Ambulance UK April 2023

Volume 38 No. 2 

April 2023 

DEDICATED TO THE AMBULANCE SERVICE AND ITS SUPPLIERS

O)stJohn 

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Scan to learn more:

CONTENTS 

CONTENTS 

Ambulance UK 

36 EDITOR’S COMMENT 

38 CASE STUDY 

Now Offering Apprenticeships 

40 NEWSLINE 

60 COMPANY NEWS 

COVER STORY 

Introducing the PAB MP1 Paramedic Helmet 

Vimpex Ltd. has launched the all new PAB MP1 Paramedic helmet to the UK 

Ambulance Sector that’s been specifically developed to meet the stringent 

requirement of NHS Ambulance trusts in terms of full and complete certification to 

EN 16473 Safety Standard for Technical Rescue Helmets - the highest levels of eye 

protection - and wearer comfort and safety. 

This competitively priced and excellently designed product features a high quality dipped 

anti-fog eye guard and a 100% UV Stable Thermoplastic Shell, and is supplied with a 

free Ambulance helmet bag. With high quality pad printed trust decal on the front, very 

clear ‘AMBULANCE’ decal and NHS Logo to the rear, the product is available from our 

UK stock and ready for immediate supply. 

The MP1 scores on all measures of safety, independent and verified safety certification, 

product availability and speed of supply. 

This issue edited by: 

Dr Matt House 

c/o Media Publishing Company 

Greenoaks, Lockhill 

Upper Sapey, Worcester, WR6 6XR 

ADVERTISING: 

Terry Gardner, Samantha Marsh 

CIRCULATION: 

Media Publishing Company 

Greenoaks, Lockhill 


Tel: 01886 853715 

E: info@mediapublishingcompany.com 

www.ambulanceukonline.com 

PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY: 

February, April, June, August, 

October, December 

COPYRIGHT: 

Media Publishing Company 

Greenoaks 

Lockhill 


PUBLISHERS STATEMENT: 

The views and opinions expressed in 

this issue are not necessarily those of 

the Publisher, the Editors or Media 

Publishing Company. 

Next Issue June 2023 

• 100% tested and certified to EN16473 

• High quality dipped anti-fog eye guard 

• 100% UV Stable Thermoplastic Shell 

• Free Ambulance Helmet Bag 

• Durable printed Paramedic helmet decals 

Designed in the UK by me&you creative 

Vimpex is the established specialist supplier of PPE accessories to the NHS, Nongovernmental 

and Private Ambulance Sector. After many years of reliable and consistent 

supply to the UK’s Ambulance sector, Vimpex’s move to a partnership with manufacturer 

PAB comes after an extensive and detailed global study of all suitable professional 

helmet manufacturers. The MP1 scores on all measures of safety, independent and 

verified safety certification, product availability and speed of supply. 

AMBULANCE UK - APRIL 

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

35

EDITOR’S COMMENT 

EDITOR’S COMMENT 

Before I start this editorial, it would be remiss of me not to mention the retirement 

of an ambulance stalwart, and my co-editor, Sam English. Sam began his career 

in the then Lancashire Ambulance Service in 1988. He started in PTS, and later 

moved to the emergency side of work, and eventually becoming a Clinical 

Paramedic Tutor. Then under NWAS, Sam became one of the Country’s first 

Advanced Paramedics before becoming NWAS’ first Consultant Paramedic for 

EOC and then finishing his career with us as Chief Clinical Information Officer. 


“There 

appears to 

me from 

various 

sources 

that a lot of 

ambulance 

workers 

don’t feel 

valued 

at work 

now.” 

After a long and varied career, Sam now takes his well-deserved retirement, with his wife, Karen. I wish Sam 

all the best for his retirement from the ambulance service but know that he still has plenty of irons in the fi re, 

including as co-editor of this publication, so I’m sure we will still see Sam’s infl uence in years to come! 

Sam, like many of our generation has spent a career in the ambulance service. These days more people 

seem less likely to make the ambulance sector their career. Over the last couple of months, I have had a lot 

of conversations with managers and leaders within the service and with front-line crews. There has been a 

common theme to these talks, and that is about whether our people feel valued by the service they work for. 

There appears to me from various sources that a lot of ambulance workers don’t feel valued at work now. 

I think it would be fair to say that the whole of the NHS has undergone some diffi cult and challenging times 

recently and this might have something to do with the people feeling undervalued. However, I don’t think 

this is the whole story. Many of our people are of a generation that is far more career-mobile than we have 

seen in the past, and both the NHS and others are offering Paramedics a wide variety of opportunities. 

There is nothing wrong with that. To the contrary, it is excellent for the Paramedic profession. However, the 

ambulance sector needs to recognise this and work to make sure we provide the challenge, opportunity 

and development that means that our ambitious and motivated people see the ambulance service as a 

career in the same way that Sam did when he joined all those years ago. 

Dr Matt House, Co-Editor Ambulance UK 

Publishers Statement 

For nearly 40 years, thanks to trade support, we have been able to provide Ambulance UK FREE OF 

CHARGE in the knowledge that those receiving our dedicated bi monthly publication enjoy having 

something to read during their free time however, return on investment seems to be the buzz word 

amongst Ambulance Service Suppliers these days, therefore if you enquire about a product advertised, 

please mention Ambulance UK as it will help us confi rm to the trade that we are reaching the right 

people and providing advertisers with value for money. In respect of our current edition we would 

like to thank the following companies for their support as without their contribution towards our print 

and postal costs this issue would not have been published - Blue Light UK, DS Medical, Ferno, 

Intersurgical, Ortus, Smarter Defibrillators, St John’s Western Australia, Synergy and Vimpex. 

Terry Gardner 

Publisher 

36 

For more news visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com

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CASE STUDY 

NOW OFFERING APPRENTICESHIPS 

Founded in 2008, MediPro is the largest independent provider of 

pre-hospital education in the UK. 

They have grown steadily over the last 15 years, but it was MediPro’s 

recent ability to offer apprenticeship provision in the pre-hospital care 

sector that has allowed for major expansion of their business. 

Today, they provide training to thousands of ambulance staff, 

paramedics, offshore medics and diver medics each year, helping their 

learners gain skills for life. To accommodate these learners, MediPro 

have expanded their number of training centres from one to three, with 

facilities located in Stockton-on-Tees, Newmarket and Dagenham. 

In terms of apprenticeship provision, their clients include NHS Trusts and 

independent businesses alike, including some of the largest ambulance 

services in the country. 

The apprenticeship training provision MediPro has to offer has 

already helped several organisations to attract, build and retain 

skilled, competent and patient-care-focused teams, whilst developing 

workforce skills that are relevant to these organisations. 

MediPro’s motto is `Education with a Purpose` and they believe in this 

wholeheartedly. The company work closely with employers to deliver a 

tailored training programme. By aligning themselves closely to employing 

organisations in the medical sector, they can provide a pipeline of talent, 

as well as qualifications that are accredited and genuinely useful. 

MediPro pride themselves on the quality of the service they provide. 

This includes considering individual learning needs, offering fair and 

consistent appraisal, and providing a supportive and safe learning 

environment where people are free to make mistakes and ask questions. 

A great example of the apprentice provision that MediPro can deliver 

comes from London Ambulance Service. 

MediPro were invited by London Ambulance Service to submit a 

bid to support their Trainee Emergency Medical Technician (TEMT) 

apprenticeship programme. After a competitive bidding process, they 

won the contract. 

London Ambulance Service is the only NHS provider to service the 

whole of Greater London, covering an area of 620 square miles, 

answering two million 999 calls a year and responding to 3,000 

emergencies a day. For London Ambulance Service, the TEMT 

apprenticeship pathway has been their biggest recruitment strategy to 

date. 

As part of their programme of learning, MediPro took the classroom to 

them, recruiting multiple clinical tutors and investing in mobile training 

vehicles to help deliver their high-quality training courses. 

MediPro can deliver training to cohorts of 40-100 learners because 

of their unique blended delivery model, with its mix of classroom and 

online supported learning. Because of this model, they were able to 

continue their education provision throughout the pandemic, minimising 

disruption to the training and talent pipeline. 

Their apprenticeship delivery was a joint approach with London 

Ambulance Service. They offered a customised approach, deciding on 

standardised assessment strategies and scope of practice. It worked 

exceptionally well. 


Medipro recognise that an excellent learning stretches beyond the 

physical, and they provided a lot of enrichment activities for their 

learners – they work with external agencies on a regular basis such as 

Transport for London, and London Fire Brigade to develop students’ 

skills that they will need in real life. Developing the knowledge, skills and 

behaviours learners will take with them for a lifetime. 

In terms of success rates, across all their apprenticeship programmes, 

99.6% of MediPro learners successfully pass their End Point 

Assessment (EPA). Of those who pass, 58.5% passed with distinction, 

with another 29.4% passing with merit. 87.6% of learners also pass their 

EPA on their first attempt. 

38 

For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com

CASE STUDY 

Meanwhile, at London Ambulance Service, 350 apprentices under 

MediPro tuition were able to complete their qualification in 14 to 15 

months, rather than the standard 18. To date the end point assessment 

success rates have been: 34% pass with distinction, 57% pass with 

merit and 9% pass in their first attempt. 

This academic success is reflected in the positive feedback MediPro 

receives regularly from their learners. 

Chris Hewson took part in a recent upskill course MediPro delivered for 

AAPs at London Ambulance Service. This upskill course allows AAPs to 

further develop their clinical skills to become EMTs. 

“It can be daunting starting a new training course but from the first 

minute, we were made to feel welcome. The course was well structured, 

informative and full of useful information for transitioning into our new role. 

“The course was intense and there was a lot of commitment and hard 

work to be put in, but with the support of our trainers and our fellow 

delegates, we felt prepared to take on our written exams and OSCEs. 

“The pastoral care and the holistic approach taken was perfect for me 

as an individual to flourish in the learning environment. 

“The content of the course was informative and interesting and I feel 

that having completed the course, I am now equipped with the new 

knowledge and skills to transition seamlessly into my new role as a 

trainee emergency medical technician.” 

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Terry Gardner, Publisher 


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

39

NEWSLINE 

WAS 

Dill helps ambulance 

staff stay paws-itive 

The Welsh Ambulance Service 

“For the past six years, Dill has 

been, and still is, an operational 

search and rescue dog with 

SARDA South Wales, and she 

is a member of Central Beacons 

Mountain Rescue Team. 

engagement especially when 

connecting with young, elderly or 

vulnerable audiences.” 

Sgt Garry Botterill, Wellbeing and 

Trauma Support Dog Project Lead 

“I would like to thank Katie, 

Dill and the Welsh Ambulance 

Service for being the first in the 

ambulance service to pilot this 

scheme and wish them every 

success.” 

has welcomed its first wellbeing 

and trauma therapy dog. 

Border collie Dill and Katie 

McPheat-Collins, Service Manager 

for the Emergency Medical 

Services across Central Wales, 

have become affiliated with the 

Oscar Kilo 9 (OK9) wellbeing and 

trauma therapy scheme, a UK 

ambulance first. 

OK9 was launched in 2019 by 

The National Police Wellbeing 

Service, which aims to build on 

local police wellbeing dog services 

to make them available to all 

forces who wish to introduce a 

dog as part of their wellbeing 

provision. 

Dill has passed the assessments 

set by OK9 and achieved all of the 

criteria to become a wellbeing and 

trauma therapy dog for the Trust. 

Katie said: “Dill is a 10-year-old 

border collie, who was shared 

with me by a shepherdess, when 

Dill’s natural affinity to humans, not 

sheep, was identified. 

“However, her exceedingly gentle, 

calm nature and affinity to people 

lead to the recent assessment 

and subsequent role within the 

Trust.” 

Dill’s integration is part of a 

broader programme of work to 

improve the health and wellbeing 

of staff and volunteers, providing a 

furry addition to the wider toolkit. 

Katie continued: “We currently 

have police dogs affiliated to OK9, 

who visit stations and sites across 

South and North Wales, but there 

was a gap throughout the Central 

region. 

“With Dill, we are able to focus 

on Central Wales, where crews 

especially from the smaller satellite 

stations may not be on base for 

a number of hours, and therefore 

not have the shared benefit of a 

canine visit. 

