Onscene Issue 3

THIS ISSUE: FROM OUR CEO NIKKI COOKE

Welcome to On Scene.

Welcome to On Scene. We love the opportunity to share the stories of the amazing work that is undertaken by LIVES volunteers and responders across the county of Lincolnshire. I’m not sure that everyone realises that LIVES is a Lincolnshire charity, and we only attend to patients who live in our county, including the North and North East of Lincolnshire. Many of our communities are so far from the health services so knowing that a LIVES Responder can get to you with the skills and equipment to make a difference is so important.

I hope you enjoy reading the story of Sean Dunderdale of BBC Radio Lincolnshire. I remember being interviewed by Sean live on radio a few years ago and him telling me that a LIVES Responder had saved his life and how grateful he was. We treat literally dozens of patients every day but the emails, letters, cards and stories that we get from the patients that we’ve helped, and their families remind me on a daily basis why the contribution that LIVES Responders make to our Lincolnshire communities is so important. We’re so grateful to Sean for sharing his story with us all in this edition.

You’ll also find so much information about fundraising and other activities that are going on to raise the vital funds to keep LIVES Responders on the road.

Have a look at the great opportunity to trek the Sahara in aid of LIVES. I’m doing it – and it would be great to have you with us.

NIKKI COOKE LIVES CEO

DEFIB UPDATE

Our Defibrillator Programme is well underway! We are introducing new defibrillators across our volunteers, to ensure they have the best equipment to support their lifesaving work.

Thanks to the support of our community and a number of local funders, we have been able to start equipping our volunteer Emergency First Responders, Doctors, Paramedics and Nurses with a new generation of defibrillator that has the power to transform how we respond to medical emergencies, and train for them . Due to the range of medical emergencies our Responders attend, there are two models that we aim to introduce to our kit , which share four common lifesaving features:

• Wifi Technology and Cloud Storage enables detailed information about the patient’s condition to be shared with other Responders and the hospital ahead of their arrival.

• A pressure monitor, attached to the patient’s chest provides audio and visual feedback to guide the Responder in achieving optimum pace and depth of CPR, regardless of their strength, weight or fatigue.

• Interchangeable pads allow for a swift handover to Medic Responders as they arrive on scene.

• Performance data can be reviewed after the event for review, reflection, and training.

This is a mammoth fundraising effort that will save many lives in every community across our county. If you know of local funding opportunities that could support the Programme in your area, we would love to hear from you. For more information contact us at fundraising@LIVES.org.uk

BIKER DOWN

Biker Down is a national scheme headed up by the Fire & Rescue and it’s aim is to educate bikers on the best way to keep themselves and their fellow bikers safe when on the roads. In the next few months LIVES will be supporting Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue and the Road Safety Partnership in launching this scheme across Lincolnshire.

Would you know what to do if you were the first on the scene of an accident involving a biker? Would you know who is most at risk, how to protect the area around you or whether you should remove the helmet of a downed rider?

Actions taken in the first few moments after an accident can be crucial in minimising injuries and can make a real difference to the lives of those involved. But there can be some uncertainty about what to do in these situations. The course is aimed at motorcyclists of all ages and experience and offers people the chance to learn practical skills to help avoid being involved in a crash, as well as essential first-aid training and advice on what to do should they find themselves first on the scene of a crash where someone is injured.

LIVES is proudly providing our Education expertise to this scheme and helping to provide hands on experience at events across Lincolnshire.

More information on this exciting collaboration will be shared on our social media and website, visit www.lives.org.uk/ bikerdown

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DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL 2022

An amazing day was had on Lincoln’s Brayford Waterfront for the LIVES and Ringrose Law Dragon Boat Festival 2022 on the 18th of June. The charity event comprised of 20 teams who boarded their 30-foot boats and raced their hearts out across 200m of Lincoln’s Brayford Pool, to be crowned the winners of the prestigious Dragon Boat trophy. There was plenty for the family to do, with an array of local food, drink, and entertainment stalls to keep spectators happy as they watched the race.

It was hard to miss the race with the amount of local media coverage we received. Our CEO Nikki Cooke joined BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s Scott Dalton on one of the race’s support boats and covered the day’s proceedings, Scott fancies his chances in his own boat in 2023!

This fun filled charity event comprised of individuals and businesses across Lincolnshire, including Delta-Simons, Branston Potatoes, Daniel Charles Construction and Datcom. All teams’ collective entry fees and fundraising has raised vital funds for our LIVES volunteers£15,700 and counting.

