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South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
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The rise and rise of an innovative falls project in West Berkshire March Twenty Seventeen
March 2017
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The rise and rise of an innovative falls project in West Berkshire 4
Abdul’s recovery is right on track 10
Success for Dispatch Team C (Bicester) at National ALF Awards 27
SCAS leads the way in cardiac arrest survival 31
New Direct Response Vehicles for Berkshire CFRs 43
March 2017
rise The and rise of an innovative falls project in West Berkshire
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March 2017
In 2016, SCAS staff attended 68,149 incidents where the chief complaint related to a patient having fallen. This works out at an average of just over 186 calls a day or put another way, every 7.5 minutes one of our crews will arrive at an incident where a patient has fallen. Currently 12.5% of the 999 demand will relate to patients who have fallen with the majority being over the age of 65.
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Number of people aged 65+ to increase
30% of people aged 65+
to 16 million by 2033
will fall at least once a year
50% of people aged 80+
will fall at least once a year SCAS Specialist Paramedic and Trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioner Spencer Winch, based at the Trust’s Reading Ambulance Station, has been aware of this demand for some time and had developed a personal interest in the assessment and care of frail older patients who had fallen. “Here in SCAS, and elsewhere in the country, those who make up our frail older population are increasingly becoming a large part of our work”, Spencer explains. “Latest data also shows that the largest percentage of people suffering major trauma now is our older patients who have fallen from standing, sustaining serious head and chest injuries. Therefore falls and falls prevention has become an important healthcare intervention.”
255,000 falls-related emergency hospital admissions every year
Around 40% of older people who fall and are seen by the ambulance service in the UK are not transported to hospital.1 In the South Central region, our nonconveyance rate is well above the UK average at 53%. “When patients are seen, and treated at scene by our crews and not taken to hospital, they will be flagged to community falls prevention teams for mobility, functionality and care assessment provided by nurses and therapists”, adds Spencer, before continuing that “because all areas of the NHS are under pressure, such assessments are not always instantaneous and we now know that people who have fallen are likely to fall again within 24 hours without immediate intervention and are at risk of injury.”
1. Elderly falls: a national survey of UK ambulance services. Darnell G., Mason S.M., Snooks H. BMJ 10.1136/emermed-2011-200419.
March 2017
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“Around 40% of older people who fall and are seen by the ambulance service in the UK are not transported to hospital�.
March 2017
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A gap in the care of frail older fallers became apparent and Spencer looked at the idea of an alternative ambulance response that would send a specialist paramedic and occupational therapist to these patients instead of a normal ambulance. This formed part of a Quality Improvement Programme supported by Health Education England (Thames Valley) and the Berkshire West CCGs. Spencer was convinced that with some changes to how SCAS responded to older people who had fallen, further improvements to an already higher than average nonconveyance rate could be made. “Paramedics and therapists working together as a team to assess frail older adults who have fallen is not a completely new concept”, adds Spencer. “It has been tried in other parts of the country but it is often a reactive referral service. Our proposal was to take the more innovative step to send out a specialist paramedic and occupational therapist as a proactive primary blue light response in place of an ambulance.” With the additional enhanced clinical skills of a specialist paramedic (such as being able to close wounds or assess and treat minor illnesses with an extended range of medication) and the ability of an occupational therapist to carry out on scene assessments, the proposal would have a multitude of benefits. Firstly, it could deliver a faster and more appropriate response to meet the assessment needs of frail older patients who had fallen. Secondly, it would meet multiple high impact NHS England targets such as care of the frail elderly, fall reduction/prevention, hospital admission avoidance and increasing ambulance treatment closer to home. Lastly, it could potentially free up more SCAS resources to be able to meet demand from other higher category patients.
“The joint skill set that we were able to bring directly to the patient”, says Spencer, “meant that after clinical assessment had been made and any required treatment delivered, the occupational therapist was then immediately able to assess the patient’s mobility. This meant we could supply – from the stock in our vehicle – new walking aids, chair and toilet raisers, commodes and even arrange for grab rails to be fitted within a few hours to prevent further falls.”
