Working Together July 2017

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South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

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Maisie’s amazing recovery July Twenty Seventeen

July 2017

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Maisie’s amazing recovery 4

Three Peaks Challenge team raise £13,000 for SCAS charity 34

Non-injury falls and welfare check pilot 10

SCAS serves

by Royal Command 30

Nick’s quick actions help save a man’s life 42

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Maisie’s amazing recovery

On 24 April 2017, Emergency Call Taker Liam Purdy, Emergency Dispatcher Marcia Cann and Paramedic Lee Mude, were delighted to meet Maisie GoddenHall and her family at the offices of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance on Thruxton Aerodrome.

Liam, Marcia and Lee were all part of the SCAS team that responded on 3 November 2016 when Maisie had an accident as she cycled to school and ended up on the road underneath a car.

Her brother Morgan, cycled passed the incident a little later on his way to college, not knowing at that time it was his sister who was being treated.

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“I remember that the caller on the initial 999 call I took was quite panicked”, said Liam, who has been working for SCAS as an emergency call taker for around 18 months. “In such an instance, it’s important that I be quite firm and take control of the call so that I get the information I need: what has happened, to whom and what condition are they in.”

The fact that SCAS’ clinical co-ordination centre received three emergency 999 calls in total all relating to Maisie’s incident was another indication that something very serious had happened.

With the original caller reporting to Liam that a young girl was trapped underneath a car, it did not take long for him to quickly get the details he needed and for Marcia to immediately dispatch an ambulance and a paramedic team leader to the scene. Paramedic Matthew Jarman, on SCAS’ Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Desk, also immediately dispatched the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance due to the seriousness of the accident.

First at the scene of the accident in Waterlooville was the ambulance crewed

by Lee, Emergency Care Assistant, Ian Oakshott, and Student Paramedic, Emily Thompson, which arrived less than five minutes after the first 999 call.

“We had obviously been updated by Marcia as we travelled to the scene so we knew it was a serious accident”, recalls Lee. “All I could see as Ian and I were pulling up was a pair of shoes and white socks under a car. I was out of the ambulance so quickly I think it was probably still moving. I dove underneath the vehicle straightaway and relied on Ian and Emily to then pass me equipment and supplies as I initially began assessing Maisie.”

Dr Chris Hill, SCAS Paramedic Tom Bellchambers and Pilot Stu Mayor visit Maisie in hospital

Paramedic Team Leader, Garry Bull, arrived in a rapid response car soon afterwards and knowing that the air ambulance was also in the air and on the way, the team decided to initially do what they could for Maisie whilst leaving her under the vehicle.

Lee continues, “Of course, it’s very difficult to assess a patient in that situation, but even though it was obvious she was badly injured she was stable. Her breathing was ok and I stayed with her, giving her something for the pain and to help calm her down. It was frightening for me so it must have been even worse for poor Maisie.”

On board the helicopter were Dr Chris Hill, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at University Hospital Southampton, and SCAS HEMS Paramedic Tom Bellchambers, who had been flown to the scene by Pilot Stu Mayer. Once on scene, Maisie was carefully lifted out from underneath the car and received further treatment before being prepared for the flight to the major trauma centre at University Hospital Southampton (UHS).

July 2017

Dr Hill added, “It’s a 12 minute flight from Waterlooville to UHS, rather than a 40 minute road trip. We provided lots of reassurance to Maisie on the flight, keeping her calm and carefully monitoring her condition to make sure it didn’t worsen.”

On arrival at the emergency department, hospital staff began immediately treating Maisie’s multiple injuries. These included a broken pelvis (in three places), a broken collar bone and major facial injuries, including losing a number of teeth. She spent four weeks in hospital and initially had to use first a wheelchair and then crutches to get around.

Jane and Garry, Maisie’s parents, are so happy that they always insisted that Maisie and her brother, Morgan, could only go out on their bikes if they were wearing their cycle helmets. “When we

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were given the helmet after the accident”, says Jane, “I couldn’t believe how damaged it was. It was cracked, dented and had even melted in places due to the force of the collision between Maisie, the car and the road.”

“I have no doubt that is what saved her life that day”, adds Garry. “We still can’t believe it when we see children cycling on our roads without wearing one.”

Raising awareness of the importance of cycling with a helmet is something the family are very passionate about, along with raising money for their local air ambulance charity. Maisie’s school organised a sponsored run with all children in the school running one mile.

She was able to present a cheque for £800 to the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance at a special assembly, attended by Dr Hill.

Having met the air ambulance team in hospital and at her school, Maisie was also very keen to meet some of the other ambulance staff who came to her aid – and in particular, Lee. She doesn’t remember a great deal about the accident but she did remember Lee stayed with her underneath the car until the air ambulance arrived.

“Once she was on board the helicopter and it had taken off”, says Lee, “that was the last we’d all heard about Maisie.

We obviously see a lot of patients but there are some, like Maisie, who you never forget.”

Marcia adds, “It’s always in the back of our minds how did things work out for those patients we know are seriously ill or very badly injured, and most of the time we never get to find out. So it’s been really nice for all of us today to come

along and see Maisie and see how well she’s doing now.”