Although we had a few rain showers on the day, team enthusiasm was not dampened and the festival champions for the third-year running were Belton Construction.

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that LIVES are partnering up again with Ringrose Law on the 17th of June 2023 to race the dragon, what are you waiting for, sign up today at https://www.lives.org. uk/support-us/events/

EMERGENCY READY and FUTURE LIFESAVERS

Making a 999 call in an emergency can be very daunting but put yourself in the shoes of a child who is faced with a parent or loved one needing help and having to make the 999 call.

That’s why at LIVES we are passionate about educating young people on how to deal with an emergency, and the steps they would need to take to help someone. As part of LIVES ‘School CPR’ workshops, we cover the following topics:

• How to identify an unresponsive casualty

• How and when to make an emergency 999 call

• How to perform CPR

• What is a defibrillator

• The recovery position

The workshops are fun, engaging, and educational, everyone will leave the session gaining a confidence in knowing what to do if faced with a medical emergency.

LIVES Expert Training offer a one-day Emergency Paediatric First Aid course which is suitable for anyone who has a child in their care at any time and to learn key paediatric first aid skills, such as baby CPR and child CPR and what to do if a child is choking.

INTERVIEW with SEAN DUNDERDALE

Lincolnshire BBC Breakfast Presenter

Sean Dunderdale shared his story with us, from his day job to how LIVES helped him, when he needed it most.

Sean, as an experienced Radio Presenter and anchor of the popular BBC Lincolnshire Breakfast Show, we would love to know, how did you get into the world of radio?

By accident really! I’m from Scunthorpe, so Lincolnshire born and bred. We went to a summer fair when I was 13 and my local radio station was broadcasting there, I was just watching, and someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I fancied taking part in the quiz, hopelessly came last, but I got a buzz,”thinking this is exciting!” I got offered my first radio job at BBC Radio Humberside when I was 14, but they thought I was older. Once I told them my real age, they

suggested hospital radio and advised I try journalism.

35 years later, I’m still involved and doing PR for Scunthorpe Hospital Radio! I started as journalist at Lincs FM in 1992, so this is my 30th year of broadcasting to Lincolnshire. I later became a presenter and the wider groups Director of Programming, and in 2020, left to pursue my true love - being breakfast presenter of my own daily show on BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

How have you transitioned to the BBC?

Well, you would need to ask them! It’s an honour getting to wake up the county each day on my BBC Radio Lincolnshire show. It was a special privilege being accepted into their homes during the COVID lockdowns and being seen as a trusted friend who gave them helpful information but also, I hope, put a smile on their face and a bit of distraction from what was happening in the world during that difficult time.

Have you heard of LIVES before?

Sean telling his story to our Communications Manager Karla

I have indeed, it was originally through my job, but I have more of personal relationship towards LIVES because I am a LIVES patient, you saved my life!

Can you tell us more about this?

Of course, It happened several years ago. I had been experiencing a few breathing difficulties which my doctor was looking into, we originally thought it might be asthma. After a few weeks of these symptoms, one Sunday afternoon, I felt extremely rough so I thought I would take myself off to bed to rest. I really couldn’t breathe; I reached out to open the window and collapsed. The next thing I remember was waking up with a LIVES First Responder at my bedside. They arrived incredibly quickly, I had stopped breathing and turned blue, the LIVES Responder worked on me and brought me round. I do think the reason I’m still here today is due to LIVES reaching me so quickly, the doctor said I shouldn’t have made it. Having all these volunteers around the county, selflessly giving their time, is the difference between life and death. I got taken to hospital, where the doctor diagnosed with me with a pulmonary embolism. The blood clot had been affecting my breathing, but because I seemed in good health apart from the suspected asthma, I had never had any further testing. I spent the next few months recovering in hospital, I couldn’t thank the teams that saved me enough!

After your health scare do you see life in a different light?

I do, I tend not to worry about the small things anymore, and I find I’m a lot less stressed. BBC Breakfast is great as I get to enjoy these wonderful sunny afternoons and spend more quality time with my husband Daniel, and Mitzee, our Cavapoo.

Lastly, what is the one thing most people don’t know about you?

