Working Together - March 2016

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South Central Ambulance Service

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NHS Foundation Trust

DIDCOT POWER STATION MAJOR INCIDENT

MARCH TWENTY SIXTEEN

Working Together // March 2016

MATTERS OF THE HEART 4

FIRST CLASS CARE FOR PAUL 18

THANKS MILLY 25

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CFR OBSERVING GOES INTERNATIONAL 28

DIDCOT POWER STATION MAJOR INCIDENT 30

Working Together // March 2016

MATTERS OF THE

HEART

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In February, SCAS launched an integrated communications campaign for the month across our region that focused on heart health. The aim of the Healthy Heart campaign was to help people across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire: ¤¤ Recognise symptoms of a potential heart attack ¤¤ Know what to do if you or someone you know thinks they might be suffering a heart attack ¤¤ Know what to do if you come across someone in cardiac arrest ¤¤ Encourage more people to learn how to do life-saving CPR ¤¤ Encourage more people to download SCAS’ App that identifies where the nearest AED (automatic external defibrillator) is.

In order to make the campaign more emotionally engaging and effective, we drew on the experiences of real people who had suffered, and survived, a cardiac arrest or heart attack, as well as drawing on the experiences of SCAS personnel in our clinical coordination centres and on the frontline who got to the patients in time.

PEOPLE LIKE...

Working Together // March 2016

Harry Heath - Technician, Geoff Hartnell, Emma Taylor - Technician, Karen Hartnell, Leanne Bleasdale

Geoff Hartnell

Reading, Berkshire

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Leanne Bleasdale - Assistant Emergency Dispatcher and Zoe Mitchell - Emergency Call Taker Geoff suffered a heart attack at home on 1 December 2015.

“I had been feeling unwell for a few days”, remembers Geoff, “and was getting steadily worse. I had been taking indigestion remedies as I thought it might be that but then kept getting pains in my arms that would go after a little while. Most of the time the stomach and arm pains would happen at night – but then they started happening during the day and getting more severe.”

Geoff’s wife, Karen, was so worried by his deterioration that she called 999. SCAS Call Taker, Zoe Mitchell, immediately recognised the seriousness of the call and working with Assistant Emergency Dispatcher, Leanne Bleasdale, sent an ambulance crewed by technicians Emma Taylor and Harry Heath to Geoff and Karen’s home.

“When we got there we could see straight away how ill Geoff was”, said Emma.

“He was grey and had lost all his colour. We took an ECG reading of his heart, looked at each other and knew we had to get him to hospital straight away.”

Harry adds: “Geoff was asking us if he was alright.

He clearly wasn’t – we knew he was having a heart attack.

But it’s important in these situations to keep the patient calm so after providing initial treatment at home, we told him that he was ok but we thought he should go into hospital just for some further tests. Once we had Geoff in the ambulance we didn’t hang around.”

At the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Geoff immediately had an operation to fit a stent into a blocked artery and has subsequently made a full recovery.

“I was very lucky”, says Geoff, “and I can’t thank Harry, Emma, Zoe and Leanne enough for saving my life. I consider myself to be a fit, active guy. It never occurred to me that my symptoms were those of a heart attack.

“My heart attack was caught just in time as I actually went into cardiac arrest just as we arrived at the hospital. I hope my video – and all the other resources that SCAS is making available on its website this month – help others in a similar situation and help save more lives.”

Working Together // March 2016

Peter Richar

Lymington, H

rdson

Hampshire

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Working Together // March 2016

Peter went into cardiac arrest and collapsed at home on 4 August 2015

“We had just collected our caravan and got it on our driveway with Glenys who we knew from Church”, remembers Peter. “My wife Shelagh was inside with Glenys’ husband making tea for us all when it happened completely without warning.”

When Peter collapsed, Glenys immediately called out to Shelagh to dial 999 and began CPR on Peter. As a retired teacher, she knew about the technique from training courses but hadn’t practised it since retiring six years previously nor ever used it in a real emergency.