“We are so thankful to you all for what you did for Maisie” says Jane.

“She has found the pace of her recovery frustrating as she was a very active child – running, cycling, netball, and gymnastics.

At the end of March she was given the all clear to start doing gymnastics and all her other sports again and that has made such a difference to her.”

“She’s literally coming on in leaps and bounds!” adds Dad, Garry, as Maisie performs another series of tumbles and jumps in the helicopter hanger to show just how amazing her recovery has been.

Following the meeting, Maisie was fully signed off by her orthopaedic consultant in June.

“It’s a 12 minute flight from Waterlooville to UHS, rather than a 40 minute road trip. We provided lots of reassurance to Maisie on the flight, keeping her calm and carefully monitoring her condition to make sure it didn’t worsen.”

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Some of SCAS’ Community First Responders (CFRs) are currently taking part in a three-month pilot to respond to non-injury falls patients. The CFRs will be sent to appropriate calls which have been assessed by paramedics or nurses on the Clinical Support Desk (CSD) within SCAS’ Clinical Coordination Centres, and identified as a patient who is not injured and only has a requirement for moving and handling. The pilot also involves CFRs attending silent alarm calls from care lines, where we need to respond but not necessarily with an emergency ambulance.

On average, SCAS receives around 180 calls a day relating to a patient who has fallen – that’s over 65,000 calls a year.

Non-injury falls and welfare check pilot

Nic Morecroft, Lead Community Response Manager, said: “The pilot is designed to see how we can change the dynamics of our response and reduce demand on our overall frontline operations. The CFRs that attend these non-injury, ‘Green’ calls are able to be the eyes and ears on the ground for the CSD and, by carrying out a full set of observations on the patient, can identify any ‘red flags’ to the CSD clinicians immediately.”

The pilot is being carried out in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and South East Hampshire by 21 CFR schemes.

The schemes taking part have access to 42 direct response vehicles or other liveried vehicles (i.e. the vehicles are owned by SCAS or the South Central Ambulance Charity and are not the CFR’s own vehicle) and three of the vehicles are equipped with Mangar ELK Lifting Cushions (Winslow, Bucks; Swallowfield, Berks; dedicated Falls Vehicle, SE Hampshire). The ELK is a compact, battery powered lifting cushion that allows someone who is on the floor to be supported and brought carefully into a raised seated position ready to stand.

“By using the ELK,” adds Nic, “it is possible for the CFRs to safely get a patient up from the floor. Currently, due to high demand on our 999 service, there can be a delay at peak times in getting an ambulance to a patient who has been triaged as a non-injury fall and who is inside their own home or care home, and the delay can sometimes mean the patient remains on the floor if there is no one else able to help them get back. This pilot means that patients in that situation can be safely lifted off the floor much more quickly.”

Another innovation being used in the pilot is the use of Skype technology enabling the paramedic or nurse on the CSD to have a ‘face-to-face’ conversation with the patient. The Skype for Business platform allows video conferencing to take place between the CSD clinician and the patient using the CFR’s smartphone.

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Once at the scene, the CFR carries out a National Early Warning Score (NEWS) assessment of the patient.

This involves checking a number of key observations such as temperature, heart rate, respiration rate and level of consciousness. The results are scored according to a national set of guidelines and the results will then show up as either posing low, medium or high clinical risk. If any medium or high clinical risk ‘red flags’ are triggered, the CSD will then decide on the most appropriate course of action which may include dispatching an ambulance or rapid response vehicle to the scene.

Early results indicate that the pilot scheme will have a significant impact on SCAS’ frontline operations. From 1 May to 25 June, CFRs attended 57 noninjury falls incidents and only 11 patients needed to be conveyed to hospital; over the same period CFRs attended 137 concern for welfare incidents and only 21 patients needed to be conveyed to hospital. Previously, all the incidents attended would have seen a rapid response vehicle or ambulance sent to the patient as the first response.

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Nic concludes, “There will of course be more detailed analysis of the results of the pilot once it finishes at the end of July, but these results suggest were we to roll out the scheme across the South Central region, it would have a hugely beneficial impact for SCAS. Not only is it utilising more of the skills and resources within our community responder schemes, but it should significantly reduce the number of ambulances that we send to these calls, thus leaving those resources free to respond more quickly to more appropriate calls. The use of the Skype for Business technology also gives a better patient experience as they can see the clinician they are talking to, and from a clinical perspective, it allows the paramedic or nurse on the CSD to gain a greater insight into the patient’s condition and therefore make more informed clinical decisions.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about the pilot should contact fallsandwelfarefeedback@scas.nhs.uk

The pilot in practice – Winslow & Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire Steve Acton, CFR Winslow, and Peter Cooper, CFR Aylesbury, have both been responding to non-injury falls and silent alarm calls during the trial.

“Between us, we’ve probably been to around 20 calls”, says Steve. “These are a mixture of non-injury falls and welfare check calls.”

