Working Together August 2014

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Caring | Team work | Professionalism | Innovation

TEAM WORK

AUGUST 2014

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REAL LIFE

ROMSEY TEENAGER REUNITED WITH CREW L REA E LIF

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AIR AMBULANCE CARRIES OUT FIRST BLOOD TRANSFUSION

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ANDY PEDALS FORWARD TO MEET CREWS WHO SAVED HIS LIFE

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LIFESAVING APP NOW ON ANDROID DEVICES

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WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT US

BRANSGORE PRIMARY SCHOOL RECEIVES LIFESAVING GIFT

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EXTRICATION TRAINING WITH RBFRS

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AT THE HART OF IT

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ROMSEY TEENAGER REUNITED WITH AMBULANCE STAFF WHO HELPED SAVE HIS LIFE

REAL LIFE Photo left to right: Emergency Care Practitioner > Susan May, Emergency Care Assistant > Stuart Simpson, Sam Mangoro, Technician > Perry Roles, and Clinical Team Leader > Morgan Sheppard.

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AUG 14

Romsey teenager Sam Mangoro kept a very special appointment at the start of his school holidays by meeting South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) staff who helped save his life.

Mountbatten School pupil, Sam, 16, suffered a cardiac arrest during a PE lesson in March this year. His PE teacher began CPR on Sam before being joined by colleagues to give Sam shocks from the school’s recently installed defibrillator.

SCAS emergency crews including quickly arrived on scene and continued to treat Sam and stabilise him before transporting him to Southampton General Hospital where he spent several weeks. Sam was initially put in a medically induced coma before being treated in intensive care and a cardiac ward. He has since has an internal defibrillator fitted to help prevent another cardiac arrest.

On 8 July, Sam, accompanied by his mum Lynda and his baby brother Elijah, travelled to Nursling Resource Centre where he chatted to some of the emergency frontline staff who treated him at the scene.

During his visit to Nursling, Sam presented staff with a thankyou card before having a tour around the vehicles and kit at the ambulance station. Sam said: “It was lovely to see the paramedics and crew who helped save my life. Though I have no memory of the day, it was nice to put faces to the stories I have been told, and to hear about the day from their perspective. They will have my eternal gratitude, I don’t even know if I would be here without them.”

Lynda explained: “On that day I remember having complete and utter faith that Sam was in the best hands as the crew put tubes down his throat and did what they needed to do.

They even managed to reassure and calm us, despite the gravity of the situation.

It was really a pleasure to meet the crew and say thank you to these wonderful people for what they did - making the decisions and taking the actions that ensured Sam not only survived, but did so with no lasting damage. I know paramedics are professionals - but they are people too, and I think it’s so important to acknowledge the wonderful work they do and the part they play in creating miracles every day. My husband, and I, and everyone who knows and loves Sam will be forever grateful.”

The reunion was equally as special for the SCAS crews.

Perry Roles, SCAS Technician, explained: “It was great to meet Sam looking so well and to speak to his mum. We don’t often get the chance to be reunited with patients post cardiac arrest so the meeting was very special in that respect. Attending and treating Sam on that day so quickly and effectively was thanks to fantastic teamworking not only from the bystanders but all the SCAS crews.”

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AIR AMBULANCE CARRIES OUT FIRST BLOOD TRANSFUSION On Thursday 17 April Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) crew carried out their first blood transfusion since they began carrying blood on board all flights. The patient was taken to Southampton General Hospital following a road traffic incident in the New Forest.

Using technology first utilised by the British military in Afghanistan, HIOWAA are able to store blood on board the helicopter at precisely the required temperature. The blood carried is type O negative, known as the ‘universal donor,’ which is safe to give to any patient. It is packed within a purpose designed cool box and electronically scanned to record patient details. The scanner prints a unique patient wrist band that ensures that the hospital team know that blood has been given, as well as the tracking details for the blood units. This data is wirelessly transmitted within the hospital onto the transfusion laboratory database.

SERV Wessex will transfer blood from Southampton General Hospital to HIOWAA at their air base in Thruxton every 48 hours as a free service to the charity. HIOWAA Chief Executive John Perry commented: “We are extremely grateful to SERV Wessex for giving up their time to help make this new development possible and for their commitment to helping save patient lives.”

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University Hospital Southampton Blood Transfusion Department (UHS BTD) have been committed to this exciting development from the start and have agreed to supply blood to HIOWAA three times per week.

