Beeline: Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance Magazine, Spring 2016

WHAT WE DO
Our team has been providing teaching
sessions to a variety of SWASFT
staff, clinicians and students
and students within the paramedic, medical or nursing
backgrounds and our whole team is now involved in
regional or national teaching of clinical groups.
All these activities are aimed at educating others about
the skills we can provide. Exposing them to our training,
taking part in simulated exercises with other service
providers and teaching others the skills we have learnt
plays an important part in the appropriate tasking of our
aircraft and crew.
Over the last six months our monthly training
sessions have covered a range of topics, including
the management of traumatic cardiac arrest in
adults, children and pregnant ladies; blood product
resuscitation; and head injury management. Most of
these sessions have utilised our infant, child and adult
manikins, which were purchased by the Charity.
Other simulated training exercises with the
Coastguard and Hazardous Area Response Team (HART)
have improved inter-agency co-operation and enabled
us to practise real-life scenarios and improvements in
patient pathways.
In December, our training was based at the
Search and Rescue base in Portland and involved the
land-based Coastguard Cliff Rescue Team, Search
and Rescue and SWASFT. These sessions have proved
extremely beneficial and the lessons learnt have already
been used for treating real patients, demonstrating the
importance of this integrated approach.
It’s been an extremely productive and busy start to the
year, with many more sessions planned for the coming
months. Our thanks go to Owen Hammett for organising
and facilitating these activities and to the Wessex Critical
Care Programme (www.wessexccp.org), who provide
support and technical help on all of the days.
Training does much to keep skills up to scratch, but to
keep clinicians up to date with current and developing
best practice and the latest research, the team has
formed a Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Journal
Inter-agency
co-operation has
been improved
through simulated
training exercises
Club. This is led by David Martin and gives our
team the opportunity to debate scientific and clinical
journal articles and the implications they may have on
our service.
So, as you can see, making sure that our patients
receive the best possible care requires dedication,
commitment and enthusiasm from our whole clinical
team. We thank them for being exceptional ambassadors
for the Charity and look forward to providing you with
further updates in the next edition of Beeline.
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance @dsairambulance 13