Foundation Times - Issue 15 Autumn 2015

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Welcome to the Autumn edition of Foundation Times Issue 15 Autumn 2015

twitter.com/SCAS999

1 1

Foundation Times

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

A newsletter for every member of our trust

4

Our performance - an update from Deirdre Thompson, Director of Patient Care

12

6

The Trust Board of Directors

New Subsidiary Company for Fleet services

19

28

Flu Kills

Andover mum reunited with SCAS staff

Issue 15 Autumn 2015 If you would like to submit an article for Foundation Times please send it to getinvolved@scas.nhs.uk.

Foundation Times is produced by South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

Editor: Monica Moro Design: Ben Hennessy

2

find out more

www.scas.nhs.uk

updates and more

www.facebook.com/scas999

follow us for latest news

www.twitter.com/scas999

latest pics

www.flickr.com/999scas

485

responses received this year.

In 2014 we received 478.

RESULTS OF OUR ANNUAL SURVEY Firstly we’d like to thank all of you that took part in our Annual Members and Patients Survey, the response was good and gave us an invaluable insight in to what we are doing well and more importantly, where we could possibly improve.

We received a total of 485 responses broken down as follows: 401 via email and 84 by post.

Last year we received 478 responses. The results are available on our website here.

If you would like a hard copy posted to you, please contact the Membership and Engagement Office at getinvolved@scas.nhs.uk.

3

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

OUR PERFORMANCE - AN UPDATE FROM DEIRDRE THOMPSON, DIRECTOR OF PATIENT CARE As you are no doubt aware from previous publications and general media coverage, this year is proving challenging not just for SCAS but for the wider NHS..

National response times All ambulance services are measured against three key targets when responding to emergency 999 incidents. These are summarised below: The eight minute target

In the first quarter of this financial year (April-June), demand was lower than we expected. Therefore, despite the staff shortages especially for qualified paramedics that SCAS and all other ambulance trusts are facing, we were able to achieve the target response times.

èè An emergency response should reach the incident within eight minutes from the time a call is connected to the ambulance emergency control centre in 75% of all relevant cases. These cases are split into: èè Red 1 – the most time critical and cover patients in cardiac arrest who are not breathing and who do not have a pulse, and other severe conditions èè Red 2 – serious but less immediately time critical and cover conditions such as stoke and fits

However, because demand was lower than forecast and because we had to use more private providers than we anticipated (to cover gaps in service from staff shortages), this resulted in a deficit of £1m against our budget for the first quarter.

The nineteen minute target èè Red 19 – an emergency response should reach the incident within 19 minutes from the time a call is connected to the ambulance emergency control centre in 95% of all relevant cases. These incidents are less time critical than incidents covered in the eight minute target above.

The financial challenges have also continued and at the end of August we recorded a £2m deficit against our budget.

Due to a number of years of very strong financial performance we are much better able to cope with a short-to-medium term reduction in our income and increase in our expenditure.

In the second quarter (July-September) we have seen demand for our 999 emergency services increase. Our shortage of paramedic and other clinical staff has had a greater impact particularly as we have been unable to secure the level of private provider resource we would have liked.

What does this mean for patients Our performance against targets

4

SCAS has a strong record of meeting its performance targets and managing its finances effectively, but that has come under pressure in recent months.

We remain committed to providing the best possible patient care with services that are safe and of the highest quality. Our average response times this year for Red 1 and Red 2 incidents is less than seven minutes, and under eight and a half minutes for Red 19.

This means that generally patients continue to receive a responsive service and where the response time standard is not met, in most cases this is by a matter of seconds.

We will continue to prioritise the most time critical patients for the rest of the year, as we currently do.

For incidents which are less time critical, it is possible patients may experience a delay in the time in which we can respond. Our clinicians in our call centres will support such patients to monitor their condition to ensure it does not deteriorate before a resource arrives on scene.

How we are responding to the challenges we face Supporting our workforce – we will continue to focus on recruitment and retention, offering greater opportunities for staff development and career progression.

Transforming how we clinically manage demand on our services and the rest of the NHS (including an increased focus on ‘hear and treat’ telephony based service) and enhancing our support to high intensity users of our service.

Performance improvement – more intensive daily reviews of performance and identifying and implementing measures to improve our operational efficiency and productivity.