The two CFRs are often assigned to the same non-injury fall incident as they provide medical cover in neighbouring areas, and it requires two people to be able to help get a patient up from the floor using the ELK. Both Steve and Peter have undertaken additional training regarding medical observations so that they can undertake a thorough initial assessment of the patient.

Peter adds, “We are very happy to attend these type of incidents as they’re within our scope as CFRs and with the additional training we’re able to do more, so it’s nice to be able to provide that additional service to our communities and free up some ambulance crews to respond to more needy patients.”

The ELK lifting cushions cost between £900-£1,200 (dependent upon model used) and both Steve and Peter hope that the trial demonstrates the value of ensuring that all liveried CFR vehicles are equipped with these devices.

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The pilot in practice – Swallowfield, Berkshire Gary Clark, CFR & Scheme Co-ordinator, and Barry Davis, CFR, have been responding to falls and welfare concern 999 calls within the Swallowfield area and beyond during the trial. In total, the Swallowfield CFR team has responded to over 30 such incidents during the pilot, the vast majority of which have been noninjury falls.

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“It’s great to be able to get people off the floor more quickly”, adds Barry.

“They are very grateful when we’re able to get there quickly than might have been the case had they had to wait for an ambulance, which can sometimes get diverted to patients more seriously injured or ill.”

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“Overall, we are very pleased to have been involved in the trial”, says Gary. “And as a trial, we have been feeding back to SCAS what is going well and where we think things can be improved if the results of the pilot determine that this is something going to be rolled out across SCAS for all CFRs.” Barry is hopeful that the results of the pilot will demonstrate the need for all CFR schemes with marked or liveried vehicles to be given the ELK equipment in order to respond to patients who have fallen and not been injured.

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Official opening of tri-service station in Hungerford

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On 3 July, Chief Operating Officer, Philip Astle, Lead Community Response Manager, Nic Morecroft, and Paramedic and Co-Responder Officer, Jack Ansell, represented SCAS at the official opening of Hungerford Community Fire Station.

Following refurbishment work that began in November 2016, the opening marked the launch of the first community tri-service station in Berkshire, providing shared facilities for Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service (RBFRS), Thames Valley Police and SCAS.

RBFRS firefighters to have additional medical skills to work as co-responders for SCAS, we are able to deploy them to incidents on our behalf to administer emergency first aid where there is an immediate threat to life prior to our ambulance crews arriving on scene.

As well as upgrades to the existing facilities on site for local firefighters, the refurbishment work added new facilities that included training facilities, a compact gym and community room. In addition, all access into and around the two-storey building is now step free for those with more limited mobility.

This gives patients in life-threatening emergencies a greater chance of survival and full recovery by getting appropriate, qualified and emergency first aid trained personnel to the scene as quickly as possible.

The three emergency services have, of course, always co-operated closely. More recently, however, SCAS has strengthened its partnership with RBFRS by developing a co-responding scheme trial. By training

Now, with the launch of the shared station in Hungerford, our three services have a great opportunity to share experiences, learn from each other and spark new ideas that can be developed into more initiatives that will help the local community to be safer and more secure.

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SCAS signs new integrated urgent care service contract SCAS has signed the contract to deliver the new Thames Valley Integrated Urgent Care (IUC) service, ‘The new front door to urgent care’, awarded by the 10 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) across the Thames Valley.

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SCAS is delighted to be at the heart of these exciting developments of the IUC service across the Thames Valley area.

SCAS leads an alliance set up to deliver the service, which also includes Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The alliance brings together the relevant skills and clinical expertise from local NHS providers needed to deliver a comprehensive service to patients across a wide range of medical disciplines.

This new service will go live in September 2017, and will offer patients a seamless 24/7 urgent clinical assessment and treatment service – bringing together NHS 111, GP out of hours and other clinical advice, such as dental, medicines and mental health.

A team of clinicians will be available on the phone when needed, and will be linked into a new NHS Clinical Hub - a group of healthcare professionals who can help get patients the right care, at the right time, in the right location.

Sam Burrows, the senior responsible officer for the procurement process, said: “We are pleased to announce that SCAS has been awarded the contract to deliver this service.

This is an exciting time and one which is going to improve patients’ experience by getting people to appropriate care more efficiently by this integration of urgent care delivery.”

SCAS is delighted to be at the heart of these exciting developments of the IUC service across the Thames Valley area. SCAS has a strong and proven track record of working collaboratively with healthcare partners to deliver outstanding care to the people of the Thames Valley, and this transformation of NHS 111 will enable us to build on that record.

A detailed mobilisation plan is now being implemented, working towards the launch of the improved service in September 2017.

Philip Astle, Chief Operating Officer at SCAS, said: “The new contract is very exciting as it gives us five years to further develop the already high quality NHS 111 service we provide to people living in the Thames Valley. Over the course of the contract we will be implementing new technologies and new connectivity, helping patients connect more directly with a wider range of clinicians and services.”

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It’s a chicken tikka cash bonanza!

On Tuesday 13 June, Milton Keynes CFRs held a sold out Comedy & Curry evening at Maaya Indian Kitchen and Bar in The Hub, Milton Keynes. Tickets to the event came with a three course meal, comedy from Jo Enright and magic from Neil Henry. There was also a silent auction of prizes donated by local companies.