This involves strict checks of the blood to ensure it is compatible and quality control testing of the equipment to ensure that the blood remains safe whilst awaiting the call to attend a patient. Any blood that is not used within 48 hours is returned to UHS BTD where it can re-enter their supply chain and therefore avoid any wastage of this precious resource.

Doctor David Sutton, recently appointed to the newly created role of Clinical Governance Lead for HIOWWA, commented: “This important step forward for HIOWAA could not have happened without the dedicated support of the University Hospital Southampton Blood Transfusion Department (UHS BTD), SERV Wessex and of course, members of the public who make regular blood donations.”

AUG 14

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AT THE HART OF IT MICHELLE ARCHER Having headed back to base it’s not long before our next incident comes in. This time we’re off to a caravan park and we have reports that it is starting to flood. A different incident and potentially another set of skills required. Again we’re off under emergency conditions. This time we’re lucky to be in a 4x4 as the track, not road, that leads to the address is bumpy and filled with pot holes and it really isn’t obvious that we’re heading in the right direction. Map reading is not my strong suit but between Rich and the rest of the HART team in the other two vehicles, and a very helpful member of the public we are on track and making steady progress to the site.

When we arrive we find that the fire service’s water rescue team are already there and have identified those members of the public who need rescuing from their caravans. Rich lends me a pair of wellies and then, along with Daryl and Dave, get into their water kit while Jack liaises with the fire officer in charge.

We’re updated, fortunately no-one has been injured but around 9 people and their dogs are requiring rescue. Daryl and Dave are off, into the waist high water with wooden poles to search for any hidden dangers under water. At this point it’s worth remembering that no-one should be walking through any water without understanding and assessing of what might lies beneath. Flood water can mean that drain covers may have moved leaving open drains and garden ornaments become hazards without the appropriate precautions. Dave and Daryl speak to some of the occupants of the caravans confirming that no-one is injured and not everyone actually wants rescuing!

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They assist the fire service with their last rescues and that’s another job well done.

Time for a disinfecting shower down (there’s horrible things in flood water!) They take the water kit off and put normal uniform back on and tidy the kit they have used. It’s a brave paramedic that takes their ‘kit’ off for all to see but the ladies near by don’t seem too unhappy.

We’re clear from that incident and we head back to station, fingers crossed it’s time for lunch, I’m getting quite peckish. We park up and instead of heading into the station I head to the sandwich / burger van, and put my order in. But before I know it (and before my food is ready) Rich is out telling me we’re off to another incident. Lunch will wait as we’re told that a patient is unconscious and that we must be prepared that the patient could be more serious than the call suggests.

The Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) assist us with the location we’re heading to and it’s at this point that Rich asks how I am at CPR…gulp! Um well I have had some training recently on defibs and the recovery position but to put this into practice in a real life situation is somewhat different. Thankfully that wasn’t to be and I can breathe a sigh of relief. Although the patient clearly isn’t well it’s not as bad as we first fear. Phew! Rich starts with his observations and asks some questions about what’s happened today and about the patient’s medical history. The ambulance crew Andrew and Lorna arrive and between them try to get to the bottom of what’s happened today.

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Having properly assessed the patient and having taken a number of observations, (that mean not too much to me), we see that the patient seems to be perking up. A decision is made that the patient is best off being seen by the GP and the ambulance crew are on their way. The patient and their family were lovely and Rich and the crew were seemingly so calm‌not quite what was going on in my head! Having made all the arrangements, packed up the equipment again and said our goodbyes we’re on our way again and fingers crossed back to base for lunch!

When we arrive back at base some of the other HART team members have also responded to an incident in the same road where a man had a medical episode.

Finally it’s time for lunch and a chance to catch up with emails, and some education.

Dave is new to HART and so Daryl (Team educator) is taking time to go through some things with him. HART team members have to keep accurate records of their training and skills and it must be kept up to date.

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Whilst some of the team do this, Jack is down in the stores talking with the fleet department and vehicle dealerships to arrange some vehicle servicing. Unlike other parts of the ambulance service, HART do not have spare vehicles and therefore they have to keep their vehicles on the road for the maximum amount of time possible. Most of their vehicle servicing is done overnight or planned well in advance to ensure the fleet remain safe and well maintained.