“Dill’s support can be in the 

form of station visits to help with 

morale and stress, a presence 

during debriefs, or community 

with the National Police Wellbeing 

Service, said: “The OK9 scheme 

has proved to be extremely 

popular within the Police and 

Fire Service, and the number of 

Wellbeing and Trauma Support 

Dogs has grown to over 175 in 

the last 18 months. 

“We are delighted to welcome 

the Welsh Ambulance Service 

into the scheme, so that they can 

enjoy the many benefits of this 

structured, proven and effective 

wellbeing initiative. 

“All emergency services deal 

with traumatic events and highly 

stressful situations. 

“The Wellbeing Dogs help to bring 

some light relief to colleagues, 

especially following difficult 

incidents. 

“We have found they help people 

talk more openly, and as the 

handler is a peer support trained 

colleague, they listen effectively 

and can sign post to the 

appropriate support if needed. 

Dr Catherine Goodwin, Assistant 

Director Inclusion, Culture and 

Wellbeing, said: “Dill has already 

been warmly welcomed by 

colleagues and I am so grateful to 

Katie for undergoing this training 

and introducing a wellbeing and 

trauma therapy dog to Team 

WAST. 

“Staff and volunteers across 

Wales work extremely hard 

and it’s great to see wellbeing 

initiatives also reaching rural 

areas. 

“Our workforce is constantly 

pushed to the limit, physically 

and emotionally, as is the nature 

of ambulance work, so having 

access to a range of support is 

vital. 

“We have significantly expanded 

our occupational health and 

wellbeing service to get our 

remarkable people the support 

they need. 

“I look forward to seeing Dill at 

events in the future.” 

The Trust continues to explore 

other forms of animal therapy, to 

help staff and volunteers when 

they are having a ruff day. 


Red Cross NI and 

NI Ambulance 

Service launch new 

high intensity use 

programme 

Red Cross Northern Ireland and 

Northern Ireland Ambulance 

Service (NIAS) has launched a 

new High Intensity Use (HIU) 

partnership programme at The 

Mount in Belfast. 

40 


NEWSLINE 

Funded by NHS Charities 

Together, the national charity 

caring for the NHS, the £188,000 

one-year pilot called ‘Interact’ will 

support vulnerable people who 

are falling through gaps in the 

system, resulting in regular access 

of urgent emergency care (UEC). 

The HIU programme, a successful 

model fi rst launched in Blackpool 

by Rhian Monteith and scaled by 

NHS England, will use a holistic 

health coaching approach to 

support people across the Belfast 

and the South Eastern Health and 

Social Care Trust areas. 

The service is for people whose 

current needs cannot be met by 

clinical services alone, people who 

may be isolated or experiencing 

health inequalities. Working 

closely with statutory partners, the 

Red Cross HIU team will advocate 

for what people need and seek 

to improve long term health 

and wellbeing outcomes and at 

the same time this will reduce 

pressures across UEC. 

British Red Cross are the UK’s 

leading provider of the HIU 

programme, but this is the fi rst the 

charity has launched in Northern 

Ireland and also the fi rst directly 

commissioned in the UK by an 

Ambulance Trust through NHS 

Charities Together. 

support, we can relieve pressures 

on the health and social care 

system – a win-win situation.” 

Dr Nigel Ruddell, Medical 

Director with the Northern Ireland 

Ambulance Service, welcomed 

this initiative saying: “NIAS has 

long recognised that there is a 

large cohort of patients who turn 

to the ambulance service for help 

on a frequent basis. Experience 

has shown us that understanding 

the issues these people face, and 

working with them to address the 

root cause of problems, provides 

a meaningful lasting solution 

rather than just a quick and often 

temporary fi x. 

“This has clear benefi ts for the 

patient, some of whom have 

credited the NIAS Complex 

Case Team with “turning their 

life around”, and helps to 

reduce demand on not just 

NIAS, but also busy emergency 

departments where these patients 

have historically ended up, but 

which are actually the least 

equipped to resolve their longterm 

issues. 

“We look forward to further 

embedding this work, and 

partnering with agencies such as 

the British Red Cross to help an 

even greater number of patients 

going forward.” 

i-gel ® 

has evolved 

= i-gel ® Plus 

British Red Cross Executive 

Director of UK operations Lisa 

Hollins said: “When a person 

is regularly seeking help and in 

crisis, it’s important to look for 

what is missing. Unmet social 

needs are often an underlying 

cause for physical and mental 

health decline and in these 

situations, clinical interventions 

may not be enough. The HIU 

Programme can bridge that gap. 

“We are immensely proud of 

our work in this space. The 

programme is unique, it helps 

people who have nowhere else to 

turn and as a by-product of that 

Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive 

of NHS Charities Together, 

said: “We are incredibly proud 

to fund this much needed 

programme, working with the 

brilliant teams at Northern Ireland 

Ambulance Service and Red 

Cross Northern Ireland. As well 

as helping to alleviate pressures 

on our overstretched ambulance 

services, Interact will offer a much 

needed new, holistic approach 

for those with complex health 

needs. Crucially it will help some 

of those in society who are most 

vulnerable and in need of support, 

and we look forward to seeing the 

difference it can make.” 

Quality, innovation and choice 

lnteract with us 


www.intersurgical.co.uk 

41

NEWSLINE 

SECAMB 

HART paramedics 

to benefit from 

confined-space 

training facility 

of purpose-built confi ned-space 

training facilities at its Gatwick 

HART base, but the newly-fi tted 

out container will reduce travelling 

time and expense for Kent-based 

staff who previously had to travel 

to Sussex for such training. 

increases opportunities for joint 

working with other agencies at 

the site. It’s vital that our HART 

paramedics train regularly for this 

type of incident, so they are wellversed 

in how to bring treatment 

to patients safely in challenging 

SECAmb Estate Technical 

Manager, Paul Kent, who 

managed the project, added: “I’d 

like to thank West Sussex Fire 

and Rescue for donating the unit. 

I’m also pleased that we were 

able to use a local company to 

South East Coast Ambulance 

Service’s (SECAmb) Hazardous 

Area Response Team, (HART), 

paramedics will benefit from a 

new confined-space training 

facility recently installed at their 

base in Ashford, Kent. 

The specialist container, previously 

used by and donated by West 

Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, 

has been repurposed to cater 

for the training requirements 

of SECAmb’s HART. HART is 

made up of teams of paramedics 

who have undergone additional 

specialist training to work and 

provide care to patients in 

hazardous environments. 

SECAmb’s HART have the use 

As well as providing the 

environment for confi ned space 

training the unit compliments the 

team’s Working at Height (WAH) 

training and can be integrated 

with a WAH rig to provide a 

greater number of training 

scenarios. 

The unit will also mean joint 

training with other organisations 

can take place at the Ashford site 

and allows the team to train to 

City and Guilds qualifi cation level. 

HART Operations Manager, Steve 

Dowdall, said: “The new training 

container is a really worthwhile 

facility to have at our Ashford 

base. It not only reduces the 

travel time for our teams but also 

environments.” 

Work to convert the container to the 

specifi cations required by SECAmb 

HART was carried out by local 

company LTR Welding Services. 

make the necessary changes and 

I would like to thank Lee and his 

team for all his help. The unit is 

a really benefi cial addition to our 

estate which will benefi t staff and 

patients.” 

LIKE A FREE COPY? 


To receive a free bi-monthly digital copy of Ambulance UK totally free of charge 

simply visit www.ambulanceukonline.com wait 5 seconds and sign up by 

submitting your email address on the Ambulance UK website, your details 

will be safely and securely stored and will only be used to provide you with an 

opportunity to receive your own personal copy. 

Terry Gardner, Publisher 

42 


NEWSLINE 

Registered deaths 

rose around 15% 

above average 

following ambulance 

strike, says expert 

A leading health testing expert 

says striking ambulance 

workers continue to maintain 

strong public support. 

However, new ONS data 

shows a noticeable increase 

in registered deaths over the 

five-day period following their 

11 January action. 

A new YouGov poll shows public 

support for striking ambulance 

workers is holding firm at 63%. 

However, a leading health testing 

expert says that there is potential 

reason for concern about the 

impact of the strikes. Government 

figures reveal a 19.5% rise in 

registered deaths over average 

levels during the week of the first 

ambulance strike this year. 

This increase was followed by 

an 11% jump over average the 

following week. That means a 

likely 15% spike in mortalities 

over expected levels during the 

mandatory five-day registration 

period for deaths, following the 

ambulance workers’ industrial 

action on 11 January. 

Dr Quinton Fivelman PhD, Chief 

Scientific Officer at London 

Medical Laboratory, says: 

‘Ambulance staff retained 

significant public support ahead 

of their scheduled strike on Friday, 

10 February. With a starting 

salary of just £27,000 for such 

a high-pressure job, there’s little 

wonder support for paramedics 

continues to be strong. However, 

Office for National Statistics (ONS) 

death registration figures, for the 

week ending 13 January and the 

week ending 20 January, show a 

significant increase in mortalities 

over the five-year average. 

‘Medical professionals have 

been anxious to establish if the 

ambulance strikes have had an 

impact on patient outcomes. 

While far from conclusive, this new 

data might be useful as one tool in 

helping to assess the effect of this 

industrial action. 

‘Around 2,600 ambulance workers 

were on strike on 11 January, 

including paramedics, ambulance 

technicians, emergency care 

assistants and other 999 crew. 

Action took place in the North- 

West, North-East, West Midlands, 

East Midlands and Wales. 

‘Looking at a UK-wide 

breakdown, there were 16,158 

deaths registered in England in 

the week ending 13 January, an 

18.8% rise above average for the 

time of year, and 1,183 registered 

deaths in Wales, a 28.7% rise 

above average. Similarly, for the 

week ending 20 January, there 

were 14,798 deaths in England, 

10.7% above average, and 974 

deaths in Wales, 15.3% above 

expected five-year levels. 

‘It’s perhaps relevant to note that 

at-home deaths in both England 

and Wales increased by 31.5% 

above average (there were 1,082 

excess home deaths) during 

the week ending 13 January 

and 28.7% above average (970 

excess deaths) during the week 

ending 20 January. This possibly 

indicates some complications or 

issues surrounding ambulance 

availability, although we must 

be careful not to draw any firm 

conclusions without further data. 

‘Other factors may also be at 

work in the increased number of 


For further information contact http://www.synergybusinesssolutions.co.uk 

44 


NEWSLINE 

excess registered deaths above 

the five-year average. For example, 

Covid-related death registrations 

were 5.3% above average in the 

week ending 13 January and 4.9% 

for the week ending 20 January. 

Flu and Strep A outbreaks will also 

have played a part. 

LAS 

Autism Awareness 

Day: ‘I was placed 

in 27 different foster 

homes and only got 

my diagnosis as an 

adult’ 

An ambulance medic who was 

placed in 27 different foster 

homes as a child, only received 

his diagnosis for autism as an 

adult because he never lived 

in one place long enough to be 

assessed when he was growing 

up. 

James Sweeney, 37, who has 

been an Emergency Medical 

Technician at London Ambulance 

Service for seven years, lived a 

turbulent childhood having to 

move around 25 different foster 

families and two children homes 

across the Midlands. 

Because of the unrelenting 

upheaval, he had to start and 

stop his autism assessment many 

times and was instead often 

labelled as “naughty”. 

He was officially diagnosed only 

six years ago – when he settled 

down in Maidenhead with his wife. 

On this year’s World Autism 

Awareness Day (Sunday 2 April), 

James took the brave step of 

sharing his story, in the hope he 

might encourage other autistic 

people to never give up on their 

aspirations. 

He said: “I grew up being very 

frustrated. I remember feeling 

misunderstood by all my foster 

parents but one – a woman I now 

call ‘mum’. 

“Back then people simply used 

to say that I had ‘naughty boy 

syndrome’. 

“I had so many foster placements 

in so many different areas of the 

region and every time I started an 

assessment for autism I was rehoused, 

so it would have to start 

all over again. 

“When I got my diagnosis, I could 

finally understand why I am the 

way I am.” 

James said that the lack of 

understanding from his carers 

often left him feel like he had few 

chances to succeed in life. 

He said: “Being dragged from 

pillar to post is bad enough 

when you’re neurotypical, but 

for an autistic person it can be 

detrimental to their aspirations. 

“It often made me feel like I had 

no hope of leading a normal life.” 

But despite the major challenges, 

James never stopped striving for 

a future where he would make a 

difference in people’s lives. 

After leaving school, he trained as 

an advisor with a London charity 

that helps care leavers take their 

next steps in life. 

