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YourCall
ISSUE 08 Winter 2019
Communicating through sign Sleeping rough on the streets
Leading through quality and innovation www.nwas.nhs.uk
Welcome to the winter edition of Your Call
“Where’s the year gone?” is something we’ve heard being whispered around our offices and stations this month. We think it might have a little something to do with how action-packed 2019 has been! Being shortlisted for a National Television Award, a TV Choice Award and winning two Royal Television Society Awards for our BBC One Ambulance documentary series.
We’re excited to share with you our final edition of Your Call for 2019 as we’ve got some really gripping life stories for you. In this issue, we shed light on homelessness which is a difficult circumstance for anyone to find themselves in, particularly this time of year as the weather conditions plummet and get tougher. We share a colleague’s experience of sleeping rough on the streets for a night.
Big changes to our Executive Team including a brand new chief executive, chairman, director of finance and medical director as well as welcoming a number of new non-executive directors.
As we look forward to 2020, we’ve got some exciting news inside including our commitment to breaking down barriers to communication on pages 16 and 17.
We introduced urgent care nurse practitioners to respond to patients who have called 999 for the first time ever.
Finally, we’d like to wish all of our readers a very merry Christmas and happy New Year. Please spare a thought for our dedicated frontline colleagues who are on the road and in our call centres as they work tirelessly throughout this period, which is our busiest time of year, whilst most get to spend time with loved ones. Please think about making the right call – 999 is for life-threatening emergencies. There are other actions you can take if it is less urgent such as calling NHS 111, visiting 111.nhs.uk, booking an appointment with your GP or visiting your local pharmacy.
Just a few highlights include:
We launched a new website which is much more friendly and easy for you to access. We held five events across the region to engage with you, our local communities – which were so successful and will now become an annual occurrence. We created a new Public and Patient Panel for you to have your say. We moved our Cheshire and Merseyside regional office across Liverpool from Anfield to Speke – and that just scratches the surface!
Best wishes
Communications and Engagement Team communications@nwas.nhs.uk
Our shared values Working Together for Patients
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Respect and Dignity
Everyone Counts
Commitment to Quality of Care
Compassion
Improving Lives
A campaign close to my heart;
“Be Aware for Clare”
A tragic accident took place at the start of this year in Speke, Liverpool in which a young cyclist was fatally injured in a collision with three cars. The victim and mum-of-two, Clare Killey was a family friend of one of our paramedics, Frank Allen. We met with Frank recently to talk to him about Clare’s accident and about the brave tribute her children, Anabel and James, have created to keep her name alive by campaigning for the roads of Britain to be safer for cyclists. Cycling is a passion for Frank, his family and their friends; his son Joe was very close friends with Clare and her husband Peter and all three of them bonded through the sport. Frank said: “That night I’d been in work and heard about the accident. I text my son to see if he was home safe as he often goes out cycling with his mates. He answered and I was content he was okay. “My son sent a message on his cyclist group on WhatsApp about the accident and his mate Peter rang him to say he was out looking for his wife Clare with the kids. Whilst Peter was out looking for Clare, he came across the scene of the accident and instantly recognised Clare’s bike. He was told there and then by police that she had been fatally injured. “It was a devastatingly terrible time for Peter and the kids but what was remarkable was the actions of Clare’s children in the days to follow her death. Her 11-year-old daughter, Anabel and 10-year-old son, James insisted on riding their bikes to school just days after their mum’s accident. Anabel drew a poignant warning sign picture in tribute to her mum, with an illustration of a bike and a woman, which simply read ‘Be aware for Clare’.”