March 2017
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“The challenge for us all is to collectively commit to supporting and encouraging effective commissioning and the spreading of good practice so that every older person, whatever their background, wherever they live, is provided with the best opportunity to live and age well without fear of falling and injury”. Professor Martin J Vernon National Clinical Director for Older People
As well as dealing with the older patient’s immediate clinical, functional and mobility needs, the team was also able to spend time reassuring patients and their families by initiating new care packages or upgrading existing ones. Those patients who were more isolated, for example living alone without close family or other support networks, were given pendant alarms straight from the vehicle which were connected and live before leaving scene, providing further reassurance. Thanks to the support of consultant geriatricians at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, the project also had direct access to the hospital’s falls clinic and rapid access clinic for older people (RACOP) appointments. Such access is normally only available to GPs or hospital doctors. This direct access meant that medically complex patients could be referred straight into outpatient clinics, rather than emergency departments, to be reviewed by specialist doctors in the care of older people.
“Sometimes, hospital admission following a fall is unavoidable particularly if there are suspected fractures or severe underlying illness causing the fall. But any attempts to keep this group of patients out of hospital are valuable as their admission can lead to risks of muscle wastage from lack of movement and hospital acquired infections”, informs Spencer. “These are all factors that increase the chances of them falling again – either in hospital itself or shortly after having been discharged and so it’s imperative we explore ways to keep these frail older patients out of hospital.” For those patients where admission to hospital was required, there were still some additional benefits, as Spencer explains. “Once we knew an admission was inevitable, the beauty of having an occupational therapist at scene meant that we could commence the discharge planning process immediately. Having reviewed the patient’s home environment and, in discussion with their hospitalbased colleagues, they could speed up the patient journey through the emergency department.”
March 2017
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Average length of stay in hospital people aged 65-74:
Average length of stay in hospital people aged 85+:
7 days
11 days
Average cost of NHS bed per night:
Pilot saved potential 297 hospital bed days
£800
(£237,600)
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Having secured funding for a one year pilot from West Berkshire CCGs (South Reading, North and West Reading, Wokingham, Newbury and District), the Falls and Frailty Response Project launched in August 2015. It ran every Saturday between 07.00 and 19.00 for a period of 50 weeks. Spencer was joined on these shifts by an occupational therapist from the Royal Berkshire Hospital. The team used a specially adapted, blue light enabled, people carrier as a vehicle with a large storage capacity. This was needed in order to take the clinical equipment used by a specialist paramedic, as well as all the frames and mobility aids the occupational therapist would need to provide following assessment at the scene. Once on shift, Spencer would select and respond to incoming 999 or NHS 111 calls where a person aged over 65 had fallen in their own home. SCAS staff could also refer the patients they attended to the team for assessment. Over the course of the year-long pilot, the team saw 220 patients, of which 68% were discharged at the scene or put on another care pathway other than admission to an acute hospital. This was a significant improvement on the SCAS average of 53%. “We could have shown a bigger improvement if it was not for the fact that SCAS crews locally do so well already at discharging these patients at home”, adds Spencer.
Spencer was initially disappointed that 22 of the 150 elderly fallers who were discharged at the scene called 999 again within seven days as a result of another fall or subsequent illness. However, he was reassured by geriatricians that this re-contact rate, of under 15%, is a very low percentage when dealing with an elderly population with complex health and care needs. The Falls and Frailty Response Project has been so successful that funding is being sought to secure it as a three-day a week service in West Berkshire in 2017/18. But with the potential to save around £250,000 in one CCG area alone, and with over 200 CCGs in England, it is a model that could deliver significant NHS-wide financial savings whilst ensuring older people get a more appropriate, responsive and patient-centred service improving their experience of emergency care.
2,3. Imison, C., Poteliakhoff, E., Thompson, J. Older people and emergency bed use. The King’s Fund, August 2012.
March 2017
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Abdul’s recovery
is right on track
March 2017
“Abdul has no recollection of the accident, but when meeting the SCAS staff who helped save his life, he is keen to hear what happened at the scene and the injuries Paul and the team were treating him for”
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On Saturday 17 December 2016, Paramedic Team Leaders Paul Evans and Shelley Behan, Paramedic Rachel Brooke and Emergency Care Assistant Paige Caulfield (all based at the Trust’s Stoke Mandeville Resource Centre in Aylesbury), received a very special visit from Abdul Areoye and his family.