Local CFR Gareth Brocklebank who organised the event said: “The Comedy & Curry Evening was a huge success and helped raise over £1,800 which means we’re able to purchase another responder kit. I’d like to thank Mo and his team at Maaya for hosting the night and everyone who came out and gave so generously. Last year, CFRs in our area responded to 3,266 emergency 999 calls and with the extra money raised, we can now help more people and potentially save more lives.”

The Comedy & Curry Evening was a huge success and helped raise over £1,800

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On Tuesday 27 June at Poundon House in Oxfordshire, the first of two celebrations to recognise and reward those members of staff who this year qualified for the Queen’s Medal and SCAS Long Service Award took place.

The Queen’s Long Service and Good Conduct Medal is awarded to frontline members of staff who have served for 20 years on emergency duty for the ambulance service. The Medal was presented by the Queen’s representative, Brigadier Ian Inshaw, the Deputy LordLieutenant of Oxfordshire. The SCAS Long Service Award is presented to members of staff from all departments who have completed 20 years NHS service. Recipients received their award from SCAS Chief Executive, Will Hancock.

The event was hosted by Head of Operations for Oxfordshire, Richard McDonald, and following the formal presentations, the recipients and their guests enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea with a variety of sandwiches, cakes and scones, while being entertained by a talented string duo.

Congratulations to all our wonderful staff for their years of dedicated service and we hope you all enjoyed a fabulous day. Due to the number of recipients becoming eligible for both awards this year it was not possible to have a single celebration, so a second event is being held in September at the same venue.

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The Queen’s Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct presented on 27 June to: Andrew Colledge Anne Carnell Anne Dewis David Griffiths Deborah Cook Gerald Lea

Henry Gill Jason Somerville Jeremy Woods Michael Paul Galvin Paul Davies Paul Fowler

The SCAS Long Service Award presented on 27 June to: Alan Lyford Helen Munday Nigel Furey Henry Gill Nigel Robb Andrew Colledge Hilda Schorah Paul Davies Andrew Nicholson Anne Carnell Janet Cooke Paul Fowler Anne Carter Jeremy Woods Patrick Dobinson Anne Dewis John Anfield Philip (John) Petts Anthony Peters John Cross Pierre Le Cras Carol Snow Keith Boyes Rebecca Pilcher David Banham Kelvin White Ricky Perry Kenneth Crozier Robert Eames David Dunwoody David Wesley Kevin Deverall Robin Finlayson Deborah Diffey Louise Murray Ruth Allanson Lynda Lambourne Sharon Dollery Debra Sengelow Devika Vaithilingam Lynn Dove-Dixon Sophie Groves Diane Wilde Malcolm Ayres Susan Putman Fiona Hadfield Martin Young Susan Smyth Michael Paul Galvin Trevor Bascombe Gerald Lea Nicholas Brunt Vanessa Oldam Glenn Robertson

The Queen’s Long Service and Good Conduct Medal is awarded to frontline members of staff who have served for 20 years on emergency duty for the ambulance service.

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SCAS serves

by Royal Command

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Alongside looking after the many thousands of racegoers, SCAS was also involved in specific operations supporting The Metropolitan Police Service’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Team, as well as the world class, international jockeys during racing and British Transport Police at the local railway station.

Tactical Silver Commander for SCAS at the event, Tracy Redman, said: “Royal Ascot is always a memorable event which sees partnership working is at its best. All the SCAS staff involved worked hard in some challenging conditions and did a superb job throughout the whole week. It was an absolute pleasure to have each and every one of them on the team.”

Royal Ascot is Britain’s most popular race meeting, welcoming approximately 300,000 visitors across the five days.

Following a significant planning and preparation process, SCAS once again provided a number of resources to the Royal Ascot 2017 event, which this year took place at the Berkshire racecourse from 20-24 June.

This consisted of commanders, EOC dispatchers a variety of clinical staff including paramedics, specialist practitioners, technicians, emergency care assistants and HART, as well as a number of specialist vehicles. The medical operation was a joint venture working in partnership with St John Ambulance, British Red Cross and Race Course Doctors with the SCAS Tactical Commander (Silver) having overall charge on the site of 100+ staff.

Valley Police, Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service, The Metropolitan Police, Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, and staff from Ascot Racecourse Ltd. In addition SCAS staff managed and supported five onsite medical treatment centres, where staff treated many patients over the course of the week with a range of injuries and illness.

Across the five days of the event, over 100 people per day were being seen by medical staff. The first two days also coincided with the June heatwave, and Wednesday 21 June was the hottest day in England for over 40 years. The high temperatures understandably had an impact on the demand from patients, with many suffering from heat related symptoms or other complaints that were exacerbated by the heat on the two hottest days of Royal Ascot 2017. The heat also made it very challenging working conditions for staff, particularly in terms of the physical activity required and carrying around medical equipment.

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SCAS staff and vehicles operated from a multi-agency on site control room which was also home to colleagues from Thames

The first two days also coincided with the June heatwave, and Wednesday 21 June was the hottest day in England for over 40 years.