Winter planning – working with other health and social care organisations to reduce the impact of the peak winter months Financial improvement – reducing our costs without compromising the quality of services to patients and eliminating any inefficiencies.

Apr-Jun 15

Jul-Sep 15

Red 1

75.1%

69.6%

Red 2

75.7%

71.2%

Red 19

95.1%

93.8%

If you wish to know more, please contact your local SCAS governor and also visit the Board Papers section on the SCAS website.

To read the full length article please click here 5

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

THE TRUST BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman Trevor Jones tells us about the role of the Trust Board of Directors.

6

The Board’s role The Trust Board of Directors (‘the Board’) is the main governing body within SCAS, setting the overall strategic direction for the Trust. Its duties include to: èè provide effective and proactive leadership of the Trust èè ensure that SCAS complies with our provider license (issued by our independent regulators, Monitor), the Trust’s Constitution, and other relevant legal obligations èè set the Trust’s strategic aims, taking into consideration the views of our Council of Governors, ensuring that the necessary resources are in place for the Trust to meet its main priorities and objectives èè ensure that the services we provide for patients are safe, effective, and of the highest quality èè ensure that the Trust delivers its work effectively, efficiently and economically èè set the Trust’s visions, values and standards of conduct and ensure that its obligations to patients and other key stakeholders are delivered Meet the Board members The Board is made up of both Executive and Non-Executive Directors.

The Executive Directors, led by the Chief Executive, are employees of the Trust and are responsible for the day-to-day running of SCAS. The Non-Executive Directors, led by the Chairman, are independent individuals appointed by the Council of Governors to hold the Executive Directors to account for the day-to-day running of SCAS and overall performance. They also bring external expertise to the Trust and provide advice and guidance to the Executive Directors.

As well as leading the Trust Board, the Chairman also leads the Council of Governors.

Despite the distinctions in their respective roles, all Board members (executive and non-executive) have joint responsibility for decisions of the Board and share the same liability. All members also have responsibility to constructively challenge the decisions of the Board and help develop proposals on SCAS strategy and priorities.

The Board meets in public every other month, and Trust members are invited to attend meetings to observe first-hand how the business of the Board is discharged, and how key decisions relating to SCAS are undertaken.

Further information about Board members, and meetings of the Board, can be found on the Trust’s website.

7

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

MEET THE TRUST BOARD

8

è Will Hancock Chief Executive

è Sue Byrne Chief Operating Officer

è Charles Porter Director of Finance

è Deirdre Thompson Director of Patient Care

è James Underhay Director of Strategy, Business Development, Communications and Engagement

è John Black Medical Director

è Professor David Williams Non-executive Director

è Keith Nuttall Non-executive Director

è Alastair Mitchell-Baker Non-executive Director

è Ilona Blue Non-executive Director

è Mike Hawker Non-executive Director

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

è Trevor Jones Chairman

9

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

THE BOARD AND THE COUNCIL OF GOVERNORS The Trust’s Council of Governors (‘the CoG’) play an essential role in the governance of SCAS, providing a forum through which the Board of Directors is accountable to the local community and our 16,500 Trust public and staff members.

As highlighted in previous editions of Foundation Times, the general duties of the CoG are to: èè hold the non-executive directors individually and collectively to account for the performance of the Board of Directors, and èè represent the interests of the members of the Trust as a whole and the interests of the general public

Although there is an accountability relationship between the Board and the CoG, it is considered that the CoG has a good working relationship with the Board of Directors, and directors regularly attend CoG meetings to answer questions, participate in discussions, and help the governors deliver their statutory duties.

In turn, the Trust has benefitted from the perspectives brought by a diverse group of governors, and this has been demonstrated by the governor’s input to the annual planning and Care Quality Commission inspection processes.

As with public meetings of the Board, Trust members are invited to attend formal meetings of the CoG, and further information can be found on the Trust’s website.

BOARD EVALUATION SCAS Board members bring a wide breadth of experience and expertise to their roles. However, to ensure that the Board continues to function effectively and be high performing, we arrange for periodic independent evaluations to be carried out. During the last twelve months, two separate reviews of the Board have taken place.

10

A review of Board governance was commissioned in June 2014, and this was undertaken by an independent consultant (with extensive knowledge of the ambulance sector and corporate governance), shaped by Monitor’s WellLed Framework for Governance Reviews: Guidance for NHS Foundation Trusts.