Like most I have work to get on with, so I try and get my head down and tackle some emails as well as yet more questions from me to the team.

d e u n i t n o c e b o T

AUG 14

Read more about Michelle’s day with the HART team in the next issue of Working Together

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ANDY PEDALS FORWARD TO MEET CREWS WHO SAVED HIS LIFE SCAS crews were reunited with Cadnam resident Andy Puntis whose life they saved following a cardiac arrest.

REAL LIFE

Graphic Artist Andy, 55, who has been a lifelong bike enthusiast riding three and a half thousand miles a year, collapsed whilst cycling on his push bike in a busy pedestrian area of Totton, Southampton on 24 March.

Thanks to early bystander CPR from passing neighbour Penny Lilley, along with offduty police officer Paula Symes and quick attendance from SCAS land and air ambulance crews, Andy is here to tell the tale.

Since the incident, Andy is making a steady recovery and has had an internal defibrillator fitted.

The reunion at Winchester and Eastleigh Resource Centre on 15 July was poignant not just for Andy and his family, but the crews who helped him too.

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Andy said: “I had no idea how very lucky I was to survive this incident. We can’t even begin to think what life would have been like without the prompt actions of all those involved on that day, thank you can never be enough.”

I HAD NO IDEA HOW VERY LUCKY I WAS TO SURVIVE THIS INCIDENT

Jude Millar, Team Leader SW14, added: “It was an honour and a privilege to meet Andy and his lovely family. I was so pleased to see him looking so well and for me that was a special moment.

“There was a huge team effort on that day from the bystanders who stopped to help, SCAS crews including the HART team and the Hampshire and IOW Air Ambulance who all contributed to saving Andy’s life and I am very proud to be part of that team. I wish Andy and his family all the very best for the future.”

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SCAS HELPING TO DRIVE HOME THE DRINK DRIVE MESSAGE IN MILTON KEYNES Over the last few months we have been working in partnership with Thames Valley Police, Skyline Private Hire Taxis, Milton Keynes Hackney Carriage Association 2011 and Fenny Stratford nightclub Pink Punters to create a poster campaign to remind those on a night out in Milton Keynes not to drink drive.

The posters have been put up inside and outside of the Pink Punters venue, and have been distributed to local media in the Milton Keynes area.

Milton Keynes experienced a 90 per cent increase in the number of people being arrested for drink driving just eight days into the 2013/ 14 Christmas anti-drink drive campaign. Local nightclub Pink Punters was keen to do what it could to dissuade party goers from drink driving so came up with the initiative.

SCAS area manager, Vicky Holliday, said: “We are always delighted to get involved in initiatives with residents groups and local businesses that promote safety and wellbeing in the local community, and this poster campaign is a great example.

“Under no circumstance should anyone ever drink and drive and the potential impact on the individual and innocent parties can change lives forever, so we’re fully behind what Pink Punters are trying to achieve with this campaign”.

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AUG 14

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SCAS recently teamed up with Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) to undergo valuable training in Road Traffic Collision (RTC) extrications.

The day long exercise in Maidenhead involved SCAS’s red team from Wexham Park Resource Centre (WPRC) and RBFRS crews from Maidenhead and Langley.

The aim of the training was to offer unusual extrication scenarios so that SCAS and RBFRS can work collaboratively and practice helping injured patients whose conditions quickly deteriorate.

One car was placed on its roof and another on its side so that the crews could remove and treat patients with varying emergency needs including cardiac arrest.

Neil Durrant, Team Leader at WPRC, said: “We listened to staff opinion on team training time and staff fed back that they wanted practice in unusual RTC extrications.

“We have a good relationship with RBFRS with our cover points at Maidenhead and Langley so we thought the training exercise would give us an ideal opportunity to discuss each scenario as they unfolded as well as having the chance to debrief together afterwards.

“The day offered staff valuable scene management experience and was really well received by all involved.”

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AUG 14 A great day, very beneficial. We were able to build better relationships with the Fire Service and had good fun.

Anita Urry, Paramedic

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Members of the SCAS red team with firefighters from Maidenhead fire station

A great training session!

The most enjoyable part was working as a team and seeing how the fire brigade train and operate.

Simon Wetenhall, Paramedic

The training session helped me appreciate how we both have different roles at an RTC, but that by working effectively together we can benefit and care for our patients in their time of need.

Ruth Cullen, Ambulance Technician

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Really great to spend time with the fire service undertaking valuable RTC practice. A great learning opportunity & great fun.