Paul starts by telling him, “I think you must have had your hood up, Abdul, and just walked across the level crossing without checking. You heard or saw the train right at the last minute, turned to face it and were standing exactly in the middle of the tracks when it hit you – that was actually very lucky!”
When Abdul walks into the crew room at Stoke Mandeville, apart from a very small amount of scarring on his forehead and on his lower neck, he looks, talks and acts just like any other 16-year-old lad. A fact that becomes amazing once it is discovered just what he went through 12 months earlier.
It might not sound lucky to most of us, but because none of Abdul’s arms or legs were over any part of the tracks when the train struck, he did not sustain any traumatic injuries to his limbs. Another ‘lucky’ element according to Paul was the fact that the train was coming out of Aylesbury station and therefore probably struck Abdul at a speed of around 30mph as it was still picking up speed. Had it been a train coming the other way into Aylesbury station, it would have been travelling at a greater speed of around 40mph as it went across the level crossing.
The four members of staff, along with Phil Convery of SCAS and Dr Wassim Shamsuddin, a consultant anaesthetist and trauma specialist who responded to a BASICS page for support, all attended an incident on 24 November 2015 when Abdul was struck by a train at an unmanned level crossing in Aylesbury. “When we initially got the call just after 7.30pm that day in November 2015”, remembers Paul, “I think all of us went to scene half expecting there would be very little we would be able to do. Most of us had been in the job long enough to know that when a person is struck by a train it usually ends in a fatality at the scene or shortly afterwards in hospital.” On arrival, they believed that they were dealing with an approximately 19-year-old male who, although still breathing, was critically injured. Abdul, who was 15 at the time of the accident, had gone out without his mobile phone, wallet or any form of identification. With the help of Thames Valley Police officers, they were able to get Abdul out from under the train in order to be able to commence treatment on his multiple injuries. Abdul has no recollection of the accident, but when meeting the SCAS staff who helped save his life, he is keen to hear what happened at the scene and the injuries Paul and the team were treating him for.
The injuries he did sustain, as Paul goes on to explain, were still serious and life-threatening. “We thought Abdul had suffered a fractured skull, possibly a fractured neck, definitely several broken ribs and a collapsed lung. It was a real challenge to keep his airway open and we carried out a number of treatments, as did Dr Shamsuddin at the scene, before we had got him in a condition where we thought he would survive a journey to hospital.” Abdul was so seriously injured and his condition so unstable, that the decision was made not to use the air ambulance to fly him to hospital. Instead, he was taken by road to the major trauma centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, with a police escort. At that stage, it was still not clear who the patient travelling to hospital was. Abdul’s Dad, Fatai, tells us about his recollections of the evening of his son’s accident. Fatai works in the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital. When he arrived home from work that evening he was expecting to see Abdul at home, but he was not there.
March 2017
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“The TV was on and his mobile phone was on the table in the lounge”, recalls Fatai. “I assumed he had popped out to the shops. We obviously live very near to the level crossing and the shops are on the other side. I had seen all the flashing lights and emergency vehicles when I arrived home. I just assumed that Abdul was stuck on the other side of the crossing and wasn’t being allowed through because of whatever accident had happened there. Even when all the emergency service vehicles had gone and there was still no Abdul, I didn’t think anything was wrong.” Fatai then tells us about the piece of detective work carried out by Thames Valley Police to track down the mystery patient that had been struck by the train. “Abdul was wearing a t-shirt that we had got made as a promotional item – it had the brand name of the company I own, and that company is registered to our home address. The police found the company’s address details on the Companies House database, realised it was a short distance from the accident and sent an officer round. It was only when I got ‘the knock’ and opened the door to the police that I realised what had happened to Abdul!”
neck fracture) and/or be left severely disabled from the brain injury he had suffered. Abdul spent six weeks in the Intensive Treatment Unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital, and a further six weeks in a recovery ward. He was then transferred to Stoke Mandeville Hospital to be closer to home where he spent three months before a final transfer to the Tadworth Rehabilitation Centre where he also spent three months.