A Board effectiveness review was then commissioned in November 2014, and this was undertaken by an independent body (NHS Thames Valley and Wessex Leadership Academy), using consultants with extensive knowledge of NHS Boards and leadership.

The review was commissioned to obtain an independent view on the functioning of the Board and its effectiveness, and also to provide further information to support ongoing executive and non-executive succession planning arrangements.

Both processes reached highly positive conclusions about the effectiveness of the SCAS Board. Some areas for further improvement were identified, and these are being addressed through development and implementation of appropriate action plans.

GOVERNORS UPDATE We are pleased to announce that we have been able to fill three public governor vacancies that we had in Hampshire and Buckinghamshire. This is following the changes which the Council of Governors agreed to the reserve candidacy rules in the Trust Constitution and which were subsequently also agreed by the Board of Directors .

Barry Lipscomb (an appointed partner governor with SCAS from March 2012 to September 2014) and Richard Coates have both accepted invitations to become public governors in the Hampshire constituency, and their office term will run from 1 July until 28 February 2017.

Tony Peirson accepted the invitation to become public governor for Buckinghamshire and his office term will run from 1 September until 28 February 2017.

Information about Richard, Barry and Tony can be found here.

1111

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

The South Central Ambulance Service Trust Board has approved the establishment of a wholly owned SCAS subsidiary company for the procurement and maintenance of the trusts vehicles.

This is an exciting opportunity for the Trust to maintain and further enhance the quality of service that it receives from its in-house maintenance department, in an increasingly competitive environment.

NEW SUBSIDIARY COMPANY FOR FLEET SERVICES 12

The Trust operates a fleet of over 1000 vehicles and currently services and maintains 45% of these vehicles. As part of our fleet strategy we would like to move towards becoming the first choice maintenance provider of our vehicles. The fleet department is well placed to meet the challenge of providing a quality service and it will continue to prioritise repairs to front line vehicles.

The Trust has looked at alternative solutions for the future provision of the procurement and maintenance of its vehicle fleet. Retention of the fleet department in it is current format, places it at a competitive disadvantage due to the way VAT rules operate.

It is recognised that the fleet maintenance department is in a competitive market and needs to be able to compete effectively, requiring a more commercial focus.

Where the Trust outsources its fleet maintenance service, the downtime of vehicles is significantly higher than when maintained by the fleet department.

The subsidiary company will continue to be accounted for as part of the Trust and its activities will be consolidated into the Trust accounts. Existing staff will be transferred to the new company so that they will retain access to the NHS Pension Scheme and their current AfC terms and conditions.

13

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

FREE NHS DISCOUNT SCHEME TO ALL OUR FOUNDATION TRUST MEMBERS As you a thank you for your continuous support we are now offering you access to the NHS Discount Scheme.

The scheme provides cashback offers, discount voucher offers and a whole range of benefits. Usually reserved for NHS employees, we are now offering the scheme to our public members too.

As a foundation trust public member, all you have to do is complete a simple registration form on the Health Service Discounts website at www.healthservicediscounts.com to access over 150 companies offering discounts unavailable on the high street!

Traders include: Carphone Warehouse, RAC, SuperBreak, Haven, BT, Very, Virgin Holidays, Sainsbury’s, ASDA and many more Categories include: Health / Beauty / Fitness, Electrical goods, Women’s and Men’s Fashion, Home & Garden, Food & Drink, Toys, Leisure & Entertainment and many more

The site makes no charge to members and there are no fees or subscriptions.

14

@ S C AS999

15

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

SCAS NEWS IN BRIEF

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL ROSC FOR SCAS. SCAS Call Taker Leanne Kelly, Dispatcher Chrissy Belton, Paramedic Tom Timmins, Clinical Mentor Michelle Thomson, Technician Gordon McBeth, Emergency Care Assistant Heidi Wilson and Team Leader Amanda Joyce were involved in a successful resuscitation in Milton Keynes on 19 September.

A local man suffered a cardiac arrest whilst driving. Fortunately his son was able to safely stop the vehicle and, with the help of bystanders, get his father out of the car and commence CPR. Leanne received the 999 call at 17.31 and working effectively with Chrissy had within two minutes, begun to dispatch the right resources to scene.

He was then transported to The John Radcliffe by land with a doctor from the air ambulance.

