walked in thinking that I knew what I saw and what I did and I would turn up and tell them the story, but they tried to rubbish it.”

He said he was also criticised for his media interviews.

He said: “They tried to make out I was a publicity seeker and it was all about ego.

“I was doing what I felt was my responsibility – to tell the truth.”

In his interim report Lord Justice Taylor said: “The only attack on SYMAS came from two Liverpool doctors.

“One claimed that ambulances did not arrive swiftly or with sufficient equipment and that there was a lack of triage. He was proved to be wrong in all three respects.

“Unfortunately he had seen fit to go on television on 15 April when he said more lives could have been saved if staff and equipment had arrived earlier.”

Prof Ashton said: “I had to live with that for 23 years, the idea that I’m not reliable, that I’m making things up and I’m an attention seeker.

“That was the draft of the report and in a sense it blemished my character as a doctor.”

He added: “People ask me if it affected my career and I have thought about that quite a lot.

“I’ve had a good career and a very satisfying career but I was never considered for the job of chief medical officer of England – I wasn’t even longlisted for it.

“I think my card was marked nationally in that sense because I was regarded as a loose cannon and unreliable.”

After the Taylor Inquiry, Prof Ashton had expected to be called to appear at the original inquests.

He said: “I was surprised that I wasn’t called but by that time I was very bruised by my experience at the Taylor Inquiry.

“I can’t remember now the circumstances when I found out I wouldn’t be called to the inquests but it was because of the perverse decision not to take evidence after 3.15pm.”

After that, he said, said he rarely spoke about the disaster.

He said: “Everyone deals with this kind of thing themselves and personally, once the immediate aftermath was over – it took over my life for three or four weeks – after that I didn’t really talk about it.”

He added: “It has been very emotional to go through it all again and I hope that, for so many people involved with this, the end of the inquests can allow them to begin to get on with their lives.”

He added: “In any large scale disaster you make sense of it through the story of one person and for me that person was Philip Hammond.

“He was 14 and he was the same age as my son, Nick.

“They went to school together and were in the same football team.

“To see my own son at the stage in his life he is now does make me think about Philip.”

Following the panel report and the new inquests, Prof Ashton said he felt vindicated.

He said: “But I’ve always said that this is not about me, it has always been about the families.

“It’s a question of how the families can get some comfort and the beginnings of peace of mind.”

Troubled East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) is struggling financially and has some of the worst response times in England.
It is thought the trust’s non-executive directors want to merge with West Midlands Ambulance Service.
Both trusts said discussions on a “range of options” had taken place but talks were at an early stage.
If the merger goes ahead, the new service would cover a population of 10.4m people and cover 11,500 sq miles.

EMAS recently applied for a loan after ending the year £12m in debt, and chief executive Sue Noyes stood down last month. Its response times to the highest-priority emergency calls in 2014-15 were well below national targets.
It is understood EMAS first approached the West Midlands trust – which had some of the best response times in the country – for help around six weeks ago.
The BBC understands that although the non-executive directors at EMAS believe a merger is the right option, there is resistance from the trust’s other management.
In a letter to staff, chairwoman Pauline Tagg said she had been talking to WMAS about the potential for chief executive Dr Anthony Marsh, to provide support.
“This option, and others, is still being explored and discussions have not yet come to a conclusion,” she said.
It is understood Mr Marsh, who previously took on a part-time role as head of the East of England Ambulance Service, was interviewed by EMAS.
However, sources told the BBC Dr Marsh, who was heavily criticised over his salary in the dual roles, was concerned he would face similar attacks if he stepped in to oversee the East Midlands Trust.
In a statement, West Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed it had been approached “to explore how we might assist” and “a range of options” had been discussed but nothing yet agreed.