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Three Peaks Challenge team raise ÂŁ13,000 for SCAS charity

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The Three Peaks Challenge involves climbing the three highest peaks in England (Scafell Pike), Wales (Snowdon) and Scotland (Ben Nevis), often within 24 hours.

Doing so is a physical, mental and logistical challenge.

That was the gauntlet thrown down

by Marc Lister, Community Liaison & Training Officer for Buckinghamshire, to some of his first responders as a means of raising a target of ÂŁ5,000 for the South Central Ambulance Charity.

By his own admission, Marc restricts his walking to usually taking his four-legged friends out for their daily strolls.

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“I prefer cycling or running”, says Marc, “and I’m certainly not a hiker – but I do like a challenge. The Three Peaks was one of those challenges that seemed sensible to try it sooner rather than later in life. It also had the added benefit of something that could be done in a big group, was a cheap and accessible way of exploring the great outdoors during training and had the added benefit of helping encourage people to lead healthier lifestyles – even if only till after the challenge was completed!”

When Marc suggested the challenge to his CFRs they realised he was serious, and completing the walk would involve some serious training in order to summit the three mountains which have a combined height of nearly 3.5km above sea level. In total, 17 CFRs took up the walking challenge and a further seven would act as valuable logistical and support staff on the event.

Jenny Owens was one of the walkers.

She adds: “The team consisted of CFRs of all ages and fitness levels.

We started preparing for the May 2017 event in Autumn 2016. Training walks were organised and advice sort from CFR Bob Crocker, who had completed the challenge on more than one occasion. Bob planned our route, provided us with much needed motivation when we had doubts and completed the challenge with us….in shorts; as did Marc!”

The training was certainly intensive, but planning how to complete the task in under 24 hours was equally hard. The team had to include service stops, logistics of food, nutrition, water, safety and first aid provision, travel, accommodation, map, routes, contingencies and back-up plans. There was a lot to think about.

In total, 17 CFRs took up the walking challenge and a further seven would act as valuable logistical and support staff on the event.

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“Training was done mainly as individuals, but we did also get together for some group training walks too”, says Marc. “I generally walked four times a week starting eight months or so before the challenge.

I would do three walks of five miles covering 1500 ft of climbing and one walk of eight miles covering 2,300 ft of climbing. I also carried a large and heavy rucksack as I envisaged I might need to carry someone else’s clobber.

My dogs have never been so fit!”

The team met up at Hazlemere Golf Course in Buckinghamshire very early on the morning of Friday 19 May and at 06.00 set off for the long journey to Fort William – nearly 500 miles north. The team arrived at Ben Nevis, got prepared and were ready to start at 16.15.

“Spirits were high and Mother Nature was smiling on us”, remembers Jenny.

“When we reached the snowy top of Ben Nevis we were greeted with rare, clear and breath-taking views.”

“The view from the top of Ben was amazing”, agrees Marc. “Unfortunately we did have a minor injury on the mountain which meant that when I was about 40 minutes from the bottom, I had to run back up to help get the person down. We were therefore a bit delayed on our schedule and didn’t get off the mountain until 00.30 (Saturday 20 May) and being clad in running shorts and t-shirts we were a little hypothermic!”

The team then set off on the 250 mile drive to Scafell Pike in Cumbria.

They had decided not to focus on completing the whole challenge within 24 hours as they felt this put too much risk on the driving, but instead were aiming to complete the walking in 14 hours. Unfortunately the Cumbrian weather had closed in on their arrival.

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Jenny says: “Hail, heavy rain and poor visibility didn’t stop us reaching the top – not that we stayed very long! At the bottom of the mountain our support team welcomed us back with some much needed bacon butties and warm brews.”

Two down; one to go. The team then drove the 210 miles to Snowdon and set off for their third and final climb at 14.00 on Saturday. They ascended via the Pyg Track and made good time. Unfortunately due to the earlier setback on Ben Nevis, the team were 20 minutes off the top of the summit but had to turn back as they were losing the light and had used all their torches on the Scottish climb.

However, it was still an incredible achievement as Jenny concludes: “The pain and exhaustion cannot be described; this has to be one of the hardest things I have done. All of that was eclipsed by the immense sense of pride in what we had achieved and the money we raised to support the east node CFRs. We could not have done this without the support from our friends and family, for which we are very grateful.”

The team smashed their fundraising total and it currently stands at £13,100 (before Gift Aid)! Mary Crocker was instrumental in ensuring the team had everything they needed for the event to be as successful as it was, including setting up the JustGiving page. If anyone would like to add to their total, the team would be very grateful and you can donate via their JustGiving page on the link below: https://www.justgiving.com/ companyteams/marcspeakyblinders Also, Marc is still determined to get to the very summit of Snowdon so could well be looking for more walkers in the future to join him.

“I wouldn’t consider myself a walker at all”, says Marc, “but having done this I think it is something everyone should have a go at. Maybe not all three in 24 hours; one mountain per day is still a challenge and it really is amazing.”