Amanda said: “This was a very successful job and credit goes to the patient’s son who did amazingly well and significantly contributed to the survival of his Dad, to the EOC team and to the two responders, Tom and Michelle.”

Earlier this year, SCAS was identified as having the highest ROSC survival rates in the country at 39.08%, demonstrating that thanks to the speed and skills of our frontline crews, people who have a witnessed cardiac arrest are given the best chance of survival.

Well done to everyone involved.

Tom and Michelle arrived on scene first in their respective RRVs and quickly determined the patient was in cardiac arrest and used a defibrillator to shock him. Shortly afterwards they achieved return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).

Amanda was next on scene, followed shortly by Gordon and Heidi, and by the time the air ambulance had arrived the patient was conscious and talking.

16

99 TE 9 D

10 1 4

Facts abo

ut the

PAR AME D

Cardiac A

rrest

A “cardia ca heart sud rrest” is when the denly sto ps beatin and the p g atient is u nconsciou s.

Treatme n don’t kno ts we w work Sometim e

s drugs, su adrenalin ch as e, are giv en as part the resusc of itation. It h been pro ven wheth as never er adrena is helpfu line l or harm ful.

6

2

Re-startin g the “Resuscit ation” also Heart known as (Cardio-p CPR ulmonary resuscitat is an atte ion) mpt to re star heart wit h the ultim t the ate goal of saving the perso n’s life so that th ey go hom e and resum e their usual day to day activities

5

Improvin

7

PAR AME D

It is esse ntial tha t we find helpful o out r harmfu l when use if adrenaline is d during The Natio resuscita nal Institu tion. te for He The Unive alth Rese rsity of W arch is fu arwick M out a larg ndin edical Sch e clinical ool to carr g trial to an means th y swer this at if you w q u estion. Th ere to hav may rece is e a cardia ive adren c arrest, yo aline as p you may art of you u not. You r tr w e ill at receive al proven to ment or l treatme work. nts that ar e

Pub has helpe d and advi lic Consulta tion sed us on trial desig many asp n, includin ect g develop ment of th s of the is poster.

Organ iser:

Funder:

Research

Partners:

Treatme nt for ca rdiac arrest is URGENT Research has show n that earl y ch compress est ions and defibrilla tio shocks) sa n (electric ve lives.

1 in 10 pe

ople

ut of hosp

ital) sur vive t o go hom e

Out of nin e researc testing t he effect h studies of adren on sur viv aline al: • 1

showed a n increase • 4 show in surviva ed no eff l ect on su • 4 show rvival ed fewer p eople surv being giv ived afte en adren r However aline this is stil l not enou know if a gh eviden drenaline ce to is helpful large clin or harmfu ical trial is l and a needed.

IC2 Trial

9

Treatme nts we know wo rk

c arrest o

g care

Patient &

3

(who suff er a cardia

Clinical tr ials are p art of everyd ay in the NH healthcare S and help us to work o treatmen ut which ts which do work and not.

8

IC2 Trial

10

If you do n’t want involved to be contact t he trial t eam.

Team Con t

a

cts: paramed ictrial@w arwick.ac www2.wa .uk rw 024 761 5 ick.ac.uk/PARAME 1164 DIC2 Warwick Clinical T rials Unit Universit , Gib y of Warw ick, Coven bet Hill Road, try, CV4 7 AL E W T

V1.0 - 12.5.1

5

PARAMEDIC 2 - THE ADRENALINE TRIAL We are currently engaged in PARAMEDIC-2, a trial looking at whether adrenaline is helpful or harmful in the treatment of a cardiac arrest that occurs outside a hospital. Answering this question will help to improve the treatment of people who have a cardiac arrest.

Further details about the trial can be found here.

17

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

HUNGERFORD CO-RESPONDER PARTNERSHIP IS FIRST SCHEME OF ITS KIND IN BERKSHIRE SCAS and Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) celebrated a new potentially lifesaving partnership which launched officially in July this year in Hungerford, and it is the first of its kind in Berkshire.

Co-Responders are retained firefighters from Hungerford Fire Station trained by SCAS to provide a ‘first response’ to specific medical emergencies where there is an immediate threat to life prior to an emergency ambulance arriving on scene. In cases of cardiac arrest the chances of a person’s survival decrease by 14% for every minute that without early defibrillation. The introduction of the Co-Responders means that we are able to attend and provide basic lifesaving skills and support to our patients quicker than ever before.