Debbie Brown, Ambulance Nurse

AUG 14

YOUNG HENRY WINS ‘YOUNG HERO AWARD’ AT SOUTH BUCKS DISTRICT COUNCIL CHAIRMAN’S AWARDS Most seven year olds might panic when something happens to one of their parents, but not little Henry Neenan. When Henry’s father had a diabetic fit at their home in Farnham Common, Henry remained calm and was able to call 999 and let our crew in when they arrived. Henry was extremely brave in the scariest of situations, and for his actions was nominated in the ‘Young Hero’ category at the South Bucks District Council Chairman’s award 2014.

Henry was selected as the winner in the category and received his award from Chairman Cllr Santokh Chhokar at a ceremony in Stoke Poges. Henry also received a SCAS ‘super special’ certificate for being so brave, and was presented with this by Emergency Services Manager Mark Begley.

Well done Henry!

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Photo by Daniel Poole - www.flickr.com/photos/isleofwightboy-/

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AUG 14

HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT AIR AMBULANCE Since launching in July 2007, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) has responded to 5,150 call-outs across the SCAS region, helping countless patients in emergency situations.

SCAS Communications and Events Officer Catherine Morrow met with staff on a rainy day in early May at their base at Thruxton airfield to get an insight into what it’s like to work for the HIOWAA. It was very quickly evident of how, in the last seven years, HIOWAA’s Helimed 56 has undoubtedly gone from strength to strength, not only with the clinical procedures that can be carried out on board by HEMS staff to enhance patient care and experience, but the continuous awareness of how vital and valuable the air ambulance is within SCAS. Capabilities Arguably some misconceptions exist in that the HIOWAA is there to purely transport patients because of its speed and accessibility but this really isn’t the case.

With the aim of having a doctor and paramedic on board each flight to ensure a high level of expertise, the typical clinical capability and procedures of Helimed 56 have naturally evolved and expanded – the most recent being that blood is now carried on board.

Blood transfusions have already been given to HAIOWAA patients, offering them the urgent, life-saving care they need in the air before they reach hospital.

HEMS staff regularly carry out emergency anaesthesia, sedation and analgesia and often provide advanced pain relief with drugs such as ketamine. They also perform chest drains and advanced surgical procedures for trauma patients such as open heart massage.

During my visit, I was lucky enough to be shown inside Helimed 56

by HIOWAA doctor Simon Hughes hearing how, amongst the HEMS equipment in the compact cabin sits the LUCAS2 machine.

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Photo courtesy of Matt Bell - www.flickr.com/kertappa

The LUCAS2, which some rapid response vehicles also carry, can perform heart compressions instead of the doctor and paramedic required to do them manually, allowing them to continue to treat the patient in other ways.

The ultrasound machine can come to the fore in detecting sites of internal bleeding and diagnosing other complaints or injuries that could be hidden internally.

Another misconception can emerge when Helimed 56 is offline due to bad weather or maintenance.

In these instances, the crew are out in the car working from a Winchester base. When the crew isn’t called out on jobs, then they are training and updating their clinical skills.

Training HEMS Team Leader Fraser Rowbotham outlined how flight paramedics undergo extra training such as Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) training and the HEMS Crew Course (HCC).

HEMS training ensures that the paramedics are skilled in aeronautical aspects such medicine in flight, meteorological and navigation elements as well as crew resource management regarding aircraft safety.

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There is also the HEMS Crew Course (HCC) which covers medical aspects including the administration of ketamine, midazolam and blood, Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI), pharmacology of anaesthetic drugs and in depth trauma management.

Fraser explained: “We are now capable of delivering a high standard of care to critically ill patients. We have undoubtedly made a difference to so many patients, which is testament not only to the Charity, the Trust and our colleagues on the road, but the dedication of the HEMS teams. Training is the vital component, making us ever ready to respond when time counts.”

Partnership working HIOWAA works really effectively with the neighbouring Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance, supporting each other on jobs when required - whether it’s down to geographical, patient or resource demands.

Speaking to HIOWAA paramedic John Gamblin it’s clear that HEMS staff really value referrals from crews. John explained how HEMS are actively encouraging crews to make referrals to them within the call out procedure in order to maximise the scope of care available to patients who may require the HIOWAA.

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HEMS staff would much rather be approached early for potential jobs as it’s really important that they are dispatched as soon as possible for likely trauma and non-trauma jobs.

Unsurprisingly, the rain didn’t let up, so the crew were preparing to go out on the car as my visit came to an end.