Frank continued: “It was so inspiring seeing the strength of Anabel and James turning their loss into a lasting legacy for their mum.” Clare’s death was described by her husband Peter as a ‘freak accident’ and one which not only took the life of Clare but also of her fellow cyclist and friend Tony, who was also seriously injured in the incident and sadly passed away in hospital. Clare’s husband and children are avid cyclists. Whilst cycling will never be the same for them, they are still embracing their hobby and go out regularly. Through the campaign they are asking people to help keep cyclists safe and asking cyclists to stay safe by: • Giving cyclists more room on the roads • Sticking to speed limits • Taking care on country lanes • Asking cyclists to make sure they are well lit in the dark when cycling
With the poster, Anabel and James launched their campaign which went viral overnight and received support from friends, family and some famous faces, including ex-footballers Jamie Carragher, Robbie Fowler and Steven Gerrard who all shared it on social media. #YourCall
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20 years of community first responder volunteers It’s been 20 years since the first volunteers were trained to respond to patients in life-threatening emergencies in their communities, providing help before the ambulance arrives. To recognise the incredible contribution of community first responders, we invited volunteers to join us for an educational conference and celebration evening in October.
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Then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock sent a special thank you message which was played at the conference. He said: “Your actions make all the difference and I want to say a huge thank you not only from me but from the countless lives you save and the people you help.” Speaking to guests on the day, former ambulance employee Steve Lane, who set up the responder scheme in Lancashire after concerns about ambulance responses in rural areas, said: “I clearly remember organising a public meeting with a small group of concerned residents to talk about training in basic life support skills. I expected to be faced with concerns and criticism about the long response times, but was pleasantly surprised to find that those present were eager to discuss ways they could help themselves prior to the arrival of an ambulance.”
walk in the rain, snow and ice, to a box on the wall that housed the team’s response bags. There he placed a hot water bottle to keep the defibrillator warm so it was always rescue ready. Ian’s wife and son joined us at the event to collect the special award. Mike Olley was recognised with a silver award for his dedication; being available to respond Monday to Friday, from 7am to 6pm without fail. At Christmas he was known to take minimal downtime to enjoy his turkey dinner then go back on duty! Mike even installed a defibrillator on the outside of his own house and trained his neighbours in basic life support skills. Sadly, just weeks after the event Mike died suddenly, leaving responders in Rainford and beyond heartbroken. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and colleagues.
Since 1999, the responder network has gone from strength to strength with 870 volunteers ready to spring into action when the need arises. In the last year alone, community first responders have helped almost 14,000 patients in the North West. Responders have also helped the ambulance service lobby government for changes to education which will come into effect from next year and will see children learn how to help in emergencies. ITV journalist Paul Crone led the evening celebrations, describing the work of responders as ‘humbling and honourable’ before he presented awards to people who were nominated by their peers to receive awards. One such award was given out posthumously to Ian Addison who for many years, would
A 20 year review brochure and details of people who received remarkable responder awards are available on our website www. nwas.nhs.uk. We would like to thank the following companies who jointly sponsored the entire event: Sliders UK, Stryker, The Defib Shop, SP Services, Mangar Health, Physio Control, Well Medical and Zoll Public Safety.
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Exciting times ahead for our Patient and Public Panel members Over 40 people are having their say on our service as part of our newly established Patient and Public Panel. Our panel enables you, our patients and members of the public, to get involved in what we do and influence how we plan and deliver our services. We’d like to welcome you to join us at one of our taster sessions in the new year. By attending one of these sessions, you’ll get to find out more about what we do, how the panel works and you’ll get the opportunity to visit our sites such
as an emergency operations centre where 999 calls are handled. Taster events will be held in locations across the North West so there’s plenty of opportunity to get involved and have your say. For more information about a taster session near you, email; patient.panel@nwas.nhs.uk or call; 01204 498428. You can also submit an expression of interest via our website; www.nwas.nhs.uk/panel.
#HelpUsFindYou this Christmas This Christmas we are urging people to make their house numbers visible so that paramedics, as well as Santa Claus, can find them when it matters most.
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a better chance of full recovery the quicker they receive treatment.
Vital minutes in an emergency can by lost when ambulance crews are looking for houses in the dark and, in life-threatening emergencies, minutes can mean the difference between life and death.
To help the ambulance service find you, check your house number is visible from the road in the dark, switch on outside lights, make sure there are no bushes or fences blocking the view and that it is noticeable when cars and vans park outside and, if your house has a name, display the number as well.