He then applied for an 

apprenticeship at London 

Ambulance Service and passed 

his exams to become an 

Emergency Medical Technician. 

He said: “While I enjoyed the 

unpredictability of the call-outs, 

I used to really struggle with 

being paired up with a different 

crewmate each day, and always 

having different shift patterns. 

“My management team have 

been excellent and they made the 

adjustments I needed.” 

James works on a flexible rota 

and can pick the shifts that best 

suit him and a crewmate he 

knows. 

He commented: “These 

changes have been vital to 

my working life because now I 

know what to expect ahead of 

time and feel more comfortable 

knowing my crewmates well. 

“As for many other autistic 

people, it can also take me 

longer to process difficult 

situations. 

“After attending particularly 

traumatic jobs, it can be 

exhausting to try to process 

those emotions all at once, and 

that’s why it’s important for me 

to have a close colleague next 

to me, who understands me 

and can give me quiet time.” 

James, who is now father to 

a two year old, said that he is 

incredibly proud of where he is 

today: “I had nothing. Now I’ve 

got an amazing family and a 

great job. 

“I work in the busiest 

ambulance service of the world 

– despite leaving school at 14 

with no qualifications. 

“I think I’ve worked ten times 

harder than I would if I wasn’t 

autistic or didn’t grow up in 

care. But if it weren’t for my 

past, who knows where I’d be 

now. 

“If I could speak to my younger 

self, I’d tell him: ‘explore your 

passions and don’t feel like you 

have to fit in with everyone else 

for the sake of it!’” 

He would encourage autistic 

people to consider a career in 

the ambulance service: 

“I didn’t think I could ever work 

to save lives, but here I am – 

absolutely loving my job.” 

Darren Farmer, London 

Ambulance Service’s Director 

of Ambulance Operations, said: 

“I’m in awe of what James 

has achieved – not only as an 

ambulance crew member who 

has cared for countless patients 

over the years, but also for 

the inspiration he provides to 

people going through similar 

challenges. 

“I’m glad he was able to turn his 

life around and it’s great to see 

that he is proud of that too. I 

would like to encourage anyone 

who aspires to work in the 

ambulance service to consider 

applying for a role with us. 

“We know that every person is 

different and may have different 

support needs. We will listen 

to you and strive to make the 

arrangements that will allow you 

to succeed and thrive.” 

London Ambulance Service 

welcomes diversity and looks 

for people from all backgrounds 

who care about making a 

difference. Last summer, LAS 

was named top NHS employer 

for apprenticeships in the 

country in the Department 

for Education’s Top 100 

Apprenticeship Employers 2022. 


For the latest Ambulance Service News visit: www.ambulancenewsdesk.com 

45

NEWSLINE 


‘Fledgling’ 

paramedics get 

their wings from 

‘stress test’ ahead of 

graduation 

The ‘Green Fledgling’ exercise 

was designed to ‘stress-test’ 

the skills and knowledge of 

third-year paramedic students 

ahead of graduation this 

Summer. 

22 third-year paramedic students 

took part in a two-day exercise 

at Halton Training Camp near 

Lancaster in January, designed 

to put the students through a 

series of escalating scenarios, the 

likes of which they are likely to 

encounter upon qualification. 

Named ‘Green Fledgling’, alluding 

to the iconic colour of paramedic 

uniforms and the students’ level 

of experience, the exercise was 

designed to ‘stress-test’ the 

skills and knowledge of third-year 

paramedic students ahead of 

graduation this Summer. 

Cumbria Constabulary and 

Lancashire Fire and Rescue 

Service also participated, not only 

to test students’ clinical abilities 

but also to strengthen their team 

and partnership working skills. 

The Army supported the exercise 

by facilitating use of Halton 

Training Camp, near Lancaster, 

enhancing the realism of the 

scenarios greatly. 

Senior Lecturer in Paramedic 

Practice, Darren Moss said; 

“The aim of the exercise was to 

collectively challenge our soonto-be-qualified 

paramedics to 

demonstrate their leadership, 

clinical decision-making, patient 

assessment, and management 

skills while working together with 

the student police officers and the 

fire service. 

“This is the first time we have put 

our third-year student paramedics 

through such a gruelling series of 

simulations, and we have done it 

to prepare them for the future. We 

are very grateful for the support 

from Cumbria Constabulary and 


Service. Their involvement really 

enhanced the authenticity of the 

day.” 

Cumbria Constabulary sent their 

latest cohort of trainee police 

constables and Lancashire Fire 

and Rescue sent two full crews 

including a specialist fast-flowing 

water rescue team to assist with 

proceedings. 

The exercise involved five 

‘scenarios’ where the third-year 

paramedic students were tested 

on progressively complex kinds of 

resuscitation. 

Simulations ranged from an 

assaulted pregnant patient with a 

sudden and unexpected birth, to 

a near drowning and a gunshot 

wound. 

The finale involved the simulation of 

a five-vehicle road traffic accident 

with 10 patients displaying 

traumatic injuries. Like in a reallife 

accident, the student police 

officers attended first, followed by 

paramedics and the fire service, 

who aided the extraction of 

casualties from the vehicles. 

The multi-faceted exercise has 

strengthened ties and understanding 

between professional services 

supporting the event. 

Cumbria Constabulary’s police 

constables were only a few weeks 

into their twenty-two-week training 

programme and attending gave 

the new recruits a taste of how 

police respond to such incidents. 

PC Sam Butler, of Cumbria 

Constabulary’s training team, said: 

“We’d like to thank the university 

for organising this event. Our 

student officers got a lot out of 

this, providing them with some 

good experience of what they 

might encounter in emergency 

scenarios. 

“They were also able to gain extra 

insight into how other agencies 

work and the event challenged 

them to work effectively as a team 

and communicate with partners 

for the good of the public.” 

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service 

participated in the exercise on the 

proviso that if a real emergency 

were called in, they would abandon 

the exercise to attend. 

Matt Armstrong, Station Manager 

at Lancaster Fire Station, 


Service said: 

“We are grateful to the University 

of Cumbria for putting on a firstclass 

exercise which allowed our 

staff the opportunity to take part in 

a realistic scenario whilst providing 

experience to the student 

paramedics. The training allowed 

us to work in close conjunction 

with the police and paramedics. 

This will further develop our close 

relationships to help strengthen 

our response to incidents in the 

future.” 

In total, 45 student paramedics 

studying the BSc (Hons) 

Paramedic Science programme 

took part in the exercise at the 

end of January, including first-year 

students who played causalities 

and other supporting roles. 

This summer 22 paramedics 

on the undergraduate course 

will graduate from the University 

of Cumbria and will join the 

paramedic register to bolster the 

NHS workforce. 

The Centre for Excellence 

in Paramedic Practice is the 

principal provider of paramedic 

education in the UK. Based at 

The University of Cumbria, it has 

over 3000 students studying on a 

mixture of degree and professional 

qualifications, including the new 

paramedic apprenticeship scheme 

which is delivered in partnership 

with seven English Ambulance 

NHS Trusts. 

SECAMB 

New ambulance 

centre to become 

operational in the 

summer 

A new multi-purpose ambulance 

centre is expected to become 

operational this summer. The 

South East Coast Ambulance 

Service NHS Foundation 

Trust, (SECAmb) centre, in 

Bredgar Road, Gillingham, 

will consist of a Make Ready 

Centre, Emergency Operations 

Centre, (EOC), and NHS 111 

contact centre. It will be the first 

ambulance centre in the country 

to bring all three functions 

together under one roof. 

The first staff to move to the new 

centre will be field operational 

staff from the Trust’s Medway 

Operational Unit. From 5 June, 

ambulance crews currently 

starting and ending their shifts at 

Medway Ambulance Station in 

Chatham will, instead, start and 

finish at the new centre. They will 

then respond from ambulance 

community response posts across 

the region where there are suitable 

rest facilities for crews between 

calls and when on a break. 

Staff based in Sheppey will 

continue to start and end their 

shifts from the ambulance 

station on the island, which has 

undergone a major refurbishment 

and upgrade to provide new 

educational and training facilities. 

The road staff will be joined 

by colleagues from the Trust’s 

Ashford 111 contact centre from 

Wednesday 28 June, before EOC 

staff, currently based at the Trust’s 

46 


NEWSLINE 

control room in Coxheath, will 

begin relocating to the new centre 

from Wednesday, 13 September. 

SECAmb’s Make Ready vehicle 

preparation and maintenance 

system will occupy the two lower 

floors while staff currently based 

at the Trust’s East 999 Emergency 

Operations Centre (EOC) in 

Coxheath and Trust NHS 111 

staff, currently based in Ashford, 

Kent, will benefit from modern 

open-plan offices above. 

Integrating both 999 and 111 

services is a key part of SECAmb’s 

strategy to deliver more joined up 

integrated care and to increase 

efficiency. The development will 

also bring the east of SECAmb’s 

region in line with its West 

Emergency Operations Centre 

(including NHS 111), based in 

Crawley, which opened in 2017. 

The new centre provides the Trust 

with greater control room capacity 

and provides greater resilience 

with the ratio of staff more evenly 

split between the Trust two EOCs. 

It will also bring local recruitment 

opportunities for people across 

both 999 and 111 services. 

SECAmb’s Make Ready system, 

which involves specialist teams of 

staff employed to clean, restock 

and maintain the Trust’s fleet, is 

already in place across much of 

the Trust’s region. 

SECAmb currently operates 

from 10 Make Ready Centres. 

The latest centre to open was in 

Banstead in May 2022. 

SECAmb Executive Director of 

Operations, Emma Williams, 

said: “I’m really pleased that we 

are getting close to the point 

that the new centre will become 

operational. Our current buildings, 

including our Coxheath office, are 

outdated and no longer adequate 

for our requirements. Bringing our 

999 and 111 services under one 

roof will ensure we further optimise 

functions between these services. 

“The new Make Ready system 

is more efficient and the new 

building will provide staff with 

access to modern facilities for 

training. We do understand any 

change has an impact on staff 

and we will continue to fully 

engage with everyone affected 

ahead of the move.” 

What is Make Ready? 

• SECAmb’s Make Ready 

initiative significantly enhances 

and improves the service it 

provides to the community. 

• It minimises the risk of crossinfection, 

frees up front-line 

staff – who traditionally cleaned 

and re-stocked ambulances 

– to spend more time treating 

patients, and keeps vehicles on 

the road for longer. 

• The initiative ensures that 

specially-trained operatives 

regularly deep-clean, restock 

and check vehicles for 

mechanical faults. 

• Make Ready Centres are 

supported by a network 

of Ambulance Community 

Responses Posts (ACRPs) 

across the area with staff 

beginning and ending their 

shifts at the new centre. 

• During their shifts, staff will 

respond from the ACRPs which 

will provide facilities for staff. 

These are located based on 

patient demand. 

• Crews continue to respond from 

the same towns under the system 

but begin and end their shifts at 

staggered times with a vehicle 

that is fully prepared for them. 

• The system ensures crews have 

access to improved training 

facilities and opportunities 

and increased support from 

managers. 


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

47

NEWSLINE 

NEAS 

Cardiac arrest 

survivor meets the 

ambulance workers 

who helped save his 

life 

A Northumberland grandfather 

who is enjoying a new lease 

of life after surviving a cardiac 

arrest last year has been 

reunited with some of the 

ambulance workers who saved 

his life. 

Chris Browitt suffered a cardiac 

arrest in bed at his home in 

Ellington in April 2022. 

Thankfully, his wife Alice was 

woken by the rasping sound and 

immediately dialled 999, where 

health advisor Charlotte Saul was 

able to talk her through CPR until 

the arrival of the ambulance crew. 

CPR is a key part of the chain of 

survivability for anyone in cardiac 

arrest, allowing oxygen to keep 

flowing and ultimately increasing 

a person’s chances of survival. 

Early CPR can more than double 

a person’s chances of survival. 

Charlotte was only four months 

into her role at North East 

Ambulance Service (NEAS) when 

she took Alice’s call and Chris 

was one of her first CPR calls. 

“Alice did an amazing job calling 

999 and doing exactly what I 

needed her to,” she said. 

“It’s so important that the caller 

listens carefully to what I’m 

asking and advising - I know it’s 

an awful situation to be in but 

I’m here to guide them through 

what you need to do while we 

get a crew to them, and I was 

with Alice the whole step of the 

way until the crew arrived to take 

over.” 