Photos courtesy of Matt Bell - www.flickr.com/kertappa

I left Thruxton being really impressed with the professionalism of the HEMS crews and the capabilities of the HIOWAA, excited for the next phase of its future. Here’s to the next seven years!

For more information on HIOWAA, visit www.hiow-airambulance.org.uk Did you know that Helimed 56…? ›› Can land in an area the size of tennis court ›› Built up areas are not an issue for landing ›› Can be airborne within four minutes ›› Can reach most Hampshire locations within 15 minutes ›› Flies at 140mph ›› Attends an average of 3 jobs every day Main call outs: ›› Road Traffic Collisions; Trauma of all kinds; Medical emergencies; Cardiac arrests; Drownings; Remote area incidents.

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AUG 14 MANDATORY DISPATCH OF HIOWAA RTC ›› High speed/head on/motorbike RTC ›› Patients ejected from vehicle ›› Associated fatality ›› Patients trapped Trauma ›› Severe burns over 20% or facial ›› Penetrating injuries to head, chest, abdomen Medical ›› Paediatric cardiac arrest Other ›› Near drowning ›› Any major paediatric trauma ›› Paediatric emergency requiring paramedic skills

POSSIBLE DISPATCH OF HIOWAA Trauma ›› Falls over 6m (adult) or 3m (child) ›› Limb paralysis or amputation Medical ›› Adult cardiac arrest requiring additional back up ›› Chest pains with known cardiac arrest ›› Stroke with less than 3hrs onset Other ›› Crew request on clinical grounds ›› Off road/isolated locations ›› Major incident in the SCAS area

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Mike Jukes with pupuls of the school and the AED

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AUG 14

BRANSGORE PRIMARY SCHOOL RECEIVES LIFE SAVING GIFT A very generous donor has given funding to provide Bransgore Primary School with its own life saving defibrillator. The donor, who does not wish to be identified, gave the money to the local Community First Responder group in Bransgore with a specific request that they provide the defibrillator for the school. The donor, whose children had attended the school in the past, had seen the press stories of how a defibrillator saved the life of a school boy in Portsmouth and another man at a leisure facility in Eastleigh.

Bransgore Responder group co-ordinator Mike Jukes said: “When the donor approached us and offered to pay for the defibrillator we were very happy to help make it happen. We know a defibrillator, available promptly in cases of cardiac arrest, can help save a life.

The current campaign to see defibrillators in schools is one we wholeheartedly support and promote locally.

Nic Morecroft, Community Responder Manager for Hampshire said: “I would like to thank the donor for providing such an important piece of emergency equipment that we know can and does save lives and we would like to see Automated External Defibrillators in all schools in Hampshire. We look forward to assisting the school and working alongside the Bransgore Community Responder scheme to helpget this AED up and running.”

The defibrillator will be kept available and ready for use in the school and should it ever be required, staff are able to use it.

Head Teacher of Bransgore Primary School, Paul Brown, said: “This is such a considerate and valuable gift. This equipment means that our school, and the village in general is a safer place to be. Strangely, this is one resource that we hope doesn’t ever need to be used and will gather dust. On behalf of the whole school and governing body I should like to thank our donor for such a wonderful contribution to our school community.”

The defibrillator was handed over to the school at a special assembly. The Community Responders will help staff become familiar with the defibrillator, along with the opportunity to practice their CPR skills with some special training equipment they have been loaned.

Anyone interested in the free Heartstart training should contact the British Heart Foundation for details of their nearest scheme by calling 0300 330 3311. If you are interested in becoming a Community First Responder in Bransgore, Burley, Sopley or Ringwood or elsewhere in Hampshire please visit www.bransgorecommunityresponders.org.uk.

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COULD YOU BE ONE OF OUR NEXT STAFF OR PUBLIC GOVERNORS? GOVERNOR

GOVERNOR

GOVERNOR

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GOVERNOR

GOVERNOR

AUG 14 “ Since being elected a Public Governor, I have benefited from the policy of commencing informal service early for a “lead in” period that includes Governor training during the two months prior to appointment date. My aim is to develop my Berkshire constituency engagement progra mme in order to further publicise the Ambulance Service work, demands and to grow Trust membership ”.

Ian Ha mmond Public Governor Berkshire

SCAS will hold again a Governors election this autumn for governors in constituencies where the current three-year appointments will expire at the end of next February and new threeyear appointments are required.

The Trust is keen to increase the number of our members who cast their votes and of those who put themselves forward as governors.