In cases of sudden cardiac arrest, the likelihood of surviving decreases by 10% with every minute that passes without defibrillation and, thanks to the NHS’ Act FAST campaign, it’s well known that people who have experienced a stroke have
Santa Claus paid a special visit to Manchester’s Emergency Operations Centre to talk tactics with ambulance staff about how best to find houses and what people can do to help. Follow #HelpUsFindYou to find out more.
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Living with epilepsy Mum-of-three Camille Hartshorn from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire talks to Your Call magazine about her experience of living with epilepsy; from being first diagnosed at an early age to becoming a mum and her life being saved by her son!
Diagnosis
Camille was just six when she was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. The tell-tale signs subtly appeared as she experienced minor hand and leg fits coupled with staring into space. “The first warning signs gradually progressed and I started to wet myself. I would slip in and out of a daze – the evenings were the worst. “Diagnosis 29 years ago wasn’t plain sailing at first. My mum would take me to the medical professionals in the day and they’d see me as a typical child that was healthy. She’d tell them about my fitting but they couldn’t see it. “My mum could see each seizure was having a big impact on the functioning of my brain and pleaded with doctors to let me stay overnight on a ward so they could witness them. They agreed and that is how I got my diagnosis.”
Life-saver son
Camille has been on anti-epileptic drugs since the day she was diagnosed and her seizures are showing no signs of slowing down. Recently she suffered a serious epileptic seizure at home on her own with her children. Her 6-year-old son Harry saved her life. Camille’s husband was at work and her sevenmonth-old baby, Jason was asleep in his cot when she had her seizure. Quick thinking Harry managed to phone his dad on his mum’s mobile to get help.
Talking about the day, Camille said: “When the paramedics arrived at our house, Harry managed to stand on a stool to let them in so that they could give urgent treatment to me. “I am so proud of my boy. We are taking our children’s learning to the next level and teaching them when to call 999, so that if it happens again, they are one step ahead of the game.”
Warning signs
Camille knows when she is about to have a seizure as she gets warning signs, which can be different in different people. Camille gets a fluttering feeling in waves down her arm until the seizure comes and then they pass. “When I am in a seizure I can hear what people are saying and I can hear noises, but I can’t speak or move. I can’t feel my arms or legs and feel like I have weights in my body. I make noises with my mouth but I struggle to breath. “I do get frustrated at times with living with epilepsy; I can’t drive and I have to take the bus everywhere. Life with three children would be so much easier if I could drive! On the flip side, I am so very lucky that I have safely been able to have my children with this condition and I don’t take a day with them for granted.”
Resources to help if you are living with epilepsy
There is help and support available to you if you are living with epilepsy to help you in your life visit: epilepsysociety.org.uk. #YourCall
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My son’s spirit lives on in the work I do Since joining the team at NHS 111, Pam’s colleagues have assisted in her efforts to raise money for the charity that helped Tyler to carry out his end of life bucket list and adapt his family home so he could spend his last days with his family and his beloved cats. The Joshua Wilson Brain Tumour Charity helps families living with childhood brain tumours and post-surgery disabilities. Pam, a former beautician, first met the charity’s founder Dawn when their sons were in hospital at the same time having brain surgery.
It was Tyler’s first birthday when his family received the devastating news that he had a brain tumour. We spoke to his mum Pam, a health advisor at NHS 111, who has spent the last two years since he died raising money to help other families like hers. “Tyler was always so happy. If it wasn’t for his little bald head running around the place, you would never have known he was ill,” explained Pam, who started working for NHS 111 last year after deciding it would have made her son proud of her.
Pam explained: “When Tyler had his first operation we were in the bed next to Josh and his mum. Dawn said some words to me that have stayed with me forever. She said there is only so much of our boys’ brains that can be removed until they are not little boys anymore. So, we decided at that moment that we wanted to have quality years with Tyler, not necessarily a higher quantity of years. I think that was the first charitable act Dawn did for us. I am so grateful to the charity for all they did for us, now it’s my time to help others at the worst time in their lives.” To find out more about the charity, visit joshwilson.org.uk.