Alice said: “I didn’t know what 

to do but Charlotte was so calm 

and calmed me down so I could 

help Chris. She told me to start 

CPR and then talked me through 

it and supported me until the 

ambulance crew arrived, telling 

me when they were only two 

minutes away.” 

Ambulance dispatcher Hollie 

Hicks, who has worked within 

the dispatch team at NEAS for 

seven years, was responsible 

for ensuring all the resources 

reached Chris quickly. 

She said: “We have to act fast 

and find the closest possible 

resource to the patient and 

either divert them or try and get 

someone clear off another job, or 

from the hospital or off their meal 

break. 

“On this occasion, it was a really 

busy night and I only had one 

ambulance crew available so I 

went out to a general broadcast, 

which means we speak to all 

the crews over their radios and 

advise them we have a category 

1 call and where it’s located 

to see if anyone can make 

themselves available to assist. 

“Doing this, I managed to 

get a paramedic crew from 

Cramlington to also run up to 

the job and set the specialist car 

off from Newcastle. I was aware 

the run time for the specialist 

was quite long due to incident 

location but they are the most 

qualified resources for dealing 

with cardiac arrests so it would 

be beneficial for the patient 

that they attended, especially 

if the crew got a successful 

resuscitation, which thankfully in 

this instance they did.” 

Paramedic Louise Fawcus, who 

joined NEAS three years ago, 

was one of those first crews on 

scene. 

“Going to cardiac arrests we 

always talk through it as a team, 

how we are going to proceed 

once we arrive depending if we 

are first on scene or second, 

which helps everyone understand 

their roles and helps it run 

smoother,” said Louise. 

“Alice was very calm and made 

sure we had all information we 

needed to help her husband 

despite it being early hours and the 

fact her husband was so critical.” 

Working as a team, the crews 

managed to successfully 

resuscitate Chris, prior to the 

arrival of specialist paramedic 

Graeme Cutty. 

Graeme, who joined NEAS in 

2002 before qualifying as a 

paramedic in 2006, has been 

part of the specialist paramedic 

team since it launched at NEAS 

in 2019. 

Together, they provide additional 

clinical and leadership at an 

incident, and are able to improve 

outcomes for patients who are 

critically unwell. 


He said: “When I arrived, Chris 

had already been successfully 

resuscitated by the crews, but 

was still critically unwell and 

unconscious. The crew reported 

that he had recently been 

diagnosed with some severe 

heart problems and had been 

informed by his GP that his 

outlook was “bleak”. 

48 


NEWSLINE 

“I undertook an Ultrasound 

of his heart, which showed 

that the ventricles were not 

contracting as they should. 

I made sure that he was as 

clinically stable as he could be 

before rapidly transferring him 

to hospital, being aware that 

he was at high-risk of having 

a further cardiac arrest. I had 

to intervene and manually 

assist his ventilations enroute 

to hospital as his breathing 

deteriorated.” 

The retired geophysicist was 

placed in an induced coma and 

spent three days on life support, 

but has gone on to make a full 

recovery. The grandfather of 

Evie (12) and Esther (9) is now 

making the most of retirement, 

returning to an active life, 

which sees him enjoying family 

holidays with Alice and even 

taking up paddleboarding. 

Having seen fi rst-hand the 

difference it has made to 

them, Alice and Chris are now 

passionate about spreading the 

word about the importance of 

carrying out CPR. 

And, as he approaches his oneyear 

anniversary, he has now 

been able to meet back up with 

some of his life-savers to thank 

them. 

“I am so pleased that I have 

managed to maintain the healthy 

and active lifestyle following my 

cardiac arrest - all as a result 

of the excellent response and 

actions from the ambulance team 

and the care provided in the 

intensive care unit,” said Chris. 

Alice added: “I was initially 

told that he was unlikely to 

pull through so I am incredibly 

relieved that he has made a full 

recovery and is back doing all 

the activities he enjoyed prior to 

his cardiac arrest as well as new 

ones. 

“The ambulance team were 

amazing and we just wanted to 

be able to thank them all for the 

part they played in saving Chris’s 

life. We had already been able to 

thank all the hospital staff who 

cared for him but without these 

guys I wouldn’t have had the 

opportunity to do that. 

“It’s been wonderful to meet them 

all and to realise just how lucky 

Chris was.” 

“It’s great to know the outcomes 

of patients we take into hospital, 

especially when it’s positive and 

something as serious as this,” 

said Louise. “It’s nice to know 

he’s used this time after his event 

to travel enjoying living his life.” 

Charlotte said: “I’m used to 

taking consecutive emergency 

calls and have never had the 

pleasure of meeting any of those 

patients or their family, so to see 

him alive and standing in front 

of me laughing with Alice put a 

whole new perspective on my 

job. 

“I hope Chris and his family have 

a fab time celebrating his oneyear 

post-cardiac birthday in April 

and wish them well on their future 

adventures.” 

Hollie added: “I’m over the moon 

that we were able to help Chris 

when he needed us and save his 

life and I’m really grateful to get 

to meet him. It’s nice to actually 

see the outcome of our decisions 

and work that we do on a daily 

basis in real life; it just goes to 

show how precious life actually 

is. I hope he lives the rest of his 

life to the fullest and enjoys every 

moment with Alice.” 

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Defibrillator Maintenance Alerts 



49

NEWSLINE 

HRH The Princess 

Royal unveils 

cornerstone for 

air ambulance 

charity’s new base at 

Alconbury Weald 

On Friday, 10th February Magpas 

Air Ambulance staff, clinicians 

and former patients welcomed 

HRH The Princess Royal to the 

site of the charity’s new base, 

to unveil a cornerstone for the 

new building which is mid-way 

through construction. The event, 

sponsored by Leonardo and 

supported by Special Aviation 

Services, had been postponed 

from September due to the 

funeral of Her late Majesty The 

Queen. 

The new, purpose-built airbase 

and headquarters at Alconbury 

Weald—being delivered by Lindum 

Group—will boast a dedicated 

state-of-the-art training centre to 

train the next generation of prehospital 

emergency doctors and 

paramedics; be equipped for 24/7 

operations with well-being and rest 

facilities for crew and clinicians; 

and provide new community and 

patient facilities on site. 

The charity’s new home is situated 

closer to the region’s major trunk 

roads, which will reduce vehicle 

dispatch times by up to 15 

minutes. This improved location 

that allows co-locating the 

charity’s operations and support 

staff—who currently work across 

two sites—will be more efficient; 

reducing charity overheads and 

improving environmental impact. 

HRH The Princess Royal became 

Magpas Air Ambulance’s Royal 

Patron after she visited the 

charity’s current operations base 

in February 2020, and heard 

about the pressing need for the 

service to find a new home. In 

2021, the charity’s 50th year of 

operations, she launched the 

Future 50 Appeal aimed at raising 

the funding needed to complete 

the building, with the unveiling of 

a cornerstone on Friday marking 

an important milestone in the 

development of the project. 

Speaking of the occasion, Daryl 

Brown MBE DL, the charity’s Chief 

Executive Officer, said “It was an 

honour to welcome our patron HRH 

The Princess Royal to the site of 

our new base at Alconbury Weald. 

After unveiling the cornerstone, 

which will become a treasured part 

of our building, we were delighted 

to hear a few words from The 

Princess Royal and see her passion 

for the service we provide, before 

welcoming her to a reception 

afterwards. Here, she met former 

patients, Magpas Air Ambulance 

clinicians and funders of the project. 

“It’s incredibly exciting to see, 

what has been a plan for a very 

long time, finally come into a 

fruition—especially as the building 

has now reached the major 

milestone of being watertight— 

and we can see the charity’s new 

home really coming together.” 

The charity, which is funded by 

donations, has been careful not 

to divert income from running 

the day-to-day lifesaving service. 

As Lucy Chapman, Magpas Air 

Ambulance Director of Fundraising 

and Marketing explains, 

“We are extremely fortunate to 

receive fantastic support from the 

communities in which we work. 

As a charity, our service relies on 

donations from supporters and 

the public to raise the £6 million 

needed every year to operate and 

save lives 24/7, For this reason, 

we secured alternative and 

new sources of funding for the 

Future 50 Appeal. It’s fantastic to 

celebrate this important milestone 

in the project with HRH The 

Princess Royal, and we can’t wait 

to invite all our supporters to the 

new airbase once it is complete.” 


50 


NEWSLINE 

19-20 SEPTEMBER 2023 

PREPARING OUR 

EMERGENCY 

SERVICES 

FOR EVERY 

RESPONSE 


FIND Do OUT you have MORE anything you WWW.EMERGENCYUK.COM would like to add or include in Newsline? Please contact us and | #ESS2023 

let us know. 

51

NEWSLINE 


Coventry University 

plays key role 

in South Pole 

expedition research 

A challenging expedition to the 

South Pole has given Coventry 

University researchers the 

chance to study the effects of 

prolonged strenuous exercise in 

some of the harshest conditions 

on earth. 

Those taking part in the expedition 

were subject to tests before 

and after the expedition, as 

well as being monitored during 

the journey via body sensors. 

The research could have many 

applications useful to both 

medicine and the military. 

The Inspire 22 team skied 

more than 900km in 47 days, 

setting out in the polar summer 

in December and returning in 

January. 

Consisting of men and women 

from both the military and civilian 

life, the nine-person team were 

challenged physically and mentally 

on their expedition, experiencing 

temperatures as low as minus 45 

degrees celsius. 

Although team members were 

provided with all the food they 

wanted, sustained polar travel 

meant they were operating in 

energy deficit – burning more 

calories than they ate. 

Despite some team members 

consuming up to 6,000 calories 

per day, everyone taking part lost 

weight through travelling vast 

distances pulling equipment and 

supplies. 

Dr Doug Thake, Associate 

Professor at Coventry University’s 

Research Centre for Sport, 

Exercise and Life Science, said: 

“This is all about understanding 

the human body when it is going 

through sustained periods of 

exercise whilst being in energy 

deficit. Our evidence suggests 

that such people’s metabolism 

is elevated at rest and changes 

in response to exercise when 

they are exposed to cold 

environments. 

“This kind of research with fit and 

healthy participants may help 

give us a better understanding 

of disease processes, such as 

cancer, where patients experience 

a negative energy balance and 

lose weight. It may give us greater 

insight into how those living in 

human disaster zones cope with 

conditions where they may be 

doing a lot of physical exercise but 

not getting enough calories. 

“Our role is to carry out tests pre 

and post expedition and we’re 

well set up to do that here – with 

our environmental chamber we 

can simulate temperatures of 

minus 25 to plus 50 and altitudes 

from sea level to the summit of 

Everest. Prior to the expedition 

the participants used the chamber 

to see how they could do things 

like pitch tents in extreme cold 

environments. 

“It’s great to be part of a 

collaborative project such as 

this, working with world-leading 

experts in the field.” 

Major Natalie Taylor, who led the 

military team on the expedition, 

said: “All the participants were 

given the choice to take as 

much or as little food as they 

liked. I chose to take slightly less 

because it is extra weight to carry, 

it’s not about whether you are 

carrying enough food, it’s about 

deciding on balance how much of 

it is worth carrying. 

“It is an inevitability on polar 

expeditions that people tend 

to enter calorie deficit and lose 

weight, however if you’re losing 

fat and not muscle for example, 

that’s not necessarily a bad thing, 

in fact you could argue that you’re 

actually getting fitter. 

“One of the most interesting 

features of the research for me 

was the use of sensors to take 

measurements when we’re out on 

the ice and the potential role in the 

military that could play.” 

Chris Imray, Visiting Professor 

at Coventry University and 

leader of the civilian team on the 

expedition, added: “We have 

undertaken previous research 

expeditions involving all male and 

all female teams but one of the 

issues with those studies was that 

it was difficult to compare how 

different sexes reacted, as the 

expeditions took place at different 

times with potentially different 

conditions. Having a mixed-sex 

expedition team gives us a much 

better understanding and this 

time we’ve also been able to 

take measurements during the 

expedition itself.” 

To find out more about Inspire 22 

visit https://www.inspire22.co.uk/ 

LAS 

International 

Women’s Day 2023: 

London Ambulance 

Service doubles 

number of women 

recruited to “highrisk” 

team 

London Ambulance Service 

(LAS) has doubled the number 

of women who are specially 

trained to work in the most 

dangerous environments, 

after a targeted recruitment 

campaign. 