Dr Anthony Marsh is the chief executive of West Midlands Ambulance Service
Dr Iestyn Williams, senior lecturer in health policy and management at the Health Services Management Centre in Birmingham, said that large mergers are complex and often do not provide the anticipated benefits.
“It can cost millions of pounds and run into years.
“The productivity and efficiency can be affected and it can be years before the benefits materialise.”
How the services compare:
West Midlands Ambulance Service
Serves population of 5.6m
Area: More than 5,000 sq miles covering Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Coventry, Birmingham and Black Country
Number of calls a day: 3,000
Number of staff: 4,000
East Midlands Ambulance Service
Serves population of: 4.8m
Area: 6,425 square miles covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire
Number of calls a day: 2,000
Number of staff: 2,700

The chairman of the scandal-hit South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) Tony Thorne has resigned,
Last October it emerged the trust had delayed sending help for certain calls to allow extra time for patient assessments.
The reasons for Mr Thorne’s resignation are not known.
It is also understood chief executive Paul Sutton will take a leave of absence from the trust.
Mr Thorne’s resignation from Secamb, which has been under pressure for months, follows a crisis meeting of bosses at the trust.

Image caption
Secamb gave itself an extra 10 minutes to deal with some potentially life-threatening calls
Last October it emerged Secamb, which covers Kent, Surrey, Sussex and North East Hampshire, delayed sending help for certain 111 calls, transferring them instead to the 999 system as part of a pilot project.
It did this to re-assess what type of advice or treatment patients needed and whether an ambulance was really required.
The trust defended the project but acknowledged the “serious findings” of a report into the practice.
At the time, health regulator Monitor said the trust had not fully considered patient safety. It said the project was “poorly handled” and there were “reasonable grounds to suspect that the trust is in breach of its licence.”
It added a condition to Secamb’s licence so that if insufficient progress was made the leadership team could be changed.
How call handling was changed
Secamb provides NHS 111 services across the region and responds to 999 calls.
Some 111 calls were transferred to the 999 system to give Secamb more time for more urgent calls.
The calls affected were in the second most serious category – Category A Red 2 – which covers conditions like strokes or fits but which are less critical than where people are non responsive.
Under NHS rules, calls designated as life-threatening are supposed to receive an ambulance response within eight minutes.
The trust allowed itself an extra 10 minutes to deal with some calls by “re-triaging” patients in the 999 system.

ISLANDERS on Mull have claimed an ‘accident is waiting to happen’ after claiming a review has left them with a lack of ambulance cover.

A heated meeting between community representatives and the Scottish Ambulance Service is to take place tonight after the area and Iona was left with one ambulance.

Campaigners claim that one emergency vehicle is inadequate to cover the 240 mile of mainly single track roads on the islands which attract about 250,000 visitors a year.

The Scottish Ambulance Service has caused consternation by claiming there is no need for it to provide a second vehicle.

Billy McClymont, Chairman of Mull Community Council, and fellow islanders Fiona Brown and Colin Morgan, said: “As the community representatives through this whole process we are completely disillusioned and feel that the communities of Mull and Iona have been completely let down.”

Argyll MSP Michael Russell said: “Like the community I completely reject the proposal now coming from the SAS. “I am also very concerned that after eighteen months those who run the service are still trying to impose a solution to suit their organisation but which local experience shows is the wrong one and moreover one that was not chosen by the options process which took place last year.

“I have gone back to the Cabinet Secretary to tell her that SAS is still attempting to ride roughshod over the community and that must stop and I am now also tabling a motion in the Scottish Parliament to make that point.” Mr Russell said he believed these meetings confirmed the ‘unelected boards’ of the SAS and NHS Highland were “out of touch” with the strength of feeling in the community.

Local residents had not asked for a second ambulance but had favoured a review option for a paramedic and fast response vehicle to be brought in as a back-up.

However, the ambulance service favours an option which wouldn’t cost it anything, using an NHS Highland doctor, based at Craignure, as its 999 call back-up.

Mull Community Councillor Fiona Brown said: “It’s an accident waiting to happen, a high risk strategy, will it take someone to die before things change?”

“How can the NHS 24 doctor leave on a 999 call if there is an ambulance coming in with another 999 call?

“Ninety per cent of our roads are single track and the locum doctors don’t know the roads.

“They say there has only been one incident in the last three years when two 999 calls have come in at the same time but we know there have been other instances when another ambulance was needed.”

She said that recently an elderly man was told the ambulance was too busy dealing with an incident elsewhere after he struck his head.

A SAS spokesman said it was committed to meeting community needs and added: “A thorough and robust options appraisal was undertaken by the Mull and Iona Health Care Review Group and we have engaged extensively with the community throughout that process.

“Along with other NHS colleagues from the Health Care Review Group, we are meeting with communities in Mull on March 7 to continue to engage and explain proposals, which are based on detailed analysis of demand patterns, volumes and the potential impact of skills atrophy.