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SCAS is currently implementing an electronic ways of working (eWOW) programme, designed to make the Trust more efficient, save money, reduce the time spent by employees completing administrative tasks as well as being more environmentallyfriendly.

Last year saw the successful implementation of an electronic timesheet system enabling employees to input their overtime for payment online.

In addition, the implementation of e-Payslips (using ESR Employee Self Service) was successful enabling employees to accept their payslip and pension details online as well as make changes to their personal information.

The focus of the programme is now on implementing electronic expenses and also on streamlining driving licence and vehicle checks across the Trust.

Electronic ways of working

The submission of electronic expense claims, will improve both the accuracy and timeliness of payments, as well as save employees time in making claims and improve our carbon footprint through reduced printing and then couriering of paper submissions to our payroll provider.

Other initiatives in progress or in the pipeline for future implementation include: »» e-Filing – electronic filing, starting with the HR personnel files in Southern House »» Electronic Document Management System »» ESR Manager/Supervisor Self Service Benefits of eWOW: »» More accessible information, through web-based systems »» Faster processing (of claims, overtime, payments, etc.) »» Reduced costs (of printing, paper, couriers, postage, etc.) »» More accurate reports and analysis »» Filing space freed up for other use »» More environmentally-friendly »» Refreshed and consistent processes

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Nick’s quick actions help save a man’s life

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Nick Lambden, a carpenter from Newbury, was travelling along an industrial area on Hambridge Road in the town on Monday, 8 May. He had collected some materials for work and was passing the burger van on the industrial estate when he noticed something was up.

“I’ve known Pete Perry, the van owner, for years”, said Nick, “and whilst I wasn’t intending to stop there that morning I saw a guy lying on the ground outside Pete’s van and a couple of people on mobile phones.”

Stopping to see what was happening, Nick realised that the gentleman on the floor had collapsed seconds beforehand. A few weeks previously, Nick had been working with a colleague who had a long standing medical problem and was suffering some chest pains.

“With that incident, I was able to rub his chest and help him feel better”, adds Nick, “and I was hoping that I would only have to do something similar here.”

“Hannah adds, “What

Nick did was incredibly brave and he deserves to be recognised for it. CPR training is of course very good, but it never really prepares you for the sights, sounds and what it actually feels like to do it for real.”

It soon became apparent that a simple chest rub was not going to do it, as the man was in cardiac arrest. Nick, having undertaken a CPR training course at AFC Newbury – the football club where one of his two sons plays – began performing chest compressions.

Nick adds: “Never in a million years did I think I would have to use the CPR training. I firstly checked he hadn’t swallowed his tongue, put a pillow that I use when working on my knees under his neck and began the chest compressions.”

By giving the patient CPR not just very effectively, but almost immediately after he collapsed, Nick’s actions played a significant part in helping save the man’s life; a fact not lost on the first SCAS staff on the scene.

Paramedic, Hannah Pugh, and Student Paramedic, Sophie Sadler, were first to arrive on scene in a rapid response vehicle.

“Nick was doing such a good job, that we thought he knew exactly what he was doing”, remembers Sophie.

Hannah adds, “What Nick did was incredibly brave and he deserves to be recognised for it. CPR training is of course very good, but it never really prepares you for the sights, sounds and what it actually feels like to do it for real. Some people might not be prepared to do it for real even with training, but Nick did and by doing so, made our work much easier.”

Hannah and Sophie checked that Nick was happy to continue CPR initially as they arrived whilst they got their equipment ready and then took over.

His actions had managed to keep the patient’s heart in a shockable rhythm. Hannah and Sophie were able, with a combination of defibrillation and medication, to get Return of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC) at the scene.

Paramedic Team Leader, Jo Mildenhall, an ambulance crewed by Paramedic, Andrew Heller, and Emergency Care Assistant, Allison Toplis, also arrived on scene to assist along with the Thames Valley Air Ambulance. The patient who

July 2017

had begun to come round before the air ambulance team arrived, was then taken by road to the Royal Berkshire Hospital before being transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Having got Nick’s contact details at the scene, Hannah and Sophie invited Nick to meet them again a few days after the incident at SCAS’ Newbury Resource Centre, as they wanted to say thank you again in person for his actions.

“For every minute that passes when someone is in cardiac arrest”, says Sophie, “their chances of survival reduce by 10% if they are not receiving CPR or defibrillation.”

Hannah adds, “We wanted to see Nick again a few days later when the adrenalin and emotion of the event have faded a little, just to say thank you and to make sure he knew what a massive contribution he made to ensuring this patient survived.

Bystander CPR is so important and if it’s done straightaway it makes such a difference to the survival chances of the person in cardiac arrest.”

The meeting took place on Thursday 11 May and Nick was able to let Hannah and Sophie know that he had received a call that morning from the patient’s friend, Adam, who had been at the burger van too. The patient was still in hospital but had come round and was able to respond to his wife who was at his bedside.

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“I would have the confidence now to do it again if I needed to”, says Nick.