Nic Morecroft, Lead Community Response Manager from South Central Ambulance Service said: "We are pleased to have embarked on this new partnership with Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service and are incredibly grateful for their commitment and support in order to get it up and running for the benefit of the community.”

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A CFR? Then telephone 0800 587 0207 or email cfr@scas.nhs.uk 18

ANDOVER MUM REUNITED WITH SCAS STAFF

REAL LIFE 19

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

èè Pictured: Jack Ansell, Glyn Ethelston, Danielle, Lisa Morris, Mike Gregory, Vicki Bodenham, Stuart Robinson

Andover resident Danielle Bartley has been reunited with staff from South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) who helped save her life following a serious motorway accident.

Mother-of-one Danielle, 34, had been driving to a meeting when her car aquaplaned on the M3 on the morning of 14 November 2014.

Her car overturned six times resulting in Danielle sustaining serious injuries to her spine and right arm.

SCAS received the 999 call at its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Otterbourne, Hampshire. EOC staff quickly dispatched a range of frontline crews to the scene near to junction 6 including an ambulance crew, an ambulance officer, Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA).

Danielle was flown to University Hospital Southampton for initial treatment before being taken on to Salisbury District Hospital where she remained in a coma for a total of 16 days. Unfortunately due to severe septicaemia (blood poisoning), Danielle’s right arm could not be saved. To date, Danielle has had around 40 hours of surgery to treat her injuries to her neck, back and arm.

20

On 10 June this year, Danielle visited SCAS’s EOC in Otterbourne to be reunited with the staff who all played a key part in helping to save her life.

Danielle explained: “It was so good to meet everyone and get to piece together all the bits that were missing for me. I really can’t thank you all enough, there are no words to explain how grateful we all are.”

Emergency Call Taker Lisa Morris, said: “When the call first came in I was told that the accident was on the M3 and that the car had flipped over several times so I had an idea it was quite serious.”

SCAS HART paramedic, Glyn Ethelston, explained: “When we got there Danielle was trapped in the car with quite an obvious injury to her right arm and we knew that we needed to release her from the car as safely and as quickly as we could.”

Vicki Bodenham was one of the SCAS helicopter paramedics on board the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance who flew Danielle to University Hospital Southampton. She admitted: “Danielle’s a hero in her own right as a foster carer but to see her up and about and survive such serious injuries as well and the fact that she’s embracing it is really nice to see.”

21

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

22

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

This is a great opportunity for you to get involved with your local ambulance service as a volunteer car driver.

The Trust has a number of volunteers who use their own cars to convey non-urgent patients to and from hospital appointments.

Our volunteer car drivers are not employed by the Trust or paid for their work that they do, but they receive a mileage allowance. The duties are considered to be wholly of a voluntary nature although drivers are reimbursed for mileage incurred in carrying out their duties.

The Ambulance Car Service is an integral and valued part of patient transport services.

They aim to convey patients safely and in comfort and escort them to the appropriate department on arrival at the treatment centre.

The drivers are managed by the Patient Transport Service and are accountable to the Patient Transport Service Control, who allocate and supervise their daily work schedules.

Do you have some spare time for a good cause?

We are looking for caring people with their own cars to assist in transporting patients from their homes to hospital appointments.

Our volunteers provide an invaluable service to the community for patients with a medical need for transport and who would otherwise be unable to get to their appointments As part of our recruitment process we are obliged to apply for a Disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau and further information about the Disclosure scheme can be found at www.disclosure.gov.uk.

If you feel this is something you would enjoy, call 0300 123 9801 Option 5 for an informal chat and more information Email: volunteer.cardriver@scas.nhs.uk

23

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

GET READY TO PARTY 24

SAFELY AND IN GOOD HEALTH

25

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

SUMMER HOLIDAYS ARE JUST A DISTANT MEMORY NOW BUT THERE ARE STILL LOTS OF OCCASIONS TO LOOK FORWARD TO, WITH CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR ALL RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. CHRISTMAS PARTIES Christmas is a time for celebrations but official data also shows that it is one of the most dangerous times of the year.

Read up on the advice below to make sure the festive period is a happy one.