Hazardous Area Response Team 

(HART) paramedics respond to 

patients in the most perilous of 

situations including fires, collapsed 

buildings, people trapped under 

trains or vehicles, people in water, 

or those in hard-to-reach places. 

HART are also trained to respond 

to chemical incidents, terror 

attacks and other high risk jobs. 

LAS has been so successful 

in recruiting women to HART 

that they are now sharing their 

approach and methods with other 

ambulance trusts across the 

country. 

Paramedics Rae Childs and 

Natalie Cole have over 10 years’ 

experience with LAS between 

them but are new to HART. They 

still treat ill or injured patients but 

now face an extra challenge of 

responding to them in dangerous 

conditions. 

Rae said: “We’ve been going 

through a lot of training which 

includes working at height on 

scaffolding, off-roading utility 

terrain vehicles and water rescue. 

“It’s intense and challenging but 

I love it and I can’t believe I have 

the opportunity to learn all these 

new skills.” 

As well as being trained to use 

their life-saving clinical knowledge 

in hazardous environments, HART 

paramedics also spend time 

training alongside emergency 

service colleagues in the police 

and fire services. 

Natalie said: “We are working 

alongside some of the most 

elite and experienced units in 

the country. It’s taking us out of 

our comfort zones but actually 

it is so empowering to get this 

opportunity -knowing we are 

specially trained to help people in 

the most difficult, dangerous and 

challenging circumstances.” 

Previously the team of 98 HART 

paramedics only included 11 

women. That number now stands 

at 22 with more women already 

applying. 

Natasha Wills is the Director of 

Resilience and Specialist Assets 

52 


NEWSLINE 

at LAS and HART paramedics 

are one of the specialties in her 

department. 

She has worked hard to improve 

diversity and said: “This has 

traditionally been a maledominated 

team – and this is true 

of HART across the country – so 

we made a deliberate effort to 

change that. 

“We held awareness days and 

encouraged female paramedics 

to come along and try out some 

of the training activities for 

themselves. 

“So rather than being intimidated 

by the gear, the uniform, the 

physical activity, when women saw 

an opportunity to apply, they found 

it a rewarding way to progress their 

careers. I would encourage any 

paramedic not to rule themselves 

out, but to give it a go.” 

LAS and Yorkshire Ambulance 

Service were the first ambulance 

services to set up HART, in 

response to the 2005 London 

terror attacks. 

Their specialist training means 

paramedics can enter a “warm 

zone” – an area where there is 

a potential threat to life, such as 

an active terrorist attack – and 

NWAS 

Paramedic 

apprentices graduate 

and hit the roads of 

the north west 

Forty-seven newly qualified 

paramedics hit the roads across 

the region at the beginning of 

March with 11 more joining 

them at the end of the month. 

They are part of North West 

Ambulance Services’ (NWAS) firstever 

cohort of emergency medical 

technician (EMT) staff to study the 

paramedic apprenticeship and 

complete the course. 

The BSc (Hons) Paramedic 

Science (Apprenticeship) Degree 

was launched in February 2021 in 

partnership with Cumbria University. 

As apprentices on the programme 

are EMTs, it takes them just two 

years to complete compared to 

three years for a traditional degree 

in paramedic science. 

Emergency Medical Technician 

1/Paramedic Apprentice Tom 

Wilkes, says: “The journey has 

been challenging, in a good way. 

It has been great to develop 

my clinical skills whilst growing 

individually, especially with 

putting my skills into practice 

to help patients. For me being 

a paramedic means having 

the autonomy to make critical 

decisions whilst forming part of 

the wider multidisciplinary team to 

benefit patients and colleagues.” 

All ambulance trusts in England 

are developing new paramedics 

through this apprenticeship route. 

NWAS is one of seven ambulance 

trusts that teamed up with 

Cumbria University for this exciting 

progression programme. It has 

seen around 1000 paramedics 

trained in the last two years 

nationally, significantly increasing 

the country’s paramedic workforce. 

Within NWAS, the programme 

is open to our existing EMTs 

that hold the Level 4 Associate 

Ambulance Practitioner Diploma 

to enable them to become fullyqualified 

paramedics. 

This means the highly respected 

profession is open to our 

existing workforce. They can 

continue to work as an EMT 

whilst gaining a full BSc (Hons) in 

Paramedic Practice, allowing each 

ambulance service to develop its 

staff and grow its own workforce. 

The apprenticeship offers recruits 

blended learning to allow them 

to continue their normal frontline 

roles while studying. This involves 

a mixture of classroom and online 

learning, practical sessions, 

tutorials and non-ambulance 

placements within NWAS. 

Carol Offer, NWAS Assistant Director 

Workforce and Organisational 

Development, says, “This 

apprenticeship has given our existing 

EMT staff a new pathway to develop 

their careers as paramedics. It 

also enables us to develop our 

workforce, and nurture and shape 

the talents we already have.” 

Redferd Ashcroft, NWAS Senior 

Learning Development Advisor 

who has supported all the 

cohorts on the programme so 

far, says: “I am immensely proud 

of the hard work, resilience and 

dedication displayed by all of our 

apprentice paramedics. It has 

been an absolute privilege to 

watch their skills and confidence 

grow throughout the programme. 

I look forward to seeing how they 

continue to develop within the 

paramedic profession”. 

There are now seven cohorts on 

the paramedic apprenticeship 

within NWAS, with three new 

groups starting every year. 

begin treating patients as soon as 

possible, rather than waiting for fire 

and rescue crews to bring patients 

out of the dangerous area. 

Since joining the HART team, Rae 

and Natalie have found that other 

women are now more likely to 

sign up to join them. 

Rae added: “By having a more 

diverse team means there will be 

different ideas, better problem 

solving and more innovative 

thinking when it comes to 

approaching complex jobs. 

“It’s good for women to be part 

of the team but it’s even better for 

our patients.” 

L to R - Leanne Boon, Newly Qualified Paramedic, Tom Wilkes, Apprentice Paramedic and Amy Evans, 

Newly Qualified Paramedic 



53

NEWSLINE 

WAS 

Bowls player 

reunited with offduty 

paramedic who 

saved his life 

A Newtown man who had a 

cardiac arrest while playing 

bowls has been reunited with 

the off-duty paramedic who 

saved his life. 

When Terry Dury, 73, began 

having chest pains at a bowls 

competition in Aberhafesp, it was 

the quick-thinking actions of offduty 

paramedic Sion Breese who 

helped save his life. 

Terry was in the middle of 

competing when he first started 

experiencing discomfort. When the 

match finished, he went into cardiac 

arrest only a few moments later. 

He said: “I’m usually pretty good 

at playing bowls, but my accuracy 

was all over the place. 

“I remember feeling the discomfort 

in my chest, but I just kept playing. 

“As soon as the game was 

finished, I sat down straight away, 

kicking my bowls under the chair 

and that was it. 

“I don’t remember anything else, 

but I have been told I had turned 

blue and was clutching my chest, 

thrashing about and gasping for 

air.” 

At the time, Sion Breese, 

paramedic and locality manager 

in North Powys at the Welsh 

Ambulance Service, had just 

finished his bowls game before 

being called into action. 

Sion, who only started playing 

bowls three months prior, said: 

“With the help of the bowls 

Chairman, Nick Jones, we 

managed to get Terry onto the floor. 

“I immediately assessed him and 

started giving cardiopulmonary 

resuscitation (CPR). 

“I phoned 999 and got Nick to 

locate the defibrillator and after 

one shock, Terry’s rhythm came 

back. 

“Nick was excellent in the 

situation. 

“Because I didn’t have my usual 

kit, the couple of minutes that we 

waited for Welsh Ambulances 

Service colleagues felt longer.” 

Help arrived in the form one 

emergency ambulance, a 

duty operations manager and 

community first responder from 

the Welsh Ambulance Service, 

along with colleagues from the 

Emergency Medical Retrieval and 

Transfer Service and Fire Service 

Co Responders. 

Terry said: “I recall very little of the 

journey to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, 

but I do remember them asking 

if I was allergic to anything, with 

my response being ‘I’m allergic to 

hospitals’. 

“I was transported on blue lights 

to the hospital, where they 

performed an angiogram. 

“I’m not sure how, but I had 

somehow managed to tell the 

paramedics my phone password 

so they could call my partner 

Jenny, who was able to meet us in 

the hospital.” 

other for the next game. 

“The determination he showed, 

without any equipment – just his 

knowledge saved me. 

“People like Sion who work in the 

NHS and ambulance service are 

the salt of the earth.” 

Terry remained in hospital for five 

days and has 12 weeks of rest 

before he can play bowls again, 

but that hasn’t stopped him from 

reuniting with Sion and cheering 

on his bowls team. 

Sion said: “It was great to meet 

up with Terry again, and he looked 

very healthy for someone who had 

a cardiac arrest and triple bypass. 

“I’ve also seen him supporting his 

bowls team. 

“Since the emergency, plans have 

been made to run a defib and 

CPR awareness session for all the 

bowls clubs that attend the next 

competition. 

“It will be a great opportunity to 

educate the players about the 

importance of early CPR and 

defibrillation.” 

After Terry’s angiogram, it was 

decided that he would need 

immediate intervention and was 

transported to the Broadgreen 

Liverpool Hospital to undergo a 

triple bypass. 

February marked the Welsh 

Ambulance Service’s monthlong 

Defibuary campaign, which 

is designed to educate the 

public about the importance of 

bystander CPR and defibrillation. 


The father-of-two said: “I was told 

the risk of survival was slim, but I 

remember looking at the clock in the 

theatre which read 9:45am, and the 

surgery being complete by 2:15pm. 

“I was sedated for hours and 

recovery was painful, but the 

hospital staff were fantastic. 

“If Sion hadn’t swapped his shift 

to play that day, I’m not sure what 

would have happened. 

“It was very strange as we were 

scheduled to play against each 

SCAS 

Ambulance initiative 

helping 50,000 

patients a year 

avoid emergency 

department transfers 

A pioneering initiative led by 

South Central Ambulance 

Service (SCAS) is helping more 

than 50,000 patients a year 

receive the right treatment more 

quickly - often avoiding transfer 

to emergency departments. 

54 


NEWSLINE 

Launched as a pilot in 2019 

known as urgent care pathways, it 

sees ambulance service clinicians 

take a leading role in assessing 

and treating patients in their 

homes when handling 111 or 999 

calls and determining their next 

destination for ongoing care. 

Within just two years it had 

prevented more than 30,000 

patient journeys to emergency 

departments having created more 

than 120 different healthcare 

pathways for clinicians to refer 

patients to directly. 

As a result, many of these were 

admitted directly into a specialist 

hospital service covering medical, 

surgical, paediatric, respiratory, 

frailty or mental health needs, 

transported to a treatment centre 

or referred onto a community 

service or their GP to be managed 

at home. 

The project, which is now known 

as clinical pathways and is a core 

part of the SCAS service, focuses 

on moderately unwell patients 

with medical conditions, older 

patients who are frail with chronic 

conditions who are at risk of falls, 

those with respiratory conditions 

such as COPD and asthma, 

people in mental health crises or 

children who require a specialist 

paediatric assessment. 

Ambulance staff are supported 

to assess patients at home 

and take a lead role in working 

with consultants in hospitals, 

community teams and GPs to 

determine a patient’s next steps. 

This can include referrals to 

services including hospital 

same day emergency care units 

(SDECs), urgent community 

response teams (UCRs), acute 

respiratory hubs and virtual wards, 

where patients are safely treated 

and monitored at home. 

The system proved an invaluable 

asset during the COVID-19 

pandemic for managing residents 

in care homes and avoiding the 

need for hospital admissions 

through treatment at home, 

referral to community services 

or by-passing emergency 

departments. 

It is supported by a dedicated 

online directory - SCAS Connect 

- which was developed to 

categorise all urgent care options 

available across Berkshire, 

Buckinghamshire, Hampshire 

and Oxfordshire to assist staff 

with locating clinical and support 

services and making the right 

clinical decision in the community. 

Available as a smartphone and 

tablet app, SCAS Connect has 

inclusion and exclusion criteria 

for each service, opening 

hours, contact numbers, email 

addresses, what patients they will 

or won’t see, parking locations 

for ambulances, as well as links 

to current clinical guidance to aid 

decision-making. 