Abdul’s Mum, Nurat, was working that night as a nurse in the A&E department at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Once Fatai had been told what had happened to Abdul and where he was being taken, he went to pick up Nurat and they went straight to Oxford to see their son. “I did not recognise him when I saw him for the first time at the John Radcliffe”, remembers Nurat. “As an emergency department nurse I know that when people who have been hit by trains on a level crossing, if they make it as far as A&E they never walk out. Even though Abdul was very poorly he had everything intact – I couldn’t believe it.” Initially, the family were given a very poor diagnosis regarding Abdul’s likely survival and recovery. Were he to survive, they were told to expect that he would likely be paralysed (as it was initially thought Abdul had sustained a C1
His parents, both trained healthcare professionals, didn’t leave his side during all the time he was in hospital, carrying out a great deal of his treatment and care themselves in conjunction with the ward nursing team.
Paramedic Team Leader, Paul Evans
Shelley Behan tells them, “I’m sure that really helped him gain such a good level of recovery. He wouldn’t have been able to acknowledge you in the first weeks, but just hearing your voices and knowing you were there I’m sure played a major part in how well he is looking now.”
March 2017
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Abdul’s recovery was slow, but surpassed everyone’s expectations. Initially he could only open one eye; next he could raise one arm, but not the other. Slowly his movement came back and gradually it was clear he could listen and understand, but remained unable to speak. His speech was the last thing that came back during his rehabilitation. “When he got back on his bike for the first time, I wept”, says Nurat. “And now he is back playing for the school basketball team as if nothing had happened. It was very important for us to come here today and meet everyone and say ‘thank you’; thank you for your skills, your knowledge and for bringing my son back to life.” The meeting finishes with hugs and a giant Christmas hamper donated by the family for all the staff at Stoke Mandeville to enjoy. Abdul and his family smile when they learn from Rachel that engineers needed to be called to fix the train after the accident before it could be moved from the site. “His mother always said he was strong headed”, laughs Fatai, “and now we have the proof!”
“When he got back on his bike for the first time, I wept”, says Nurat.
Following a fatal accident at the same location on 9 November 2016 when Mercedes Guadalupe Palermo, aged 31, was killed as she walked across the tracks with her bike and was struck by a train coming in to Aylesbury station, the Old Stoke Road level crossing has now been closed. Paul was also one of the SCAS staff called to this incident.
Paramedic Team Leader, Shelley Behan
March 2017
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March 2017
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Success for Dispatch Team C (Bicester) at National ALF Awards
March 2017
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Dispatch Team C at SCAS’ Clinical Co-ordination Centre in Bicester received the Team of the Year Award at the Ambulance Leadership Forum Awards 2017, held at Chesford Grange, Warwickshire, on 7 February.
Some staff remained on duty until the conclusion of the incident, displaying their commitment and dedication to supporting staff at the scene as well as to each other.
Dispatch Team C was on duty on 23 February 2016 when the partial collapse of Didcot Power Station A took place. The team was put forward for the award by SCAS Chief Executive, Will Hancock, who wrote on his nomination form:
Russel Farrant and Robyn Harding attended the gala evening and collected the award on behalf of their colleagues.
“A major incident was declared and the staff on duty worked skilfully and successfully to run the major incident as well as ensuring normal business continued with no detrimental effects to patients.
They are consistently high performing.”
Russel said: “It was a great honour, not only to represent Team C Green but also SCAS, at the Ambulance Leadership Forum Awards. The award for teamwork reflects the hard work all our staff put in on a daily basis and shows that in the worst of circumstances we come together as a team to provide the best possible service for our patients.”
Every single member of Dispatch Team C that day demonstrated the SCAS values of teamwork, professionalism, caring and innovation.
Dispatch Team C: Paul Carson, Stacie Sutton, David Flynn, Colleen Goff, Russel Farrant, Lyn Heybourn, Debbie Cook, Matt Widdows, Catherine Edwards, Mitchell Lee, Angie Patel, Robyn Harding, David Williams. Russel and Robyn from SCAS join all the 2017 ALF Awards winners for a group photo
March 2017
SCAS leads the way in cardiac arrest survival
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SCAS has the highest percentage of patients who survive to leave hospital following a cardiac arrest, amongst all ambulance trusts in England according to the latest data published by NHS England in February 2017.