“ New Governors need not be worried about what is expected of them since the Service offers excellent training and workshops prior to taking on the full role. Experience and confidence are quickly gained and there are lots of opportunities to obtain continuous training in order to gain personal improvement ”.

Mike Shread Public Governor Oxfordshire

“ I have been able to spend some time in the Emergency Operations Centre and have tried to share this experience within my constituency at every opportunity. It has often come as a surprise when I tell people how much there is going on everyday so that when they need to call 111 or 999 there will be someone, willing and able to expertly respond to their needs ”.

Jon Cotterell Public Governor Ha mpshire One of the most exciting parts of being a Foundation Trust is being accountable to our staff and public members instead of to the Department of Health.

Through a Council of Governors that represents our members and partner organisations, we have an opportunity to encourage greater staff and public involvement in shaping the future of the Trust.

We welcome applications to both public and staff governor roles.

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“ I was recently elected and the thought of being a governor of such an important organisation was daunting, yet I felt a need to support the South Central Ambulance Service. I have found that being a governor of SCAS involves a whole new set of ideas and I would say that so far I have a superficial understanding but I have been made to feel that my ideas are taken seriously ”.

Dave Johnson Public Governor Bucks “Any good governance model provides for challenge and scrutiny, to ensure that ideas and decisions are properly thought through and tested before implementation. The Governors fulfill this role, bringing an added layer of scrutiny to the Board, often asking difficult questions, raising issues from a different perspective and cha mpioning the voice of our prime stakeholders – the patients”.

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Claire Carless Non-Executive Director

“ I ha pe rs pe ve fou n d ba ck g ct ive s a n t h e dif fe r g o ve rn rou n d s o f d dive rs e e nt t h e qu o rs h a ve ou r a s k ed e st io n s t ho ft e n m ea h e l p f u u s a s a B e y h a ve nt m e t o l a n d o ft oa rd a re ou r s e t hi n k dif e n ch a lle ve ry rv ice s fe re nt l n g e a n d p y a bo u Al a st la ns ” t .

N on- Ea i r Mit ch x e cut i e ll-Ba ve D i r k e r e ct o r

TO FIND OUT MORE, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE WHERE THERE ARE DETAILS OF THE GOVERNOR ROLE AND A GOVERNOR’S HANDBOOK.

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HOW DO I APPLY? If you wish to stand for election as either a staff or public governor, or would like further information, please email getinvolved@scas.nhs.uk.

Make your mark - cast your vote.

It’s easy to show you care about your ambulance service. Simply ensure that you vote at this autumn’s Governors election.

WE CARE, DO YOU? This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone interested in the future of local health services and, in particular of the ambulance service, to put themselves forward as governor and make a difference. Register your interest NOW by emailing getinvolved@scas.nhs.uk.

Public members Keep an eye on our website, your local press and our summer issue of Foundation Times (out mid August) for all those important dates!

Staff members Information and reminders will be sent to you via Staff Matters and the intranet.

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LIFESAVING APP NOW ON ANDROID DEVICES As part of its ongoing ‘Start a Heart’ campaign, South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) NHS Foundation Trust is pleased to announce that the lifesaving AED Locator app that finds the nearest Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) is now available for Android phones and tablets.

Thanks to developer Burtoogle we now have an Android and Apple app that the public can access on their phones. Our app uses GPS functionality to show where the nearest AED is as well as a list of other AEDs in the area.

The app, which identifies over 800 AEDs in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire, could help local people save the life of a person suffering sudden cardiac arrest.

As well as providing clear and simple guidance on how to perform CPR on adults, children and infants (including hands-only CPR), the app uses GPS functionality to show where the nearest AED is as well as a list of other AEDs in the area.

Remember, the first thing to do in any real emergency is to ring 999.

Use the icons below to download the correct version for your device.

Not only does it provide the building name and exact address of the nearest AED, but also informs users exactly where in the building the AED is located. SCAS is working on identifying which of these is available 24 hours a day and this will be part of the apps ongoing development.

Professor Charles Deakin, SCAS Divisional Medical Director (Hampshire) and Chair of the Advanced Life Support Committee, European Resuscitation Council, said: “Statistics show that in cases of sudden cardiac arrest outside hospital, only 1 in 10 people survive. However, when bystanders provide CPR and use automated external defibrillators (AEDs) before emergency medical services personnel arrive, as many as 4 in 10 victims survive.

iPad

iPhone Google Play Store

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“This innovative new app from South Central Ambulance Service is therefore a real lifesaver. Modern AEDs are incredibly simple to use - even a child could do it - and the ability of people to be more confident in giving CPR and to quickly locate their nearest AED and use it on a person suffering a suspected cardiac arrest could save thousands of lives each year.”