Due to its success the initiative 

has been backed by NHS England 

and similar models rolled out 

across other ambulance trusts. 

“The development of our clinical 

pathways service led by a 

specialist care team has been 

a revelation in opening up more 

appropriate treatment options 

to avoid patients being taken to 

hospital emergency departments 

as the default option,” said 

Chris Jackson, Assistant Senior 

Operations Manager and Clinical 

Pathway Team lead at SCAS. 

“The creation and effectiveness of 

SCAS Connect has been integral 

to the project as it gives clinicians 

everything they need to support 

them in making the right decision 

on care for the patients they are 

sent to. If crews are working outof-area 

then they still have access 

to everything they need to make 

the right clinical decision for every 

patient they see.” 

He added: “We are now truly 

realising the potential of our 

expert mobile clinicians to ensure 

patients get the right care as 

quickly as possible while reducing 

the burden on emergency 

departments. 

“More than 50,000 patients per 

year are now benefitting from the 

collaborations between SCAS and 

our system partners to support 

patients getting to the right care 

first time every time and we 

are delighted NHS England is 

supporting the rollout of similar 

models across ambulance 

services.” 

Dr John Black, Medical Director 

at SCAS, said: “This excellent 

initiative is integral to delivering the 

right care first time every time and 

supports the delivery of care in 

the community as close to home 

as possible when it is safe and 

appropriate to do so.” 

The Hospital 

Saturday Fund Gifts 

£10,000 To Local 

Lifesaving Charity 

The Hospital Saturday Fund, 

a national charity based 

in London has gifted a 

£10,000 grant to Midlands Air 

Ambulance Charity’s advanced 

pre-hospital service. 

A £10,000 grant has been 

received by Midlands Air 

Ambulance Charity at a recent 

visit from The Hospital Saturday 

Fund to its RAF Cosford airbase 

in Shropshire. The Hospital 

Saturday Fund is a charity which 

aids registered health charities, 

hospices and other medical 

organisations who need grants 

for specific medical projects. 

The grant is for the purchase of 

much-needed surgical training 

equipment. This new training 

equipment will enable the critical 

care clinicians at the charity to 

practice their enhanced clinical 

skills and will also help towards 

future-proofing the charity’s prehospital 

emergency service. 

John Randel, Trustee of The 

Hospital Saturday Fund, said: 

“The Hospital Saturday Fund 

were delighted to award 

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity 

with a grant of £10,000. This 

grant will help fund essential 

surgical training equipment for 

its clinicians. 

“The service that the charity 

provides to the community is 

remarkable, and this advanced 

equipment will allow their team 

of highly skilled critical care 

paramedics and pre-hospital 

emergency medicine doctors to 

practice lifesaving and highrisk 

procedures. The Hospital 

Saturday Fund is pleased to be 

part of this initiative which will 

significantly increase a patient’s 

chance of survival in a real-life 

emergency.” 

Debbie Briden, grants and 

trusts manager for Midlands 

Air Ambulance Charity, added: 

“We are so grateful to the 

Hospital Saturday Fund for 

their kind £10,000 grant to 

our organisation. The new 

training equipment we can 

now purchase will be used 

regularly as part of our service’s 

commitment to continuous 

improvement as the clinicians 

practise vital advanced skills 

needed in the pre-hospital 

environment.” 

To find out more about Midlands 

Air Ambulance Charity’s vital, 

lifesaving work in your local area 

visit midlandsairambulance.com 

and follow the organisation on 

social media. 

Visit hospitalsaturdayfund.org to 

find out more about The Hospital 

Charity Fund and how it has been 

helping health charities in your 

local community since 1873. 



55

NEWSLINE 

LAS 

Brave-hearted 

paramedic honoured 

by the King 

A paramedic who has 

dedicated his career to saving 

lives – including during the 

Westminster Bridge terror 

attack in 2017 – has been 

presented with a Queen’s 

Ambulance Medal, in a 

prestigious ceremony hosted by 

His Majesty King Charles III. 

Richard Webb Stevens, a 

motorcycle paramedic from 

London Ambulance Service who 

was born with severe hearing loss, 

was nominated for the illustrious 

award during the Queen’s 

platinum Jubilee last June. 

He picked up his medal at 

Windsor Castle in a poignant 

ceremony which honoured 

his actions as first ambulance 

responder on-scene at the 

Westminster terrorist attack, as 

well as his lasting contribution to 

the deaf community. 

As he left the castle with his wife 

Marie, Richard commented: 

“Meeting the King personally 

to receive such an important 

award is something that I never 

envisaged. You hear stories 

about it, you read about it, 

but experiencing it was just 

phenomenal. 

“I was very fortunate to be 

nominated for this award and 

it’s been absolutely superb to be 

honoured in such an emotional 

ceremony.” 

On the day of the Westminster 

terrorist attack, on 22 March 

2017, Richard showed 

unparalleled bravery and devotion 

to duty when he was called 

to a road traffic incident on 

Westminster Bridge, which he 

soon realised was not a routine 

crash. 

Many people had been very badly 

injured, and Richard focused on 

assessing patients from one end 

of the bridge to the other and 

report back to the control room 

asking for backup. 

Remembering the day of the 

attack, Richard said: “22 March 

2017 is a day I will never forget, 

ever. 

“It’s a day when I had to put all my 

years of service into practice into 

one single call, but I hope I made 

a difference to people’s lives.” 

At Windsor Castle, Richard was 

also honoured for making an 

impact for the deaf community 

working in the emergency services. 

While serving in the London 

Ambulance Service Motorcycle 

Response Unit, he found the inhelmet 

earpiece used by motorbike 

paramedics to keep in contact 

while driving was incompatible 

with his hearing aid. Richard met 

with designers, audiologists and 

hearing aid companies and his 

new design has proved to be such 

a success that these updated 

communication systems have 

been taken up by police forces, 

medical professionals and military 

personnel around the world. 

Richard has been working at 

LAS for 24 years, and during 

that time he became the first 

deaf paramedic to work on 

London’s Air Ambulance. In his 

own time, he has been mentoring 

generations of paramedics with 

hearing impairments, committed 

to levelling the playing field in the 

emergency services for those with 

similar conditions to his. 

He has also striven to make it 

easier for deaf patients to make 

999 calls by supporting the launch 

of a BSL app allowing people 

with hearing or speech loss to be 

instantly connected to a video call 

with a BSL interpreter should they 

need life-saving help. 

Daniel Elkeles, Chief Executive 

at London Ambulance Service, 

commented: 

“I can think of no better person to 

be honoured for serving London. 

Richard has not only saved 

countless lives and responded 

to significant incidents in some 

very challenging circumstances, 

but also fought to make the 

emergency services more inclusive 

for all. We are very proud of him 

and for everything he has achieved 

over these 24 years with us.” 

SECAMB 

Reigate man reunited 

with lifesavers, 

encourages all to 

learn CPR 

A Reigate man has leant his 

voice to calls for everyone to 

learn CPR (cardio-pulmonary 

resuscitation) after being reunited 

with some of the ambulance 

team who help save his life. 

Michael Woolley, 80, suffered a 

cardiac arrest at his home on the 

afternoon of 14 December last 

year. His wife, Lynn, who joined 

him when he visited Banstead 

Make Ready Centre recently, 

immediately began CPR, called 

999 and followed the instructions 

of Emergency Medical Advisor, 

Barbara Trevena. 


First to arrive at the scene 

in around five minutes was 

paramedic Lucy Thomson. 

Lucy commenced advanced life 

support and began delivering 

shocks with a defibrillator to 

restart Michael’s heart, before 

being joined by paramedics, 

Tracey Little, Millie Lowe, on 

her first shift as a fully-qualified 

paramedic, and Critical Care 

Paramedic, Lee Davis. 

Together the team delivered a 

total of eight shocks to establish a 

more normal rhythm for Michael’s 

heart as the Trust’s Hazardous 

56 


NEWSLINE 

Area Response Team, (HART), 

joined them at the scene to lead 

what was a challenging exit from 

the couple’s top floor apartment. 

Michael was rushed to St 

George’s Hospital where he 

underwent an angioplasty 

procedure to open up his 

arteries. While initially given a 

further life-expectancy of just 

one to two years following his 

ordeal, Michael has since had 

an internal defibrillator fitted, 

increasing his life-expectancy by 

some five to 10 years. 

“The day of my collapse was just 

miracle after miracle”, explained 

Michael. “First the fact that I 

wasn’t on my own in the lift 

when I collapsed but instead 

in front of Lynn, then that Lynn 

began CPR so expertly directed 

by Barbara and then that 

Lucy and her colleagues were 

so quickly with us ensuring I 

received the treatment I needed. 

“Everything just fitted together 

so perfectly. I’m so lucky to 

be here and so grateful to the 

whole team for everything they 

did for me. It was very emotional 

meeting everyone but I’m so 

happy I’ve had the opportunity 

to say thank you face-to-face.” 

Emergency Medical Advisor, 

Barbara, praised Lynn’s 

calmness as she gave CPR to 

Michael ahead of Lucy’s arrival. 

“Lynn did everything right,” she 

said. “It’s so vital that CPR is 

commenced straight away to 

give any patient the best chance 

of survival. Lynn was brilliant.” 

The initial CPR and subsequent 

treatment was so beneficial, 

in fact, that hospital teams 

performed a second scan to 

check Michael’s brain when the 

first showed up so little damage 

had occurred. 

Lynn expressed her thanks to 

the clear instruction delivered 

by Barbara and added: “I will 

forever be grateful for how she 

talked me through everything 

I needed to do that day. She 

was a calming voice and I am 

so pleased to have been able to 

thank her and the whole team in 

person.” 

Lucy added: “It was a real team 

effort from start to finish. From 

the moment Lynn dialled 999 

and begun CPR so quickly. It 

was the perfect example of 

the chain of survival. We were 

all delighted to meet Michael 

and Lynn under far better 

circumstances and we’re so 

pleased to play our part in 

ensuring Michael can look ahead 

to the future and enjoy life.” 

Michael and Lynn have been 

together for more than 40 years 

and have two children, Lucia and 

Emma, who Michael is looking 

forward walking down the aisle 

next year. 

Last month, SECAmb published 

its annual cardiac arrest report 

which revealed more than threequarters 

of all resuscitations 

attempts undertaken by crews 

take place in the home. 

The report, covering April 2021 

to March 2022, also showed 

that SECAmb responded 

to 8,005 patients who had 

suffered a cardiac arrest and 

that it was viable to commence 

resuscitation of 2,788 patients. 

Of the attempted resuscitations, 

a ‘Return of Spontaneous 

Circulation’ or ROSC was 

maintained to hospital 26 per 

cent of the time, while 11 per 

cent of patients (299 people) 

were alive 30 days after their 

cardiac arrest. 

For more details visit Trust 

publishes cardiac arrest report and 

urges public to learn to save a life - 

NHS South East Coast Ambulance 

Service (secamb.nhs.uk) 

The report is available to 

download in full here: Annual- 

Cardiac-Arrest-Report-FINAL.pdf 

(secamb.nhs.uk) 

WAS 

Steve’s sleep out for 

homeless veterans 

A soldier turned Ambulance 

Care Assistant has taken part 

in a sleep out to raise money 

for homeless veterans. 

Steve Oliver, 53, took part in 

The Great Tommy Sleep Out, 

a fundraising challenge set by 

the Royal British Legion to 

raise awareness of and support 

the estimated 6,000 veterans 

experiencing homelessness. 

Steve, a former Army Sergeant, 

who toured Bosnia, Northern 

Ireland and Canada, now works 

as an Ambulance Care Assistant 

at the Welsh Ambulance Service, 

based in Bridgend. 

He said: “The Great Tommy 

Sleep Out encourages you to 

sleep out under the stars to 

fundraise for the most vulnerable 

veterans. 

“So, I set up my chair and 

sleeping bag and camped out 

for 24 hours. 

“I based myself at The Memorial 

Tommy Wall, St Anne’s in Neath 

from 10.00am Saturday until 

10.00am Sunday. 

“The challenge by no means 

replicated what some people 

experience every day. 

“But it did give me a very small 

idea of it.” 

Steve, a father of two and 

grandfather of one, was a 

member of the Armed Forces 

from 1989-2003, starting his 

career in the Royal Military 

Police, before moving into the 

Intelligence Corp and later 

becoming a Sergeant. 

He continued: “Being a veteran, I 

understand that not many people 

leave the Forces without some 

kind of scars. 