March 2017
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“If the average survival rate
across England was the same as the rate SCAS achieved, there would be 568 more people alive today who sadly died from a cardiac arrest between April and September 2016.�
March 2017
Between April and September 2016, SCAS began or continued resuscitation on 567 patients in cardiac arrest. Of all those patients where resuscitation was commenced, 75 survived to leave hospital; a survival rate of 13.2%. The average across all ambulance trusts in England for cardiac arrest patients surviving to leaving hospital over the same period was 8.9%. If the average survival rate across England was the same as the rate SCAS achieved, there would be 568 more people alive today who sadly died from a cardiac arrest between April and September 2016. Commenting on these latest figures, Mark Ainsworth, Director of Operations at SCAS, said: “These figures are a testament to the speed, professionalism and dedication of our frontline emergency staff, clinical coordination centre staff, community first responders, co-responders and those staff who train them, as well as of course the expertise and skill of our colleagues in local hospitals. Without the efforts of all those involved, whether it’s treating the patient at the scene or in hospital, raising funds to install publicly accessible defibrillators across our region or training members of the public to give good quality CPR, we would not have such good cardiac arrest survival rates.”
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Trust
Cardiac Arrests
April-September 2016
Survival Rate
South Central
Patients treated
567
13.2%
Patients left hospital
75
Patients treated
1369
Patients left hospital
138
Patients treated
1542
Patients left hospital
147
Patients treated
1730
Patients left hospital
159
Patients treated
1506
Patients left hospital
135
Patients treated
1881
Patients left hospital
166
Patients treated
797
Patients left hospital
68
Patients treated
1330
Patients left hospital
112
Patients treated
1604
Patients left hospital
126
Patients treated
41
Patients left hospital
3
Patients treated
1098
Patients left hospital
80
Yorkshire
North West
West Midlands
East of England
London
North East
South East Coast
South West
Isle of Wight
East Midlands
10.1%
9.5%
9.2%
9.0%
8.8%
8.5%
8.4%
7.9%
7.3%
7.3%
March 2017
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After the inaugural success of the 2016 Recruitment Open Days at Northern and Southern House, this year’s events attracted over 1,200 visitors to Bicester and Otterbourne respectively. On 14 January at Northern House, Bicester, and on 28 January at Southern House, Otterbourne, SCAS staff and community first responders were on hand to talk about all the full time, part time and volunteer roles the Trust is currently recruiting to.
Over 1,200 attend our Recruitment Open Days
Following a targeted social media, advertising and PR campaign in the run up to the events, just over 1,250 people came through the doors at both venues. There were 670 people who registered their interest in joining SCAS in a variety of 999, NHS 111, Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service and support roles, and 70 people who wanted to volunteer for SCAS either as a community first responder or volunteer car driver. Victoria Dooley, HR Manager at SCAS, said: “The recruitment team was very pleased with the number of people that came to both open days. The opportunity to see SCAS ‘in action’ in our clinical coordination centres, as well as talk to staff and volunteers who are actually doing the role, is invaluable and gives interested job applicants a real insight in to what it is actually like to work for us.” More information about all the roles available in SCAS can be found on our dedicated recruitment website www.scasjobs.co.uk
March 2017
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Ellen delivers a Baby on NHS 111 On 25 October 2016, NHS 111 Call Handler Ellen Brooks-Saunders took a rather unusual call at our Clinical Co-ordination Centre in Bicester. “It was around 7.30am”, remembers Ellen, “and I received a call from a gentleman who had dialled 111 when his wife went into labour. Initially, they had thought it was right at the start of the labour and they had plenty of time, but it soon became apparent as we were talking that plenty of time was certainly something they didn’t have!”