“Recent work has resulted in an upgrade to paramedic cover, the establishment of Community First Responder Groups and provision for two 24/7 landing sites for air ambulance helicopters, which support local ambulance teams whenever required.”

AMBULANCES in Wiltshire are failing to reach a third of critically ill emergency patients on time.

Figures from South West Ambulance Service Trust (SWAST) show response times in Wiltshire are among the worst in the region.

Of the 12 areas covered by SWAST, only South Gloucestershire was worse at reaching Red 1 calls, such as heart attacks, within eight minutes.

In 2014/15, ambulances in Wiltshire only reached two thirds (66 per cent) of such cases within this target.

Although this was up from just 59 per cent the year before, it was still “very disappointing” according to the trust’s own assessment. It aims to reach three quarters of patients within the eight minutes.

The average for the region was much higher, at just under 75 per cent.

Meanwhile, Dorset ambulances hit their Red 1 targets 84 per cent of the time.

For Red 2 calls, like strokes, Wiltshire was the worst performing area in the region for the second year running, reaching only 62 per cent within eight minutes. The average for the region was 71 per cent.

And for Red 19 calls (when patients need a fully equipped ambulance rather than an ambulance car) Wiltshire was again the worst performing area in the SWAST region, and the only one below 90 per cent.
In these cases, ambulances must arrive at 95 per cent of cases within 19 minutes.

Paul Birkett-Wendes, head of operations for SWAST’s northern zone (covering Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Bristol) said the eight-minute targets were far more challenging in rural areas than in urban ones.

And he said response times were just one aspect of the service SWAST delivered, with a huge focus on “clinical outcomes” and the way paramedics treat people at the scene.

Mr Birkett-Wendes said SWAST was the best in the country at treating people at home, less than half its patients are taken to accident and emergency departments.

“It’s much better for patients and much better for the health system,” he said.

“If you are taking everyone to A&E it would cause quite significant problems.”

And he said the targets were strict – “If you are late by one second, you fail. We normally find it’s within about nine minutes or so.”

More demand for ambulances – particularly from the NHS 111 phone line – is “almost outstripping our ability to keep up,” he said.

SWAST has not cut frontline ambulances and has hired more staff, despite a national paramedic shortage.

And it is tackling the response-times problem by increasing the role of community first responders and working more closely with the fire service.

“We are striving to improve on those response times. It is one aspect of what we do, and we are very proud of our clinical record with patients,” said Mr Birkett-Wendes. “It is absolutely one of our prime focus areas.”

Despite these efforts, the response times have worsened in Wiltshire over the past year.

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.

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.”

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.”

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.”

Downgrading of Scottish ambulance response times is suspended

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.”

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.

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

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

 

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

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.

Don’t Let Dark Nights Spook You This Halloween

The dark nights have set in and North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) is urging all parents to take some simple steps to ensure Halloween is a safe and spooky treat for children this year.

Each year NWAS sees a rise in calls on Halloween or ‘Mischief Night’ – a lot of which are incidents that could be avoided if the public followed some useful safety advice.

NWAS is urging parents to ensure they always accompany children when they are ‘trick or treating’, to make sure children carry a torch or glow stick and wear reflective clothing to make them visible to drivers. It is important children should learn how to cross the road properly as more accidents happen in the dark.

The Trust is also advising that well-fitting masks, costumes and shoes should be worn to avoid blocked vision, trips and falls – which are regular calls on Halloween night. Face paints should be tested on a small area of skin first to check for irritation.

Director of Operations at NWAS, Derek Cartwright, said: “Halloween is a really exciting time for children and young people. The dark nights at this time of year can however lead to accidents, so it’s important to make sure children are as safe and as visible as possible.

“Emergency calls to the ambulance service soar at this time of year. We are urging parents to ensure their children are safe so they can enjoy the night and ambulances are free to attend life-threatening emergencies.

“People should think before they dial 999 about whether they really need an ambulance. More appropriate treatment could be available at a minor injuries unit, walk-in-centre, GP or Pharmacy. We also have our helpline 111 to give you advice on issues that aren’t life-threatening.”

Please also remember not to leave burning candles or pumpkin lanterns unattended or near flammable materials – all these simple steps could save lives.