Out and about èè If you are out celebrating this year make sure you look after your friends and colleagues and know how you are getting home at the end of the night èè Consider booking a party somewhere that serves meals or snacks or make sure you eat before you go out and stick to safer drinking levels èè Never drink and drive In the house èè Never put candles on or near a Christmas tree. Never leave an open flame unattended. Always place tea lights inside an appropriate container èè Test your lights and the wiring before you put them up, as they can deteriorate over the years. If you have old lights, buy new ones that meet higher safety standards. Don’t overload sockets, as that’s a fire risk

26

èè Keep the stairs well lit and free from obstacles, especially if you have guests who could be going up to the bathroom during the night èè Hot fat, boiling water and sharp knives make the kitchen one of the most dangerous places during the holiday. Try to keep other people (especially children) out of the kitchen èè Place glass decorations out of the reach of toddlers and pets. Novelty decorations, such as stuffed Santas, reindeer and snowmen, which look like toys, may not comply with strict toy safety regulations. Therefore, they should not be within the reach of children èè After a party, empty any alcohol out of glasses. Children are likely to drink the remains if they get up early to play with their toys

TEST YOUR LIGHTS AND THE WIRING BEFORE YOU PUT THEM UP

27

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

FLU KILLS DON’T DELAY, HAVE YOUR FLU VACCINATION AS SOON AS AVAILABLE

28

Influenza is dangerous, highly contagious and largely preventable.

You can carry and pass the virus onto others without having any symptoms yourself, so even if you consider yourself healthy, you might be risking the lives of others. Protect yourself and your family and get your flu jab.

ÙÙ MYTH - THE FLU IS JUST LIKE CATCHING A COLD.

ÙÙ MYTH - I’VE HAD THE FLU JAB BEFORE SO I DON’T NEED IT AGAIN

ÒÒ This is FALSE

ÒÒ This is FALSE

ww For most people it is unpleasant but for some it can lead to chest infections, severe complications and death ww Globally, seasonal flu results in 250,000 to 500,000 deaths

ww The flu is a living organism and the flu strains mutate slightly every year so they can survive ww The only way to protect against these mutated strands is to update the seasonal flu vaccine every year ww If you want to be covered then get your jab.

ÙÙ MYTH - I CAN’T HAVE THE FLU JAB AS I’M PREGNANT. ÒÒ This is FALSE ww Pregnant women can have it at any stage of their pregnancy ww It helps to protect them and their unborn baby

ÙÙ MYTH - IF I HAVE THE FLU JAB I WILL GET THE FLU ÒÒ This is FALSE ww It is impossible as the vaccine doesn’t contain live viruses ww A very small number of people may experience side effects such as aching muscles, but this is simply the immune system responding to the vaccine ww You may also experience soreness around the site of the injection ww These symptoms are a lot less serious than having the flu

29

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

ÙÙ MYTH - IF I WASH MY HANDS I WON’T CATCH THE FLU ÒÒ This is FALSE ww It is vital to follow infection prevention procedures and wash your hands. Once flu has been passed on to your family, colleagues or patients, clean hands won’t keep flu at bay ÙÙ MYTH - I EAT HEALTHILY SO I WILL BE OK. ÒÒ This is FALSE ww A healthy diet will help boost your immune system but it won’t protect you from the flu ÙÙ MYTH - HEALTHY PEOPLE DON’T GET SEASONAL FLU ÒÒ This is FALSE ww The reason that free flu vaccines are offered to all frontline staff is because anyone can catch the virus ww Generally 15 to 20 per cent of the population gets flu ww You can carry and pass the virus on without having any symptoms yourself ww If you can catch it, you can pass it one to those who are at more risk of serious illness. This could include your patients, friends, family or work colleagues. Remember vulnerable patients with long-term medical conditions and elderly people are not strong enough to fight off the infection

30

ÙÙ MYTH - THE FLU VACCINE ISN’T SAFE ÒÒ This is FALSE ww The risk of having a serious reaction is less then one in a million; much lower than the risk of getting seriously ill from having the flu itself ww However, you should not have the vaccine if you a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to eggs. This is because hen’s eggs are used to make the vaccine ww If you have had a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to the flu vaccine before, then seek advice before you have the jab

REMEMBER If you have a health condition, even one that is well-managed, catching flu could cause you serious complications, like pneumonia One of the most common reasons for people not getting vaccinated is “I’ve never had flu before”.

There’s no such thing as natural immunity to influenza as new strains circulate every year.