March 2017
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It was the couple’s third child so fortunately they remained calm, as did Ellen on the other end of the phone with her four years’ experience as part of SCAS’ NHS 111 team. The extraordinary nature of the call certainly became apparent from what Ellen was saying to those sitting closest to her as NHS 111 Clinical Shift Manager, Sophie Groves, explains. “It was very early on during the call”, remembers Sophie, “when I heard Ellen say, ‘What do you mean you can see the head?’ At that point it became obvious what was about to happen and within minutes the baby was born. Ellen as always remained perfectly calm and handled the call with the skill and precision of a seasoned pathways professional.” The birth occurred at the couple’s home in Beggarwood, near Basingstoke, and once a crying baby girl was successfully delivered by Dad with Ellen’s advice, followed by the placenta, Ellen then stayed on the line providing further information and reassurance to the couple until an ambulance arrived at the scene.
“I’d taken similar calls to this
when I was working on the 999 service”, says Ellen, “but this was certainly the most unusual NHS 111 call I’ve ever taken.”
It was fortunate that it was Ellen who was the next available call handler. She was a founder member of the SCAS NHS 111 team and began working for the service even before it was officially launched to patients. Prior to that, Ellen had worked for SCAS as an emergency call taker on the Trust’s 999 service so she was used to staying calm and focused irrespective of what was happening at the other end of the line. “I’d taken similar calls to this when I was working on the 999 service”, says Ellen, “but this was certainly the most unusual NHS 111 call I’ve ever taken. Once I’d passed on my congratulations, said goodbye and left them in the capable hands of our ambulance crew, my next call was a patient with toothache!”
March 2017
New Direct Response Vehicles for Berkshire CFRs
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March 2017
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Following a five-year, £30,000 fundraising campaign, two brand new dynamic response vehicles were formally handed over by Sonning Common Vauxhall to local community first responders on 2 February at SCAS’ Reading Resource Centre on North Street. The models selected were Vauxhall Mokkas and both have been converted internally and externally as dynamic response vehicles (DRVs). They have been equipped with collision dashcams as well as the same in-vehicle communication system from Terrafix that is used in SCAS emergency rapid response vehicles and ambulances. The new DRVs save valuable seconds by directing CFRs to the exact location of every patient they are sent to using the Terrafix system. This was previously done by CFRs communicating with staff in the Emergency Operations Control room through a combination of a pager and radio system. The new vehicles also allow responders to carry more equipment to give a better service to the patients they are sent to. For example, CFRs using the DRVs are able to carry Entonox®, a fast acting pain relief (commonly referred to as ‘gas and air’); for security and safety reasons, Entonox® cannot be transported by CFRs when using their own vehicles. Around half of the £30,000 total was donated by the organisers of the Glastonbury Festival. Martin Maynard, a community first responder in Pangbourne, has been volunteering at Glastonbury for over 17 years. For the last five years he has helped to coordinate over 400 stewards who help run the ‘Night Life’ area of the Glastonbury Festival. As a result of Martin’s efforts, along with many other volunteer stewards from Berkshire, the Festival organisers have made a significant donation to Martin each year to help with his CFR work in and around Pangbourne.
Paul Hughes, CFR and Scheme Coordinator, Tilehurst
“The new vehicles also
allow responders to carry more equipment to give a better service to the patients they are sent to”
March 2017
The remaining funds were raised by Brian Bosworth, CFR and Scheme Coordinator in Bracknell, and Paul Hughes, CFR and Scheme Coordinator for Tilehurst. David Hamer, Community Liaison and Training Officer for Berkshire at SCAS said: “I’m delighted that after five years of fundraising we have been able to purchase and equip two new vehicles for our community first responders to use across Berkshire. The cars will without a doubt help save lives and ensure that we can reach more people, more quickly in the local Reading and Bracknell communities who need us. I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the fundraising campaign, but especially to Martin, Brian and Paul as without their voluntary work and donations, the money needed to get these new vehicles would not have been raised.”
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Martin Maynard added: “Not only do these two new vehicles help make the work of community first responders in Berkshire more visible to the local community, they also help us develop and support new CFRs who join their local schemes. With the new DRVs, what we can now do is send them out with two CFRs in – one experienced and one new – so we build up the confidence of new volunteers prior to them going out on their own vehicles as solo responders. The Terrafix system also means we can keep community first responders on the road for longer and send them to where demand from patients is, rather than have people waiting at home for a call.” The vehicles, one based at Reading Resource Centre and the other in Bracknell, have been well received by the CFR teams since becoming operational from early February.