“He was a kind boy and always wanted to help others. He was the type of child that looked out for smaller children at school and held doors open for teachers. “Tyler was 14 when he died and I decided then that the NHS was where I was meant to be. I think he would have been proud of me helping others like he always wanted to.”
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Feature article
“It’s about being open to learning and testing change.” Committed to learning through listening, we caught up with our Director of Quality, Innovation and Improvement Maxine Power to talk all things improvement. Born and bred in Bolton, Maxine began her career in the NHS 30 years ago as a speech therapist in Wigan. After developing her clinical skills for ten years in this field, Maxine undertook a research position at Salford Royal Hospital. Always grabbing opportunities with both hands, Maxine has taken on various ambitious challenges throughout her career. Maxine worked with partners in Salford to set up an NHS improvement agency called Haelo. The agency worked to support organisations to improve using innovative techniques. In October 2017, she was successful in becoming NWAS’ director of quality, innovation and improvement, a role focused on looking at ways the trust can do better for our patients.
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With a key challenge being hospital handover delays, Maxine and her team set up the ‘Every Minute Matters’ initiative. This was a collaboration with six key hospitals working together to release ambulance clinicians off the corridor so that they can get back into the community as quickly as possible.
Praising the commitment and passion of staff, believing that they are the true drivers of change, Maxine says: “It’s about being open to testing and learning and being open to failure. Ideas might not work first time, or the second time, but everyone should feel empowered to solve the problems that affect them.”
By working together and sharing ideas of best practice, the results have been incredible and collectively they have been able to reduce hospital handover times from an average of 41 minutes to 33 minutes. The project has now been expanded to include an additional eight hospitals. Maxine says: “My motivation is always about listening to patients. Not just when they have the courage to speak up, but sometimes when they don’t. Deep down in my heart I know that it’s for them that we have to do better. “To achieve our organisational goal to be the best ambulance service in the country, we have to look at where the gaps are. For me, quality improvement is the method we use to close those gaps.” #YourCall
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Feature article
Sleeping rough It’s a crisis which is getting worse in Britain with 320,000 people being homeless last year according to national homeless charity, Shelter. The charity has recently revealed that this year, at least 135,000 children will be homeless and living in temporary accommodation across Britain on Christmas day – the highest number for 12 years. It is a crisis that Phillipa Joynson, Regional Health desk Co-ordinator cares passionately about. On Thursday 28 November 2019, Phillipa joined 80 other people in Greater Manchester to do a sponsored ‘sleep out’ for Centre Point – a charity who helps young people who are homeless. Phillipa shares her experience below. “You never really fully prepare yourself for what it is going to be like. I went armed with layers of clothing; thermals, four layers on top and two pair of pants and socks and it wasn’t enough – the cold was unbearable. “We started the night off walking the streets of Manchester until 10pm. I didn’t do my sleep out with my friends or family which magnified how isolating sleeping rough could be. “After we had walked the streets we headed back to the Old Victoria Baths for some shelter and we set up our sleeping bags on the hard, cold tiled floor.
ONE IN 47 CHILDREN in Manchester is now homeless making the city the thirds worst outside of London.*
sleeping on a cold hard floor with just a sleeping bag would have on my body. My back went into spasm as we had no pillow and my muscles were frozen solid - it was agony. It gave me massive insight into what homeless people experience; I was freezing, hungry, thirsty, tired, in pain, uncomfortable and I started to feel really dirty sleeping on the floor. I kept thinking about all of the people who this is a reality for. “The next day I was free to go at 6am and I was so grateful somebody was picking me up in a heated car and taking me to my warm home and my comfortable bed. I could just about bear the conditions with a shelter but not many homeless people get that. If you added getting wet to the mix, I wouldn’t have been able to cope, yet there are people out there that do this day in and day out - it can be fatal.” Phillipa was one of the highest achieving fundraisers raising £1140 for her sleep out event, with everybody involved that night raising £65,000. This will go towards providing safe, warm shelter, education, counselling sessions and much more for people as young as fourteen who are homeless. Well done Phillipa!