Ask your GP or pharmacist about the flu jab.

0 3 BER SEPTEM

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND ANNUAL MEMBERS MEETING THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME ALONG TO OUR AGM AND ANNUAL MEMBERS MEETING ON WEDNESDAY 30 SEPTEMBER AT THE ARK CONFERENCE CENTRE IN BASINGSTOKE, HAMPSHIRE. If you were not able to attend, you can take a look at our presentations here.

The minutes of the Board meeting are available here

31

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

FOUNDATION TRUST MEMBERSHIP

13,230

13,000

public members to date

12,000 8,000

You can make a difference!

5,000

For more information, email getinvolved@scas.nhs.uk or phone 01869 365126.

NUMBER OF FOUNDATION TRUST MEMBERS

32

OUT AND ABOUT WHAT’S ON IN YOUR AREA Come and see us at the following events.

Date

Event

Location

25 November

SCAS Bucks and MK Patient Forum 2:30pm - 4pm

Post Graduate Centre, Milton Keynes Hospital, Bucks

27 November

SCAS Patient Experience Roadshow – Reading 9am - 4pm

Broad Street Mall, Reading, Berks

NOVEMBER

33

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

GET TO KNOW YOUR GOVERNORS Public governors

Berkshire constituency

Martin Shea

Colin Godbold

Ian Hammond

Appointed partner governors

Staff governors

Public governors

Hampshire constituency

Ray Rowsell

Andy Bartlett

Paul Carnell

Jonathan Cotterell

Richard Coates

Debbie Scott

David Palmer

Michele Foote

Katherine Naylor

James Birdseye

Cllr Jan Warwick

David Chilvers

Cllr Keith House

Sue Thomas

Sabrina Chetcuti

Barry Lipscomb

Cllr David Burbage

Contact the Membership Office Please get in touch with the membership office if you: » want more information about what we do » have a story you want to share with other members » want us to come along to an event in your local area » want to change your contact details » want to get more involved and update your involvement choices » want membership forms or other literature to distribute » want to raise an issue with a governor 34

Email: getinvolved@scas.nhs.uk or Tel: 01869 365126

Have your say and support your governors.

Buckinghamshire constituency

Make a difference by helping them shape the future of your local ambulance service.

Email them at getinvolved@scas.nhs.uk

Bob Duggan

Vacant

David Peirson

Oxfordshire constituency

Emily Williams

Vacant

Tim WindsorShaw

COUNCIL OF GOVERNORS

The Council of Governors meets four times a year and represents the interests of members and stakeholder organisations.

Meetings are open to the public. For more information please visit our website at www.scas.nhs.uk/ft The next COG meeting will be on 5 October 2015 at Shaw House, Newbury (18.30 - 21.00).

Want to find out who your governors are?

Go to www.scas.nhs.uk/ft

35

Foundation Times A newsletter for every member of our trust

Issue 15 Autumn 2015

HOW WE’RE DOING OCTOBER 2015 FIGURES TOTAL 999 ACTIVITY

44,007

111 CALLS ANSWERED

97,492

NON CONVEYANCE

18,393

What does it mean?

Total 999 activity equates to the number of calls which received a SCAS response or were dealt with by our clinical support desks Non conveyance is the number of incidents we responded to where the patient was not taken to hospital.

36

NON CONVEYANCE %

45.68%

Non conveyance % is the percentage of incidents we responded to where the patient was not taken to hospital.

Red 1 - Red 1 calls are the most time critical and cover cardiac arrest patients who are not breathing and do not have a pulse, and other severe conditions.

Red 2 - For Red 2 calls, which are serious but less immediately time critical and cover conditions such as stroke and fits.

RED 1 [8 mins]

70.70% RED 2 [8 mins]

RED 1 [19 mins]

96.68% RED 2 [19 mins]

72.94% 94.37% CFR RESPONSES

1,282

PTS JOURNEYS

44,979

111 calls answered is the number of calls answered through the non-emergency healthcare service.

CFR stands for Community First Responder.

PTS stands for Patient Transport Service.

All figures are provisional.

37

Produced by South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust Units 7 and 8 Talisman Business Centre Talisman Road Bicester Oxfordshire OX26 6HR Tel 01869 365000 | Fax 01869 322814 | getinvolved@scas.nhs.uk | www.scas.nhs.uk Design > Ben Hennessy

36