“I’ve read up on it a little bit more and I hope that some of the publicity my actions have got in the local Newbury News, would encourage my friends, work colleagues or just the general public, to do the same. Learn how to do CPR – it doesn’t take long to do the training, anyone can do it and you could save someone’s life. If that had been me lying there or a family member, I’d want someone to have a go.”

SCAS has the highest survival rate for cardiac arrest patients leaving hospital of all ambulance trusts in England.

The latest figures published by NHS England show that the survival rate for SCAS patients who left hospital after treatment was begun for an out of hospital cardiac arrest (between April 2016 and January 2017) was 11.5%.

The England average of all ambulance trusts for the same period was 8.5%.

Cardiac arrest: Survival to discharge for all ambulance trusts in England, April 2016 – January 2017, NHS England South Central Ambulance Service 11.5% Yorkshire Ambulance Service 9.9% West Midlands Ambulance Service 8.8% Isle of Wight Ambulance Service 8.4% North West Ambulance Service 8.2% London Ambulance Service 8.1% South Western Ambulance Service 7.9% East of England Ambulance Service 7.9% East Midlands Ambulance Service 7.7% North East Ambulance Service 7.3% South East Coast Ambulance Service 6.6%

July 2017

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SCAS support reached 100,000 people in National Blood Week Liesl Bowes

July 2017

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National Blood Week, which this year ran from 19-25 June, is a campaign led by NHS Blood and Transplant service to celebrate how blood donors make a difference every day by saving peoples’ lives whilst going about their own. This year, the National Blood Week campaign aimed to encourage 200,000 more people to sign up as blood donors, as well as get 40,000 new black donors to sign up to help the rising number of black people with sickle cell disease.

The communications team in SCAS sent out an appeal across the Trust for staff who were already blood donors, to volunteer to take part in a social media campaign in support of National Blood Week. The idea was that staff in the ambulance service are quite rightly recognised as lifesavers by the general public, and we wanted to use the experience of some staff who are also blood donors, to encourage more people in the South Central region to join our lifesaving team by signing up to give blood too.

During the week long social media activity, we posted one staff photo and message every day during the campaign on SCAS’ Facebook and Twitter channels. This included photos of a number of SCAS staff who were actually donating blood during National Blood Week itself, and the campaign concluded on 25 June with a photo and message from Ambulance Care Assistant, Nigel Parsons, who has reached a century of blood donations and is still going strong.

The campaign reached over 100,000 people on social media, and generated lots of comments on Facebook and Twitter from people who had received blood transfusions thanking our staff for their donations.

Julie Larner

Senior Partnership Development Officer at NHS Blood and Transplant, Claire Dolling, said: “Thank you to SCAS for your fantastic support of the National Blood Week campaign. We often are so busy asking our partners to help share our messages that we don’t always see the outcomes so this is amazing that you’ve managed to raise awareness of the campaign to over 100,000 people.”

Gail Bartlett

Thank you to our staff involved: Leisl Bowes, Paramedic, High Wycombe Gail Bartlett, Emergency Care Assistant, Reading Dave Zaple, HART Paramedic David Hamer, Community Liaison & Training Officer, Berkshire Julie Larner, Support Services Manager, Bicester Lucy Cameron, Specialist Paramedic, Newbury Kym Murrell, NHS 111 Call Handler, Otterbourne Nairne Savidge, Executive Assistant, Bicester Clare Bridgman, ICT Administrator, Bicester Nigel Parsons, Ambulance Care Assistant, Reading Lee Searle, NEPTS Team Leader, Reading Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SCAS999/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SCAS999

July 2017

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Swallowfield Community First Responders (CFRs) have been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK. This is the second South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust CFR group in Berkshire to have been honoured in this way, following Maidenhead & Windsor CFRs receiving the same award in 2016.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work in their communities. The awards were created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and winners are announced each year on 2 June – the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.

Gary Clark, Co-ordinator for the Swallowfield Community First Responders Group said:

Queen’s Award for Swallowfield CFRs

“I am absolutely thrilled that the group has been recognised by Her Majesty The Queen and very proud as the scheme co-ordinator.

It’s a tremendous achievement for all of us and the team really does deserve this award as they work very hard in their own time, to support the local community we serve.”

In 2016, Swallowfield CFRs were sent to 367 emergencies on behalf of SCAS, arriving first on scene before our ambulance crews 85% of the time. The volunteers provided 3,538 hours of voluntary cover in the local community and the incidents they were sent to included: »» 13 cardiac arrests »» 26 unconscious patients »» 72 people with breathing difficulties »» 47 patients with chest pains As well as a vast array of other injuries, illnesses and ailments.

Over the last five years, the group has also installed 11 publicly accessible defibrillators in prominent local community locations in

Swallowfield, Riseley, Farley Hill and the surrounding areas, along with donating three defibrillators to local schools. The group also organises many emergency first aid training sessions for local villages and can regularly be seen at community fetes, fairs, shows and events giving people practical advice and training on what to do in an emergency.

Gary Clark added: “The Queens Award is the icing on the cake for us following a year of recognition. We were shortlisted in the national Heart Safe Awards in October 2016; Barry Davis, one of our CFR volunteers, was shortlisted as Volunteer of the Year in the SCAS Ambies Awards in November 2016 and I was shortlisted in the Markel and Small Charities Coalition Britain’s Best Volunteer Award 2016.”