“Even though we had shelter we weren’t prepared for the night we had ahead. The temperature was brutal. We had a big thermometer above our heads so we could see just how cold it was, it started at three degrees which dropped through the night to minus one degree. We weren’t allowed food or drink only the bits that the charity gave us. “The thing I struggled with the most and I didn’t think about beforehand was the impact of 12
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*According to statistics released by homeless charity, Shelter.
Conversation starters with you We embarked on an exciting tour of events across the North West this year to hear what you think about the work that we do. We visited Cheshire, Lancashire, Cumbria, Merseyside and Manchester; inviting members of the public to meet us and get involved. We met 250 people collectively who all got the opportunity to meet stars from the BBC One documentary series Ambulance and learn more about our emergency, 111 and patient transport services. The events were interactive and provided the perfect opportunity to share personal experiences through a range of interactive activities involving pasta, pompoms and post it notes! We will be taking the feedback from the events forward to see how we can make future improvements. Common themes include ensuring our services are accessible to all and helping people get a better understand of the services that we provide. This feedback has been shared with those that attended and can also be viewed on our website at nwas.nhs.uk. These events are just the start of a conversation we want to have with you. We will be holding further community engagement events in 2020, which will be promoted through our social channels. #YourCall
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Advertisement from a sponsor of our #CFR20 event
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NWAS is not responsible or liable for any purchases made to defibshop
Over the last couple of months we have been giving you a behind the scenes look at the NHS 111 service we provide on our social media channels, giving you the chance to meet some of the people that take your calls every day. We have featured staff based across our three contact centres in the North West including service advisors, health advisors, clinical advisors, mental health clinicians, team managers and clinical governance.
go online at 111.nhs.uk where you can answer questions about your symptoms. You may feel some of these questions may not fit your symptoms, but they are designed to rule out anything serious or life threatening early on. Depending on the situation you will • get self-care advice • be provided with details of local services that can help you (including emergency dentists)
Senior Clinical Advisor Neil joined 111 after spending 10 years as a paramedic on the road. Service Advisor, Sykub was inspired to join the #WeAre111 team because he was passionate about being able to help others. 111 Senior Clinical Advisor Karen dressed up in her beloved uniform from age four - the Liverpool based nurse felt her calling to the profession from as young as she can remember.
• be connected to a trained health advisor or relevant healthcare professional such as a nurse, paramedic or pharmacist
To find out more about the team check out our recent #WeAre111 posts on our Facebook, Twitter and web page!
NHS 111 receives an average 1.7 million calls per year, which is 30-35,000 calls a week, 5,000 per day, or 200 calls every hour, with even more at the weekends.
How NHS 111 works NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to offer help if you have an urgent medical problem and you’re not sure what to do. You can call 111 free from a landline or mobile and speak to a fully trained adviser where you can ask for a translator if you need one. Alternatively, you can
• have an ambulance arranged for you if, following the initial assessment, you are in need of emergency care
NHS 111 - Did you know?
NWAS is the largest provider of the NHS 111 service nationally, both in terms of population covered and calls received. If you call 111 and it’s determined that you need an emergency ambulance, the team can arrange one directly – it won’t delay the help.
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Feature article
We’ll be signing and singing with you Christian! How would you feel if you lived in a world where you couldn’t communicate? This was a reality for four-year-old Christian, from Heywood in Rochdale, until his big sister became determined to make the world a more inclusive place. Christian was born not breathing and needed 24 minutes of resuscitation, which meant his brain was starved of oxygen. As a result, he suffered a brain injury which led him to develop cerebral palsy and to become partially sighted and unable to communicate. His mum Diane was told he would never walk or talk and would have a poor quality of life but with the help of his sister Jade, Christian is proving them wrong. Jade, 18, enrolled on a course to learn British Sign Language (BSL) and began to teach her little brother how to communicate using Makaton, a form of sign language that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate. Jade, who is studying to be a teacher for children with disabilities, set up an online channel ‘Sign Along With Us’ and uploads videos of her and Christian signing new words such as ‘cat’ and ‘dog’ as she wanted their family and friends to be able to communicate with Christian. She shares these videos on their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts as well as videos of them sign-singing to some of their favourite songs.