“I know that there is a very fine 

line from being where I am now to 

where others are, including those 

who find themselves homeless. 

“When I was discharged from 

the army, I found it really hard to 

adjust and suffered from mental 

health issues. 

“If it wasn’t for the support of 

the Royal British Legion and my 

family, I’m not sure what would 

have happened. 

“This was my small part to give 

back. 

“During the 24 hours, I was visited 

by over 60 members of the public, 

so I had plenty of donations and 

conversations about the Royal 

British Legion. 

“And best of all they ranged from 

10-years old to 91-years old. 

“The support I have received 

has been a truly humbling 

experience.” 

The Great Tommy Sleep Out 

continued throughout March, with 

all proceeds going to the Royal 

British Legion. 

Arwyn Thomas, Non-Emergency 

Patient Transport Service 

Operations Manager at the Welsh 

Ambulance Service, and Steve’s 

manager, said: “We are all very 

proud of Steve and his efforts to 

raise money and awareness of the 

thousands of homeless veterans. 

“Steve is ex-military and I know 

how passionate he is about this 

cause, and sleeping outside 

for 24 hours shows his sheer 

determination.” 



57

NEWSLINE 

SWASFT 

Peru trek to raise 

funds for South 

Western Ambulance 

Charity 

Thirteen intrepid people from 

Bristol, North Somerset and 

South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) 

will set off on a 28-mile (45km) 

trek along Peru’s Inca Trail in 

May to raise £10,000 for the 

South Western Ambulance 

Charity. 

The team, which includes 11 

paramedics from the South 

Western Ambulance Service NHS 

Foundation Trust (SWASFT), will 

climb as high 13,800ft (4,200m) 

on the legendary trail to the 

ancient Inca citadel of Machu 

Picchu. 

As well as tackling high mountain 

passes, they will hike through 

rainforest areas and subtropical 

vegetation in temperatures 

ranging between 30 degrees 

celsius during the day to 6 

degrees at night. 

Sponsorship from the self-funded 

adventure will go to the South 

Western Ambulance Charity to 

support the wellbeing of frontline 

crews, and the communities they 

serve, in the BNSSG area. 

The adventurers all come from the 

BNSSG area and include student 

paramedic Donna Jordan and 

paramedics Leanne Bessell, Tracy 

Jarrett, Sharon Swanborough, Abi 

Elliott, Gabriella Salmon, Dianne 

Fant, Richard Clark, Helen Field, 

Georgia Simpson, and Charlotte 

Cousins. 

Former SWASFT Emergency Care 

Assistant Vicky Turner, and Ian 

Hunt from Avon Fire & Rescue 

Service, are also in the team. 

Donna, whose idea the expedition 

was, says: “Back in August 2021, 

in the middle of the pandemic, 

thirteen of us decided to get 

together to try to raise £10,000 

for our local ambulance stations 

and colleagues as a thank you for 

everything they all do. 

“We’re funding the trip ourselves, 

getting ourselves into shape 

and training together, and we’re 

determined to complete the 

challenge. 

“I suggested trekking to Machu 

Picchu, which has been on 

my bucket list for years. I love 

history and can’t wait to walk in 

the footsteps of the people who 

created the Inca Trail hundreds of 

years ago. 

“We’d love any support you can 

offer. It doesn’t have to be much, 

as every penny will get us closer 

to our £10,000 target.” 

Zoe Larter, Head of the South 

Western Ambulance Charity, 

adds: “Our crews always go 

the extra mile but the Inca Trail 

is exceptional even by their 

standards. The money this intrepid 

team raises will go back into 

Bristol, North Somerset and South 

Gloucestershire. It will help the 

South Western Ambulance charity 

to enhance working environments, 

provide outdoor space for crew 

breaks at ambulance stations, and 

support the health and wellbeing 

of our people, who work so hard 

every day in what can often be 

stressful and challenging jobs. 

We owe a big thank you to all the 

expedition’s members and donors 

for their support.” 

SWASFT’s County Commander 

for BNSSG, Sarah Jenkins, says: 

“I am in awe of this amazing 

expedition and I wish the team 

the very best of luck. All of us 

in BNSSG are grateful for any 

funds that will be raised as part 

of this trip and we look forward to 

following their adventures”. 

Anyone who would like to support 

them can make a donation at 

https://www.justgiving.com/ 

fundraising/swast-team. 

WAS 

Welsh Ambulance 

Service appoints first 

midwife 



has appointed its first lead 

midwife to improve care for 

women, birthing people and 

their babies. 

Bethan Jones, a midwife at 

Cardiff’s University Hospital of 

Wales, has been appointed Local 

Safety Champion for Maternity 

and Neonatal Care to ensure 

58 


NEWSLINE 

women, birthing people and their 

babies receive safe and effective 

care. 

The mother-of-two will work with 

other champions in local health 

boards to standardise services 

across Wales, as well as bolster 

training for staff. 

Bethan will also explore and 

develop the opportunity for the 

ambulance service to host a 24/7 

Labour Line. 

Bethan, who was a bereavement 

counsellor prior to training as a 

midwife, said: “This is a really 

exciting opportunity to improve 

the quality of care we deliver to 

mothers, babies and their families. 

“Women, birthing people and 

babies are at the heart of this 

work, which is designed to ensure 

that they and their families get the 

highest quality of care, wherever 

they are in Wales. 

“Ambulance staff cover a 

broad range of illnesses and 

emergencies, and having an 

appointed midwife means we 

can now have a specific focus 

on maternity and neonatal care, 

and there has already been some 

fantastic work in this space. 

“Everyone at the Welsh 

Ambulance Service has been very 

welcoming, and I look forward 

to seeing the difference we can 

make.” 


won two awards at the first ever 

PROMPT (PRactical Obstetric 

Multi-Professional Training) Wales 

awards ceremony. 

Paramedic Lisa O’Sullivan, Health 

Board Clinical Lead in Cardiff 

and Vale and a PROMPT Wales 

facilitator, was named winner of 

the Partnership and Collaborative 

Award. 

Meanwhile, Consultant Paramedic 

and Interim Regional Clinical Lead 

Steve Magee was the runner-up 

in the Supporting the PROMPT 

Wales National Team category. 

In 2021, Steve led the introduction 

of cuddle pockets so that stillborn 

babies can be transported to 

hospital with compassion. 

Bethan’s secondment into the 

ambulance service is part of 

Welsh Government’s Maternity 

and Neonatal Safety Support 

Programme to improve the safety, 

experience and outcomes for 

mothers and babies in Wales. 

Maternity and neonatal champions 

have been appointed to every 

health board in Wales as part of 

a new team which reports to the 

Chief Nursing Officer for Wales, 

Sue Tranka. 

They will be supported initially 

by Improvement Cymru, the 

improvement service for NHS 

Wales, to scope and prioritise 

their focus. 

Wendy Herbert, the Welsh 

Ambulance Service’s Assistant 

Director of Quality and Nursing, 

said: “This is an important role for 

the Welsh Ambulance Service and 

I’m delighted we’ve been able to 

appoint someone as experienced 

as Bethan into the position. 

“Our staff already do a brilliant 

job when it comes to supporting 

parents and looking after babies 

but we know that having to call 

999 when you’re expecting a baby 

can be a daunting experience. 

The Local Safety Champion role 

will allow us to look closely at 

how our staff are trained and how 

we respond to maternity-related 

incidents, ultimately improving 

care for mothers, birthing people 

and babies across Wales.” 

More than half 

ambulance workers 

have witnessed a 

death to delays – 

GMB survey shows 

Exclusive poll for Channel 4 also 

shows 50 per cent of ambulance 

workers have spent their entire 

shift waiting outside A&E. 

Ambulance workers have 

witnessed a death to delays, an 

exclusive GMB survey for Channel 

4 shows. 

The findings of the poll [1], 

shown in Channel 4’s Dispatches 

programme on 9 March 2023 

reveal 

• More than 3 in 4 [76%] say 

that delays have an impact on 

patient care on a daily basis. 

• More than half of ambulance 

crew workers (52 per cent) 

have spent a whole shift waiting 

outside A&E with a patient. 

• 8 in 10 [78%] say they have 

considered leaving the service 

for a less stressful role. 

• 87% believe the hospitals they 

work with are inadequately 

staffed. 

• 65 per cent say that every day 

they deal with cases that would 

be better dealt with by care and 

mental health services. 

The programme follows 

ambulance a crew member, 

who spent three months secretly 

filming his work against the 

backdrop of the NHS’s worst ever 

winter crisis. 

The resulting documentary, 

Ambulance Undercover: NHS 

in Chaos- Dispatches vividly 

captures the disturbing reality of 

long ambulance delays, record 

A&E waiting times, and the 

consequences for patients. 

Laurence Turner, GMB Head of 

Research and Policy, said: 

“These findings are utterly 

terrifying - but chime perfectly 

with what GMB members tell us 

every day. 

“More than ten years of cuts while 

demand skyrockets and a flood 

of underpaid and demoralised 

ambulance workers leave the 

service has created a perfect 

storm. 

“Ambulance workers face a 

crushing workload, emotional 

trauma and even abuse - yet they 

had to spend months taking strike 

action before the Government 

would even talk to them about this 

year’s pay. 

“If we want horror stories like this 

to stop, we need to properly fund 

our health service - starting with 

the workforce.” 



59

COMPANY NEWS 

specialist supplier of PPE 


A new choice of 

helmet for the UK 

Ambulance sector 

Vimpex Ltd. has launched 

the all new PAB MP1 

Paramedic helmet to the 

UK Ambulance Sector 

that’s been specifically 

developed to meet the 

stringent requirement of 

NHS Ambulance trusts in 

terms of full and complete 

certification to EN 16473 

Safety Standard for Technical 

Rescue Helmets - the highest 

levels of eye protection - and 

wearer comfort and safety. 

This competitively priced and 

excellently designed product that 

features a high quality dipped antifog 

eye guard and a 100% UV 

Stable Thermoplastic Shell, and 

is supplied with a free Ambulance 

helmet bag. With high quality pad 

printed trust decal on the front, 

very clear ‘AMBULANCE’ decal 

and NHS Logo to the rear, the 

product is available from our UK 

stock and ready for immediate 

supply. The MP1 scores on all 

measures of safety, independent 

and verified safety certification, 

product availability and speed of 

supply. 

Vimpex is the established 

accessories to the NHS, 

Non-governmental and Private 

Ambulance Sector. After many 

years of reliable and consistent 

supply to the UK’s Ambulance 

sector, Vimpex’s move to a 

partnership with manufacturer 

PAB comes after an extensive 

and detailed global study of all 

suitable professional helmet 

manufacturers. The MP1 scores 

on all measures of safety, 

independent and verified safety 

certification, product availability 

and speed of supply. 

Revolutionary 

Smart Defibrillator 

Monitoring System 

to Ensure Your 

Defibrillators are 

Always Ready to Use 

Research has shown that the 

use of a defibrillator three to 

five minutes from the time of 

a cardiac arrest increases the 

chance of survival by 40%. 

Defibrillators save lives – and 

smart defibrillator monitoring 

ensures this critical 

equipment is locatable and 

in good working order in an 

emergency. 

Smart defibrillator monitoring, 

powered by Internet of Things 

(IoT) technology and Orion, The 

Real-Time Data Network TM , offers 

a solution to the challenges 

of monitoring, locating and 

maintaining defibrillators. 

Here are some of the benefits of 

smart defibrillator monitoring to 

maximise the effectiveness of 

these important devices: 

• Real-time monitoring of the 

location, status and condition 

of defibrillators and cabinets, 

including temperature, battery 

levels, location, and faults, with 

an optional internal camera for 

verification of maintenance and 

usage. The data is accessible 

remotely, providing instant alerts 

and enabling immediate action. 

• Digitally transform the 

management of your 

defibrillators. Simplify the 

maintenance, reduce the need 

for manual inspections, and 

mitigate the risk of oversight 

and human error. Continual 

condition monitoring will alert 

you when the unit needs 

maintenance. The tracking 

platform allows for constant 

location visibility and can record 

and evidence maintenance 

events and real-time status. 

• Smart defibrillator monitoring 

can be retrofitted to different 

models, making it a versatile 

and accessible technology. 

Defibrillator monitoring is a 

powerful, inexpensive solution that 

saves lives, reduces the risk of 

equipment failure, and minimises 

the need for manual inspections. 