Shelagh’s call was picked up in SCAS’ Clinical Co-ordination Centre by Call Taker, Natalie Oliver, who kept Shelagh and Glenys going telling them what they were doing for Peter was exactly what he needed and that help was coming. Together with Emergency Dispatchers Chantelle Lomas and Rebecca Pipe-Edwards, they quickly dispatched a rapid response vehicle driven by Paramedic Mark Burnett which arrived first, followed swiftly by an ambulance crewed by Paramedic Michael Blacklock and Emergency Care Assistant, David Gates.

“Glenys was brilliant”, said Shelagh.

“She started doing CPR straight away whilst I was on the phone to the ambulance service. Thank goodness the first paramedic arrived within a few minutes. He also said Glenys was doing a great job and then he and his colleagues took over.”

Peter was treated on scene and then rushed to University Hospital Southampton where he spent the next nine weeks, four of which were in intensive care.

“I was very lucky”, says Peter, “and I can’t thank Glenys, Shelagh and the team at SCAS enough.”

Shelagh adds, “Natalie was amazing.

She talked us through how to do CPR and kept everyone going. That made a huge difference to Peter’s survival as did the fact Mark, Mike and David were here in a few minutes. I hope our video on SCAS’ website along with all the other resources help others in a similar situation and help save more lives.”

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At the beginning of February 2016, Shelagh and Peter hosted a fundraising event at their home as part of the British Heart Foundation’s ‘Wear It. Beat It.’ campaign. Not only did they raise over £1,000 but thanks to SCAS CFR Andy Carr, over 60 of the guests present were given a basic demonstration on how to give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or chest compressions.

Later in the month, Peter, Shelagh and Glenys were reunited with some of the SCAS team who came to Peter’s aid in August 2015.

Working Together // March 2016

Jan Oughton Aylesbury, BUCKS

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Jan suffered a heart attack at home in Aylesbury on 21 January 2016

“I was getting ready for work at around 8am” remembers Jan, “and started to feel a strong pain across my upper back, like awful indigestion or I’d swallowed a sweet and it had got stuck. I went to sit down and then started to sweat profusely. After a few moments things were no better, but like many before me I thought, should I bother the ambulance with this or is it just indigestion?”

Luckily Jan called 999. SCAS Call Taker, Rachel Duffy, immediately recognised the seriousness of the call and working with Emergency Dispatchers, Claire Milligan and Suzy Patience, sent a rapid response vehicle crewed by Paramedic Michael Clarke and Student Paramedic Mark Hobson, along with an ambulance crewed by Paul White and Matthew Hale to Jan’s home that she shared with husband, Mark.

“Rachel was fantastic”, remembers Jan, “and talked me through what I was experiencing, reassuring me that she had dispatched help and it was a minute away.

My name, address and symptoms were carefully taken by the calm and friendly dispatcher, and I was asked to listen to some short instructions when she put the phone down which helped a bit.”

Jan called husband Mark, told him what was happening and asked him to come back home as he had left earlier for work. Mark arrived just as the rapid response vehicle pulled up in the drive, with the ambulance crew arriving a short time later.

Jan adds: “The paramedics arrived within five or six minutes and by that time I was experiencing tingling down my left arm and into my hand and wasn’t well at all. The paramedics were brilliant. They kept me calm which meant I didn’t panic and make the situation worse.”

Following further tests and treatment at the scene, Jan was taken immediately to Wycombe Hospital where she had an emergency angioplasty with two stents inserted to clear a blocked artery.

Working Together // March 2016

Detective Con Chris Conway

Wiltshire Constabul

nstable y,

lary

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Working Together // March 2016

Detective Constable Chris Conway of the Major Crime Investigation Team, Wiltshire Constabulary, was driving with a colleague and a Court witness on the A34 in Berkshire on 3 December 2015 when he pulled over feeling very unwell.

As the vehicle came to a stop, he collapsed in cardiac arrest.

“I thought to myself ‘what on earth are they calling me for?’” remembers Angela, “and then it hit me – something has happened to Chris.”

Angela was informed that Chris had suffered a cardiac arrest and was being flown by air ambulance to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Chris’ colleague Adam quickly tried to get him out of the vehicle and over to the side of the road whilst the passenger in the rear dialled 999.