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work in their communities.

July 2017

Last year, one of the group’s volunteers, Steve Alder, left his job to become a fulltime ambulance technician; the second time that a Swallowfield CFR has become a permanent employee of the ambulance service. Steve continues to volunteer as a CFR despite now having the same ‘day job’ as well.

David Hamer, Community Liaison and Training Officer for South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS), said:

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“This is wonderful recognition for the efforts of Gary, Steve, Barry, Sean and Jim: our amazing volunteers in Swallowfield.

The guys do a tremendous amount for their local community, making a life-saving difference over the years to hundreds of people and all in their spare time. They are the only CFR group in Berkshire who are taking part in a pilot project for us to respond to patients who have fallen, which adds another level of community service and help they can provide. I hope this award will go some way to saying thank

you for everything they do for us and how highly thought of they are by the public,

by SCAS and by their fellow CFRs across our region. We really do need a few more people to join the group to continue their fantastic work.”

SCAS is currently appealing for more volunteers to join the Swallowfield group, and is particularly interested to anyone who would be able to offer a few hours voluntary cover during weekdays. Volunteers would need to be able to offer a minimum of 20

hours cover in their local community per month. The exact time is completely flexible for each individual volunteer according to the existing work, family and other commitments volunteers have and does not need to be planned rigidly in advance.

Volunteers can ‘book on’ and ‘book off’ if, for example, their plans change unexpectedly.

To find out more about the role of a CFR: Visit www.scas.nhs.uk/cfr Email cfr@scas.nhs.uk Call 0800 587 0207

July 2017

Fast Work

by Pushkin helps raise Stroke Awareness A chance meeting between SCAS Membership, Engagement and Marketing Support Officer, Monica Moro and Almona Choudhury and her son, Pushkin, at Newbury’s Culture Fest in July 2016, has led to the development of a stroke awareness video aimed at young people.

Almona and Pushkin were representing the Stoke Association at the event, a charity they had supported ever since the mother of Pushkin’s stepdad, Graeme, died in 2006 after suffering a stroke.

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July 2017

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"The Stroke Assocation isn’t as wellknown as some charities”, says Pushkin, “but stroke is one of the biggest killers in the UK. Because of how it has affected my family, this was the first time I wanted to get involved with a charity, raise money and more importantly raise awareness that anyone can suffer a stroke; it’s not just something older people need to think about.”

One of the ways the family are helping raise awareness is by promoting the national NHS Act FAST campaign. This is a campaign to help people recognise some of the symptoms of stroke, such as a person’s face fallen to one side; unable to raise their arms; slurred speech, and encourage them to call 999 immediately.

Monica found Pushkin, who is a student at Cotthill House School in Abingdon, very engaging at the event and asked him whether he would be able to support SCAS’ efforts in also raising awareness of stroke symptoms and the importance of dialling 999 when these symptoms occur.

“I was very willing to help”, says Pushkin, “as the more people are aware of stroke symptoms, what to look out for and what to do, then the fewer people will die as a result of stroke.”

“I was very willing to help”, says Pushkin, “as the more people are aware of stroke symptoms, what to look out for and what to do, then the fewer people will die as a result of stroke.”

His mother, Almona, adds, “The work that we have done to support the Stroke Association, and with our own experience, has made it very clear that there is a devastating effect on family and friends of people who have died from stroke – especially if there is a sense that the person’s death could have been prevented.”

Graeme remembers that looking back on the last three months his mother was alive, with hindsight he believes there were some tell-tale signs that all was not well. “She suddenly decided that she wanted to change her will, which was very unusual”, remembers Graeme, “and she would get things wrong or confused on our weekly telephone calls.

In retrospect she may have been having a series of mini-strokes, but this was before the time of the FAST campaign so I really wasn’t thinking about what the symptoms meant.”

The family are looking forward to working with SCAS at future events as they continue to raise funds for the Stroke Association, and raise awareness of the symptoms people need to look out for. The first results of this partnership are the video that Pushkin has made for SCAS’ youth website, which can be viewed on the link below: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=gv9PWicpOmk More events are in the planning pipeline along with a desire to raise awareness of the risk factors of stroke, such as high blood pressure, to allow people to make lifestyle or health changes that will reduce their risk of suffering a stroke in the future.

Tel: 0303 3033 100 www.stroke.org.uk

July 2017

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How are we doing?

Total 999 activity

Non conveyance

Non conveyance %

48,252

20,747

46.92%

Red 1 (8 mins)

Red 2 (8 mins)

Red 19

74.7%

71.8%

94.4%

NHS 111 calls answered

No. of NEPTS journeys

No. of CFR responses

90,981

76,226

1,495

June 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.

July 2017

Summer

Twenty

Seventeen Please send articles, or ideas to communications@scas.nhs.uk along with any photos or images.

Wo rk

ing t

oge

ther

Copy deadline for the next issue of Working Together is 15 September 2017

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