In Tilehurst, the new DRV has generated a lot of local interest and Paul and his team have been able to take the car around to some of the businesses and shops that supported the fundraising campaign to let them see the tangible difference their support has made. Paul adds: “The new car has also impressed those SCAS staff who have also been sent to the incidents we have attended in it – they are particularly impressed about the new Terrafix system it has. When I am using it as a CFR, the much improved response times are really noticeable. With the new Terrafix system, I simply press two buttons to acknowledge an incoming job and then I am immediately and automatically directed to the location of the incident with far greater accuracy than the previous SatNav I used.” Over in Bracknell, Brian and the CFR team have been equally impressed with their new
vehicle. Brian added: “Comments about the new vehicle as we have been using it in Bracknell have been very positive. SCAS crews especially have commented that if the DRV arrives first, they can see it clearly located near the attending address which provides them with a point of sight. Having the Terrafix system is also a huge positive and it’s far superior to what we have been used to. It’s ease of use enables us to acknowledge the job and automatically be switched to the mapping system. The accuracy of the maps is very impressive too; we no longer have to walk up and down streets trying to find house numbers. Our response time is far better as it enables us to arrive more quickly and exactly to the right address. More of our local CFRs are now being assessed to drive the vehicle so that it spends more time out covering our local area where the resource is needed.”
March 2017
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New Home for Reading’s First Stop Service SCAS has been an integral partner in the Reading First Stop project since it launched in December 2013. The project runs every Friday and Saturday night from 8pm to 3am in Reading Town Centre and provides medical care and safety advice to the public. Originally the services were hosted on a double decker bus parked on Broad Street, where first-aid trained volunteers worked alongside SCAS staff to look after people with a range of medical or emotional needs at a peak time of emergency service demand in the area. Specialist Paramedic Practitioner Manager, Penny Meadley, has been involved with the project since day one and completed numerous shifts on the First Stop bus.
March 2017
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Reading Street Pastors will be able to be more involved in the First Stop service at its new premises and there is also now space for Thames Valley Police Special Constables to maintain a discreet presence. As well as providing SCAS staff with more space to be able to treat patients, there are also further benefits as Penny explains.
“We are keen
to make the best use of the Minster to serve and support people in the town and we’re looking forward to joining forces with the First Stop team.”
“There has been an impression amongst some people”, says Penny, “that First Stop was for ‘regular drunks’, but that’s certainly not the case. In all the shifts I’ve done at First Stop I can genuinely say I don’t think I’ve seen the same patient twice. We obviously do see people who are worse for wear through alcohol but we also see plenty of people with minor injuries who have just been unlucky on a night out.” As well as Penny and her specialist paramedic colleagues treating patients, there are also times during the service’s operational hours when they can also be sent out to more serious medical emergencies locally using either one of the Trust’s rapid response vehicles or on foot. Thanks to the support of all the partners involved in the First Stop Service, on Friday 10 February the project officially moved in to its new permanent base at Reading Minster, Church of St Mary the Virgin. The Minster, which had successfully operated its own sanctuary scheme between 10pm and 2am on Saturday nights since early 2016, welcomed the chance to offer the First Stop project a permanent home. The Minister’s Reverend Stephen Pullin said: “We are keen to make the best use of the Minster to serve and support people in the town and we’re looking forward to joining forces with the First Stop team.”