I once had a goat named after me! After

SHARE YOUR STORY

If you have a LIVES story you would like to share contact kmckeever@lives.org.uk

Right: Breakfast host Sean Dunderdale

Our Community Emergency Medicine Service (CEMS) teams respond to 999 medical emergency calls right across Lincolnshire. Unlike many of our other response teams, our Community Emergency Medicine teams are employed professionals, not volunteers. They’re dispatched through the Emergency Operations Centre in a similar way to other ambulances resources and respond to patients in specially equipped vehicles.

fractures, perform life-saving interventions and support care at the end-of-life.

The CEMS medical team by experienced doctors, advanced clinical practitioners, paramedics, and nurses who deliver enhanced care above a standard ambulance or GP surgery, effectively taking elements of the hospital to the patient’s side. The team performs thorough medical examinations and carries out a number of procedures and investigations such as ultrasound scans and blood tests, prescribe medicines and refer to other services.

They respond to a full range of trauma and medical emergencies across all age groups, can close (stitch) wounds, manage complex conditions such as asthma, diabetes and

The team work closely with East Midlands Ambulance Service to deliver additional skills and treatments in the community, aiming to avoid a trip to hospital or provide specialist on-scene support to individuals seriously ill or injured, or requiring transport to hospital. They also work alongside colleagues from the Falls Response team, to provide additional onscene support to enhance patient care in the community and provide a safe discharge.

The CEMS medical team are passionate and proud of the service they provide to the communities of Lincolnshire. By combining medical expertise and the latest technology, they deliver hospital standards of care in the community, reducing the need for ambulances and empowers patients to take charge of their own health by working with other services. Wherever there is a medical need, CEMS medical team have the experience, equipment, and resources to respond.

COMMUNITY EMERGENCY MEDICINE www.lives.org.uk/what-we-do/cems

FALLS RESPONSE

The Falls Response team provide trained Emergency Response to people in the community who have fallen and require assistance. With 1 in 3 people over 65 years sustaining at least one fall each year, and half of falls occurring in over 80’s, the Falls Response team provide a timely and skilled response across Lincolnshire. The teams are dispatched in the same way as their medical colleagues, through the Ambulance Operations Centre and deploy to scenes in specially adapted vehicles, carrying a range of moving and handling equipment on board

Working closely with their colleagues from the CEMS medical team, they are able to undertake heart monitoring and arrange for medical support. Importantly, the Fall’s Responders provide vital reassurance to the individual who has fallen. The impact and consequences of a fall are often far reaching beyond the physical injury. Loss of confidence, anxiety, social isolation and loss of confidence are frequently reported by elderly people

www.lives.org.uk/what-we-do/fallsresponse-unit

who have fallen. That’s why Falls Responders have the time to listen, provide emotional and practical support, and perform a social and medical assessment to identify further care needs.

That’s why, when a 999 call comes in, one of our Fall’s Response teams will be on the scene quickly to provide reassurance, an expert assessment, and remobilisation. In the majority of cases, patients are able to be discharged on scene without requiring ambulance assistance, or where needed can arrange for emergency medical support.

THANK YOU

The support we receive from our communities enables us to be there for the next 999 medical emergency, here are some of our fundraisers that have recently supported LIVES.

The Goldwing Society raised £3000 from their annual candle light procession in Skegness. We are pleased to say that they have chosen to support us again this year as well.

If you support LIVES get in touch at fundraising@LIVES.org.uk

Cards and More, Spalding have beenamazing supporters of LIVES by hostinga collection tin and have raised over £100so far this year!

Lincoln Man v Fat hosted a charity football match in May and raised an amazing £1000

£4000 as part of their annualgifting to charity. Some of the LIVES team had the privilege of attending a presentation dayat RAF Scampton and got to see an incredible display performed by the RAF Red Arrows.

Donation Form

Our army of community-based volunteer responders give up their spare time for free, to help people in Lincolnshire in their time of need. Every year, LIVES responders attend thousands of medical emergencies, including car accidents, heart attacks and stroke. Our responders’ actions literally save lives, delivering vital immediate medical care in those critical first moments of an accident or emergency.

If you’d like to make a regular donation to LIVES and join our Friends of LIVES programme, please complete your details below and post back to the address at the bottom of the form, alternatively you can make a one-off donate on our website at www.LIVES.org.uk/donate

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LIVES, Units 5 -8 Birch Court, Spratt Close, Boston Road Industrial Estate, Horncastle, Lincolnshire Registered Charity No. 1098364 We will send you a confirmation letter of your donation within 10 days of receiving your completed form. For any queries, please call 01507 525999.

Thank you for your support.

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We’ve saved many lives, together we can save more. Your support is helping save lives and will make a real difference.