In a cardiac emergency, 

every minute counts. Smart 

defibrillator monitoring ensures 

that defibrillators are always 

operational, allowing them to 

perform their life-saving function 

when they are needed most. 

Learn more at https:// 

smarterdefibrillator.com/. 

Celebrating 20 years 

of growth 

Bluelight UK has long-time 

been the go-to place for 

pre-owned ambulances. 

Their stock today consists 

of a multitude of front line 

emergency ambulances, 

high dependency units, 

patient transport service 

vehicles, rapid response 

vehicles, driver training 

units, wheelchair accessible 

vehicles and even paramedic 

motorcycles. 

With a brilliant reputation as a 

family owned business and a 

forward thinking, can-do attitude; 

the company has a breadth 

of knowledge in its markets. 

Customers include FTSE100 

companies, NHS Trusts, charities, 

universities, private ambulance 

60 


COMPANY NEWS 

services, surgeries, export and 

relief aid to name but a few. 

“It’s not what you know, it’s 

who you know in this industry,” 

comments Bluelight UK’s 

Managing Director, Simon Forster. 

“In my 36 years in the motor trade 

and over 25 years of specialist 

work with ambulances, I have 

met a lot of very experienced 

professionals in this industry. 

They each have immense levels 

of expertise and we’re committed 

to fostering and building upon 

these relationships. Our shared 

values and extensive knowledge 

base enables us to react and 

service issues quickly to keep 

the wheels turning with minimal 

downtime. In this industry, there 

has and will always be a need 

to service specialist vehicle 

customers with rapid turnaround. 

We pride ourselves on our ability 

to advise on project set-ups and 

will always go above and beyond 

to accommodate. Working 

closely with our partners, we 

have also developed products 

and processes which save our 

customers both time and money. 

None of this would have been 

possible without the people we 

know and work with, so thank 

you. You know who you are,” he 

feel free to get in touch.” 

If you have a vehicle which needs 

remarketing or you are looking at 

new vehicles, give the team a call 

on 01942 888800 or visit www. 

bluelightuk.co.uk to view their 

current stock. 

World-first personal 

defibrillator, 

CellAED ® available in 

the UK with CorMed- 

DX Ltd. 

Unique, innovative technology 

to save lives from sudden 


CorMed-DX Ltd have partnered 

with Rapid Response Revival ® 

as an authorised re-seller of 

CellAED ® , the world-first personal 

defibrillator, created to make AEDs 

(automated external defibrillators) 

affordable and easy to use for 

people with no medical training. 

Weighing just 300grams and 

the size of a bar of chocolate, 

CellAED ® can be carried with you 

or stored very easily. 

Sudden cardiac arrest is 

the world’s biggest cause of 

premature death, killing between 

seven and nine million people 

every year i . This is similar to 

the lives lost from all cancers 

combined. ii 

More than 80 per cent of sudden 

cardiac arrests occur in the home. 

iii 

Before now, AEDs have been 

too expensive to be a realistic 

option for the households of 

people at risk of sudden cardiac 

arrest, and too complicated to 

use. 

Rapid Response Revival ® has 

solved these problems. By 

designing a miniaturised AED that 

is easy to use, the Sydney-based 

start-up was also able to reduce 

the cost to consumers of owning 

this life-saving technology. 

“CorMed-DX are delighted to be 

working with Rapid Response 

Revival ® , out of hospital sudden 

cardiac arrests (OHSCA) are a 

time-sensitive, life threatening 

emergency that occur too often in 

the UK. Until now, public access 

AEDs have been too complicated 

for a bystander to use confidently, 

and haven’t been accessible 

enough. CellAED ® is a game 

changer and resets the clock 

when “time is everything”; we are 

100% certain that this product will 

save lives, the device is so simple 

to use, anyone can do it, even a 

child. We can’t wait to show off 

this life saving device in the UK.” 

– Craig Hall, MD and Founder of 

CorMed-DX. 

The unique CellAED ® Snap Peel 

Stick design allows the AED 

to be applied in seconds, buying 

time to save lives from sudden 


These achievements will improve 

availability of defibrillators where 

it’s needed most – in our homes, 

businesses and communities. 

Rapid defibrillation is the only 

effective treatment for sudden 

cardiac arrest. iv An AED applied 

within minutes of a sudden 

cardiac arrest buys the patient 

time until emergency services 

arrive. v 

Someone experiencing a sudden 

cardiac arrest requires rapid 

defibrillation. For every minute 

without defibrillation and CPR, the 

chances of being revived following 

a cardiac arrest drops 10 per 

cent. vi >>> 

adds. 

Despite the pandemic, Brexit, a 

recession and many other factors, 

the business continues to grow 

with more financial institutions, 

NHS Trusts, private ambulance 

services and blue chip companies 

choosing Bluelight UK for both 

remarketing and purchasing 

both new and pre-owned 

ambulances. Current projects 

include repurposing vehicles for 

mobile community surgeries, 

multi-purpose HDU vehicles and 

a massive project in Ukraine to 

supply over 290 medical units. 

Simon is immensely passionate 

about Bluelight UK. He adds: “Our 

door is always open. If you feel 

you can add value to our service, 



61

COMPANY NEWS 


“Sudden cardiac arrest has a 

survival rate of less than one 

percent. vii This is because it kills 

so quickly, and because most 

witnesses to a sudden cardiac 

arrest don’t have the skills or 

access to an AED to help save 

a life,” said Rapid Response 

Revival ® Founder and CEO, 

Donovan Casey. 

“We created our easy-to-use 

CellAED ® to make our AEDs more 

affordable, smaller, portable and 

more accessible so more people 

have access to this life-saving 

technology in those critical fi rst 

few minutes following an out-ofhospital 


“It is gratifying to know that smart, 

innovative Australian technology 

will soon be saving lives around 

the world.” 

In addition to being easy to apply, 

CellAED ® is also fully automated 

and designed to detect a 

shockable heart rhythm and 

delivers shocks when needed to 

keep a patient’s heart beating in 

the time it takes for emergency 

fi rst responders to arrive. 

CellAED ® is ground-breaking 

medical technology that 

emergency fi rst responders, 

electro-cardiologists, fi rst aid 

trainers and others dedicated to 

saving lives from sudden cardiac 

arrest have been waiting for. 

Visit the CorMed-DX website 

and social media pages for more 

information: 

Website: 

https://cormed-dx.com 

LinkedIn: 

https://www.linkedin.com/ 

company/cormed-dx/ 

Facebook: 

https://www. 

facebook.com/profile. 

php?id=100090261890853 

Twitter: 

Get in touch with the CorMed- 

DX team to discuss your 

requirements: 

General Enquiries: 

hello@cormed-dx.com 

Product Information: 

info@cormed-dx.com 

Marketing: 

a.bowe@cormed-dx.com 

MD / Founder; Craig Hall is 

available for interviews. 

Please contact 

a.bowe@cormed-dx.com for 

further details. 

About CorMed-DX 

CorMed-DX Ltd is a privately 

owned business established 

by Craig Hall in 2022 after 25 

years of experience in providing 

NHS, Emergency Services, 

and Specialist Sectors with 

Technology and Services. With 

a Global network and a proven 

track record, we have the 

knowledge and connections 

to offer leading edge solutions 

and products to meet our 

customer’s needs. Based in 

Sheffi eld, South Yorkshire, 

we are specialists in medical 

technology, sales and marketing, 

product development, tender/ 

bid management, and the large 

roll out of major equipment, 

software and training projects. 

About CellAED ® 

CellAED ® is a world-fi rst personal 

defi brillator using gamechanging 

technology developed 

by pioneering Australian medtech 

start-up, Rapid Response 

Revival ® . 

CellAED ® was created to make 

AEDs (automated external 

defi brillators) more affordable for 

households, and easy to use for 

people with no medical training. 

It addresses the problem that 

most deaths from sudden 

cardiac arrest occur in homes, 

where AEDs are currently 

unlikely to be available. 

CellAED ® ’s unique Snap Peel 

Stick design allows the 

personal defi brillator to be 

applied in seconds, buying 

time to save lives from sudden 


CellAED ® has medical device 

regulatory clearance for use 

in more than 70 countries 

worldwide, including the 

member states of the European 

Economic Union, the UK, 

Australia and New Zealand. It 

is the proprietary technology of 

Rapid Response Revival ® . 

CorMed-DX Ltd is a licensed 

CellAED ® distributor in the UK. 

About Rapid Response 

Revival ® 

Rapid Response Revival ® is 

a privately-owned Sydney, 

Australia-based start-up 

Company, established in 2017. 

Its mission is tackling the 

unacceptably low survival rate of 

out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. 

Rapid Response Revival ® 

was established by Donovan 

Casey, after his partner Sarah 

experienced a sudden cardiac 

arrest in their home. Sarah 

survived, unlike most people 

who experience out-of-hospital 


The Rapid Response Revival ® 

marquee product is CellAED ® , 

designed to make AEDs easier 

to use, easier to carry, and more 

affordable. CellAED ® represents 

the fi rst real improvements on 

AED technology in more than 

30 years and is the world-fi rst 

personal AED. 

References 

i World Health Organisation 

(WHO) – 2019 fi gures 

on deaths attributed to 

cardiovascular diseases 

(CVD) culminating in sudden 

cardiac arrest. https://www. 

who.int/en/news-room/factsheets/detail/cardiovasculardiseases-(cvds) 

ii World Health Organisation 

(WHO) – 2020 international 

fi gures on deaths attributed to 

cancer. https://www.who.int/ 

news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ 

cancer 

iii R M Norris, on behalf of 

the UK Heart Attack Study 

(UKHAS) Collaborative 

Group. Circumstances of 

out of hospital cardiac arrest 

in patients with ischaemic 

heart disease. Heart. 2005 

December, 91(12): 1537- 

1540. 

iv Kenneth G Spearpoint, 

C.Paula McLean, David A. 

Zideman. Early defi brillation 

and the chain of survival in ‘inhospital’ 

adult cardiac arrest; 

minutes count. Resuscitation. 

2000, Volume 44, Issue 3: pp 

165-169. 

v Roger A. Winkle. The 

effectiveness and cost 

effectiveness of publicaccess 

defi brillation. Clinical 

Cardiology. 2010 July, Volume 

33, Issue 7: pp 396-399. 

vi Pier D. Lambaise. 

Reinforcing the links in the 

chain of survival. Journal 

of the American College of 

Cardiology. 2017, Volume 70, 

No. 9. 

vii Mehra R. Global public 

health problem of sudden 

cardiac death. Journal of 

Electrocardiology. 2007 Nov- 

https://twitter.com/cormeddx/ 

Dec, Volume 40: pp 118-122. 

62 


COMPANY NEWS 

THE HOME OF TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION 

FOR THE EMERGENCY SERVICES 


FIND OUT MORE 

WWW.EMERGENCYTECHSHOW.COM 

CO-LOCATED WITH 


63

Seamless Synchronisation 

Hands Free Resuscitation with the 

corpuls3 and corpulscpr. 

In the Ambulance 

Emergency transport carries risk 

for the patient and the responding 

team. With synchronised therapy, 

the emergency team can remain 

seated whilst in transit. Rhythm 

control and shock delivery can be 

performed on the corpuls 3 while 

the medic is seated. 

In tight spaces 

Whether in a lift, a stairwell, or 

on tricky terrain, synchronised 

resuscitation means that therapy 

can continue where it wouldn’t 

have been possible before. Once 

in place, a medic can control the 

corpuls 3 monitor, defibrillator and 

CPR parameters of the corpuls cpr. 

In the air 

Patient access is extremely limited 

in air rescue. Thanks to the perfect 

interaction of the corpuls 3 with 

the corpuls cpr, movement within 

the cabin is reduced. Synchronised 

mechanical chest compressions 

can be given, without having to 

accept long hands-off times. 

• Shorter hands-off time. 

• Automated pre-shock compressions. 

• Can be used in manual and AED mode. 

• Increased safety & minimised interruptions. 

• Less resources required. 

• Easier operation. 

• Data transmission. 

• Post mission analysis. 

Learn more: 

Scan the QR code 

with your phone 

camera and click 

the link. 

Or visit: 

uqr.to/sync-cpr 

www.corpuls.co.uk 

www.theortusgroup.com 

Official UK supplier of corpuls and Weinmann 

medical devices and software.

Ambulance UK April 2023

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