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Since its creation, they have become social media stars with their videos getting millions of views due to the way they are championing sign language to the world and the incredible bond they share. Jade says: “Christian would watch Mr Tumble, who famously uses Makaton, on repeat and wouldn’t watch any other programme - he loved it. I started thinking that maybe if we used this at home we could communicate with Christian. I booked a course in British Sign Language and started learning Makaton alongside it. “I started to talk to Christian using sign language and because of his visual impairment I would do the signs hand on hand with him to help his learning. He loved it and would constantly smile when I did it but he wouldn’t do it himself.
“Sign-singing has been a fun and engaging way for Christian to learn and I wanted to bring it to my local community. My dream is for Christian to grow up in a world in which he can speak to whoever he wants where everybody has a basic understanding of sign language.” You can watch Jade and Christian and their inspirational videos on Facebook: @signalongwithus, Twitter: @ signalongwithus, Instagram: @sign_ along_with_us.
“It took me 18 months of signing with him every day before he started doing it and he now signs every day – he has even started to talk to us. I am determined to make a difference to Christian’s life, he keeps on growing and learning every day and we are so proud of him.” Jade has also integrated Christian’s love for music and has set up a group in her local community where she teaches how to sign along to different songs. “The response I’ve had on social media has been massive as there are so many more people out there who want to learn how to sign.
What we say about signing Your Call caught up with Patient Engagement Manager Yunus Mogra on the importance of BSL and our plans for the future.
“Jade and Christian caught our eye when we were in the midst of holding a series of unique community engagement events across the North West – their story is so powerful and inspiring. “Speaking to different community group members and hearing their feedback at our recent events, it’s clear how important BSL is to our community members who use it. If everybody learns a couple of words, it breaks down barriers that may exist. We want to enable our staff to communicate through basic BSL. “In 2020 we will be planning a programme to train our staff in basic BSL. We know this is something Jade and her mum were so pleased to hear when we met up with them.” #YourCall
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A taste of
Christmas
It’s the therapeutic effect of gardening, and then picking and making something good from the fruit and veg you’ve grown yourself, that makes whipping up batches of festive chutney a must for Head of Communications and Engagement Julie Treharne at this time of year. “I’ve been making chutneys, jams and fruit gins since we moved to our home four years ago. The garden had quite a few old fruit trees and a neglected veg patch which was a thicket of brambles and nettles. Once I’d cleared it, it felt only right to have a go at growing things myself. “I started off with simple things like onions, garlic, lettuce and leeks but now I try all different things. I’ve planted some cranberry and blueberry bushes and a small rhubarb patch and regularly grow different types of tomato. As a result, I have more produce than my family and friends could possibly eat, so I convert it into jams and chutneys as well as bottling and freezing it. “Over the season I accumulate a lot of jars so give them to friends and family as well as local fundraising and community events. It is therapeutic to me and because I know it’s almost all from my garden, I believe it’s good, healthy food that’s been grown quite naturally without any chemical additives. “The cranberry and tomato chutney is sweeter than most I make and they’re a great combination. Although there are onions in it, there is also cider vinegar which is not as acidic as others and brings a hint of sweetness. It’s delicious with cheese, cold meats or in a sandwich with leftover turkey, stilton or ham at this time of year.”
Cranberry and Tomato Chutney Ingredients
(Makes about 2 x 400g jars)
400g fresh cranberries 400g cherry tomatoes 75g dried cranberries or sultanas 1 finely chopped small red onion ½ tsp salt 100ml water ½ tsp ground black pepper ½ tsp ginger ½ tsp allspice 200g light muscovado sugar 100ml cider vinegar
Method
Put the fresh cranberries and the cherry tomatoes along with the dried cranberries or sultanas, the red onion, ½ tsp salt and 100ml water into a large heavy based pan. Heat gently then simmer for 15 minutes until the cranberries burst and release their juices. Stir in ½ tsp each of ground black pepper, ginger and allspice, the light muscovado sugar and the cider vinegar. Gently simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and pulpy. Put into sterilised jars and it is ready to use.