“Because of the confines in terms of space on the old First Stop bus”, she says, “if there were any friends or family members of the patients we were looking after, they had to wait outside. Now they can be looked after too by other volunteers at the Minster – given a cup of tea, have somewhere to sit out of the way – whilst we get on with any treatment and being inside a building will certainly make it a warmer and more pleasant environment for everyone.” Since the First Stop project launched, around 1,000 people have been treated by Penny and the Specialist Paramedic Team from SCAS. Over 800 of these patients would have either gone to A&E directly or called 999 for an ambulance had the service not been there. There are therefore substantial financial and operational benefits, not just to SCAS but also to the local Royal Berkshire Hospital, in having the First Stop service in Reading town centre every Friday and Saturday night. Speaking at the launch on 10 February, Reading’s Lead Member for Neighbourhoods, Cllr Liz Terry, said: “The First Stop has helped keep people safe and well in the town centre for several years now. It is an asset to Reading’s night time economy and a credit to everyone involved, not least the dedicated team of volunteers. In its new location, with our new partners, we are confident we have found a way to make this service sustainable for the foreseeable future.” You can find out more about the First Stop project on its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FIRST-StopReading-506217386168345/
March 2017
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@old1joe 6 hours ago
@louhannan Jan 19
@jamietheh Feb 9
@SCAS999 thanks to the crew who came out to my wife last night in MK. No pressure having an #EEAST EMT there. Excellent & professional
Elliot & Zoe @SCAS999 what heroes you are. Our paramedics are truly incredible people #lovethenhs
@SCAS999 massive thanks to the Paramedics David & Helen whom did so much for my dad last night!!! #nhsangels #Legends
tweet tweet
@carra187 Feb 3
@hooperwoman Jan 22
Would like to say thank you to @SCAS999 @ HHFTnhs 4 looking after my son Elijah 2day! @NHSMillion
@SCAS999 incredible work in freezing conditions at RTC on Lambwood Hill last night
Here is a small selection of Tweets that we have recently received from our partners, stakeholders and the public. Click here to read more and to follow us!
@67JonC Feb 20 Big thanks to @SCAS999 crew last night who attended & thanks to nurses and staff at QA hosp for looking after my father in law last night
March 2017
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What our patients say about us 99 I would like to say a massive thank you to David, one of our amazing first responders, for his expert care and help on Monday. We really are so lucky to have such special and selfless people. 99 Looking to pass this on to Frank – he’s a wonderful paramedic or first responder who has now been called out to my father twice, the last time on 12 December in Burghfield. His actions on that date quite possibly saved my Dad’s life. Because of Frank, both of
his cardiac arrests were recorded and a pacemaker fitted the next day. If they hadn’t had that the hospital would have just sent him home to be monitored. 99 Just a quick email to say how much I enjoyed the Community Responder course at the weekend. Really comprehensive course and to be frank, I had never learnt so much in such a short period of time, which goes to show how well it was taught. Looking forward to the next stage in the process!.
99 The call was about my grandson, Ollie, sometime early afternoon between 1.30-2.30 (sorry, bit of a blur today). I rang 111 first. The ambulance staff were a tall man with a beard and a small, slim dark-haired lady. The paramedic was a grey haired older man (probably my age but I’m not telling!). All of them were just lovely and I would love them all to receive my thanks if possible. This morning Ollie is all back to normal and eating a roll as big as his head! Thank you all again – very best wishes
99 Please could you pass mine and my mum’s heartfelt thank you onto the Female Paramedic who attended my dad (In a RRV car) having a really bad Hypo on Friday 17/2/2017. I know it seems a bit late but I have only just found out about the incident from my mum. Mum said the lady was lovely and they chatted about me joining your ranks.
If you have been treated by SCAS, or used the NHS 111 service in this area and would like to send us your comments or compliments please email patientexperience@scas.nhs.uk
March 2017
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How are we doing?
Total 999 activity
Non conveyance
Non conveyance %
42,556
17,712
45.48%
Red 1 (8 mins)
Red 2 (8 mins)
Red 19
76.7%
75.5%
95.7%
NHS 111 calls answered
No. of NEPTS journeys
No. of CFR responses
97,942
41,955
1,392
February 17 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.
Red 2 - Red 2 calls are serious but less immediately time critical and cover conditions such as stroke and fits.
Non conveyance is the number of incidents we responded to where the patient was not taken to hospital.
NHS 111 calls answered is the number of calls answered through the non-emergency healthcare service.
Non conveyance % is the percentage of incidents we responded to where the patient was not taken to hospital.
CFR stands for Community First Responder.
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.
NEPTS stands for Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service.
March 2017
March
Twenty
Seventeen Please send articles, or ideas to communications@scas.nhs.uk along with any photos or images.
Wo rk
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oge
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Copy deadline for the next issue of Working Together is 26 May 2017
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