Mark Ainsworth-Smith, Consultant Pre-Hospital Care Practitioner at SCAS: “Over the past year, voluntary ambulance staff, businesses, community groups and charities have been busy raising the £1850 it costs to buy each AED. We would encourage the public to let us know of any new AED locations or indeed if they wish to purchase an AED for their community.

We can then make sure that it is included in the AED location information that we hold.

As a result, we now have over 800 NHS approved locations of AEDs across our four counties.

“The final piece of the jigsaw was to create a free, easy to use tool that lets people find their nearest one in an emergency - and the App we have developed does exactly that.”

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What others say about us They were brilliant and I wanted to express our appreciation for these guys who do such a wonderful job We are also so grateful to the paramedics that came to our house, they were fantastic and cant thank you all enough for what you all did that afternoon

You were both so patient and kind with him and made us feel that he was in safe hands The carer said the crew went out of their way, they were professional throughout and he couldn’t fault them.

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They deserve all the appreciation and credit for being absolutely wonderful

I do hope you all know how valuable you are + the work you do is amazing. Thank you so so much

I was so scared and you were so nice and caring to me, it really helped me stay calm

We only have thanks for all those involved and congratulate you on your excellent service

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HOW WE’RE DOING JUNE 2014 FIGURES TOTAL 999 ACTIVITY

42,258

111 CALLS ANSWERED

92,862 NON CONVEYANCE

NON CONVEYANCE %

17,126

44.45%

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.

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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.

AUG 14 RED 1 [8 mins]

76.88% RED 2 [8 mins]

71.69%

RED 1 [19 mins]

98.40% RED 2 [19 mins]

95.27%

CFR RESPONSES

3,268

PTS JOURNEYS

32,535 111 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.

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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY DATE

EVENT

VENUE

Saturday 13 September

Oxford Open Doors

Oxford City Centre All day

Sunday 14 September

Warren Hall Fete

Warren Hall Micheldever, Hampshire Afternoon

Annual General Meeting and Wednesday 24 Members Meeting/Health and September partners Fair

The Gateway Conference Centre, Aylesbury, Bucks All day

Friday 17 October

Patient satisfaction survey Roadshow - Slough

Queensmere Observatory, Berkshire All day

Sat 18 Oct

Fareham 999 Day

Fareham, Hampshire All day

13,178

Foundation Trust membership

13,000

42

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

or ou f y t nk Tha suppor your mbers! me

AUG 14

TWEET US @ s ca s 999

TWEET TWEET ion of Tweets ct le se ll a sm a is re e H y received tl n ce re ve a h e w t a th akeholders st , rs e n rt a p r u o m o fr k here to read lic C . lic b u p e th d n a us! more and to follow

JordanHearne Jul 09, 11:23pm Massive thanks and respect for @ SCAS999 Ambulance Service tonight.

Thank you x

dogmanxd27 Jul 15, 4:47pm An event today has reinforced my admiration for @SCAS999 - take my hat off to you

kajhartley May 19, 4:40pm @SCAS999 thanks to the responder who came out to the aid of the elderly lady in Holmer green today.

He was so nice and professional

44

AUG 14 royjones78 Jul 05, 10:24pm great response from the @SCAS999 team. when a young lady needed medical assistance in poundland #andover. hope she is better now

5,l1o3we7rs fol

svperry11 Jun 26, 10:23am Just wanted to say @SCAS999 how amazing emma and jack were in the ambulance yesterday in Oxford. Quick & Great patient care! #verygrateful

emmafreyne Jun 28, 8:31pm Great support from my @SCAS999 colleagues when I became ill at work, very supportive, you are great

Follow us on Twitter @SCAS999 www.twitter.com/SCAS999

45

The Communications team is always keen to promote stories in Working Together. Please email any news, stories or comments to: communications@scas.nhs.uk

4

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust Units 7-8 Talisman Business Centre Talisman Road Bicester OX26 6HR

JULY

www.scas.nhs.uk

15 AUG

DEADLINE for copy for the next issue: 15 August.

Please keep articles under 250 words.

Design Âť Ben Hennessy - ben.hennessy@scas.nhs.uk