Julie’s top tips
“If you use larger tomatoes, remove the skins by soaking in boiling water for a couple of minutes. You don’t need to do this with cherry tomatoes as their skins are so thin, they don’t spoil the chutney. “I’ve found it’s perfectly good stored for a year if unopened in a cupboard or store. In addition to sterilising the jars, I also use wax discs on top of the poured in chutney as this adds to the keep time. Once it’s opened I always keep mine in the fridge.”
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“His voice kept us going to save mum’s life” Our emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) take thousands of 999 calls each year, yet they rarely get to find out what happened to the patients they’ve helped. When we were contacted by Michala Kellard and her family to ask if they could meet the call handler who saved her mum’s life, we knew it would make the day of one of our EMDs. Rewind back to Sunday 6 October and EMD Stephen McClusky was on shift in our Emergency Operations Centre in Broughton, Preston. He took a call from Michala, from Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, as her mum Heather had stopped breathing.
Stephen’s story
“I remember Michala and her dad Michael were extremely distressed when they first rang, which is natural as Heather was in a critical condition. At that moment I knew I had to take control as she was suffering a cardiac arrest. My priority was to get the compressions going. Luckily there was a defibrillator close to Michala’s parent’s house which I gave instructions on where to find it. Michala dashed to get it whilst Michael started the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
“I dialled 999 and started to tell the man at the end of the phone, who I now know was Stephen, what was happening. Mum made a large gasping sound and I just knew what was happening. Stephen told me that there was a defibrillator close by so I gave my dad my phone whilst I frantically got the defibrillator so that he could continue with the chest compressions. When I got back I could see my dad was still doing CPR and he was exhausted so I took over and we used the defibrillator to shock mum. “My dad was convinced he had lost my mum as she kept taking what he thought were her last breaths. There were times he feared it was too late for mum and may have stopped if it hadn’t been for Stephen. He said that it was Stephen’s calming voice that got him through it, telling him to keep going and encouraging him he was doing it right.” Stephen, Michala, Michael and Heather finally met in early December and it was an emotional reunion!
“Michael was listening to me and I could tell from the noises that Heather was making that he was giving good CPR. The fact that Michala and Michael managed to get the defibrillator and deliver a shock to Heather saved her life alongside the outstanding CPR they gave.”
Michala’s story
“I’d called in on my parents to say hi and it was clear my mum didn’t feel very well, she was grey and clammy and had pins and needles in her shoulders. She was in the bathroom and said she felt something serious was going to happen. The next minute her body flung back against the toilet, her jaw and hands locked and her eyes were bulging, it was like she was having a fit. #YourCall
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Our social media accounts are bursting with news. Follow North West Ambulance Service on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Brave Honour and Bentley
We’ve recognised super brave six year old Honour, who called 999 for her mum when she fell from the top of the stairs and was unable to move. Incredibly, mum Mia was able to shout family dog Bentley to fetch the phone and get Honour’s attention who was listening to her headphones unaware of what happened. Honour was presented with a bravery award for her efforts by the ambulance staff who helped Mia. Labrador Bentley was given a special certificate too for being a ‘courageous canine’!
#HappyBirthdayRuby
Eleven year old Ruby was inundated with birthday messages from ambulance staff from across the world after her mum posted on Facebook about her dream to be a paramedic. As a special treat, we invited Ruby to come to our ambulance station and emergency operations centre where she was able to have a look around and meet the stars of BBC One’s Ambulance. Staff even made a special effort to decorate with banners and arrange a cake!
Appalling behaviour
We can’t forget the defibrillator that was stolen from Knutsford. Before it was stolen, it had been used three times this year alone to save people’s lives. This is really appalling behaviour - the people of Knutsford fundraised hard to raise the money to buy this precious lifesaving equipment.
Get in touch Trust Headquarters Ladybridge Hall, Chorley New Road, Bolton, BL1 5DD Tel: 0345 112 0 999 (local rate) Email: nwasenquiries@nwas.nhs.uk Website: www.nwas.nhs.uk
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