Together with Chris’ brother, Nick, they called the rest of the family to let them know and then made their way over to Oxford. Thanks to the efforts of the bystanders performing CPR and the SCAS crew that treated Chris at the scene for around 25 minutes, he had survived but the initial prognosis on his recovery was not good.

SCAS Emergency Call Taker Sophie Robinson was on duty that morning in Southern House, Otterbourne.

“I had taken mainly calls about falls since coming on duty that morning”, recalls Sophie, “but having been working for SCAS for over two years, I’ve unfortunately taken a lot of cardiac arrest calls so immediately recognised the seriousness of this one.”

At the scene, Adam had been helped by a passing group of soldiers who had also been travelling on the A34 and had stopped to help. The soldiers carried out CPR on Chris in the few minutes it took for the SCAS crew of Team Leader Jo Mildenhall, Paramedic Helen Carter and Emergency Care Assistant Zoe Flowerdew, to arrive.

Chris’ wife Angela was driving across Salisbury Plain that morning when she had a call from the Major Crime Investigation Team.

“We were told to expect the worst”, remembers Nick, “but since the start of 2016, he has made what the fantastic staff here at the John Radcliffe can only describe as miraculous progress!”

On 16 January 2016, Chris was well enough to enjoy a short visit from Sophie, Jo, Helen and Zoe from SCAS. It was the first time any of the SCAS team had met up with a patient after the event – which in Jo’s case encompasses 18 years of frontline service.

“Seeing Chris and his family was very special”, said Jo, “and whilst he has a long journey to travel in terms of his recovery, he’s got fantastic support at the hospital, from his family and from the Police Federation and Wiltshire Constabulary.”

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Helen Carter, Zoe Flowerdew, Jo Mildenhall and Sophie Richardson

Wife Angela adds, “his consultant told me he was one of the most determined patients he had ever treated – otherwise known as stubbornness in our household before his incident! So much went in Chris’ favour that day that saying thank you to everyone who helped him just doesn’t seem enough.”

At the end of January, Chris was transferred from the John Radcliffe Hospital to the Frenchay Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre in Bristol in order to be closer to home and where he continues to make steady progress.

By including the real life examples of Geoff, Peter, Jan and Chris, the Heart Matters campaign is designed to increase the chances of more people across the South Central region survive a heart attack or cardiac arrest.

You can find out more and download life-saving resources at www.scas.nhs.uk/hearts

Working Together // March 2016

FIRST C

CARE FO

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CLASS

OR

PAUL

Working Together // March 2016

Emergency Call Taker Luke Fright

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As a longterm asthma sufferer Paul Slater from Chandlers Ford in Hampshire, has always been careful to ensure that he keeps his condition under control with regular use of his inhaler.

Towards the end of September, Paul began to feel unwell but he and his partner Linda thought it was related to his asthma and would pass in a few days. As an at risk patient, Paul also ensures he has a flu injection every year and despite not feeling his best, he went ahead and had his annual injection in early October.

Working Together // March 2016

LINDA PAUL

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A few days later on 6 October, Paul’s health took a turn for the worse. He had developed a cough, high temperature and had no appetite when he woke that morning and later in the day started having severe breathing problems.

His symptoms were so bad he was unable to use his inhalers, so Linda immediately called 999.

“I thought Paul was going to collapse or have a heart attack”, recalls Linda. “The person I spoke to was very thorough and asked to speak to Paul as well so I handed him the phone.”

Paul adds, “The problem for me of course was that I had real trouble talking back but he was very professional and within a few minutes help had arrived.”

Luke Fright was on duty in the Emergency Operations Centre at Bicester that day and took Linda’s call at 16.27.

“On answering the phone I could tell by Linda’s voice that this could potentially be

serious”, remembers Luke.

“For me to best assess the situation it was important to speak to the patient directly who sounded extremely breathless. Initially it was important to try to get Paul to control his breathing, and by ensuring that I was giving him plenty of time to reply to each question, I was making sure the pace of the call was efficient, enabling the most appropriate help to be organised for Paul.

On ending the call I gave worsening advice to ensure he knew to call back if his condition further deteriorated and made sure the job was correctly updated.”

Anna Challis, SCAS Paramedic was dispatched to Paul and Linda’s home in a Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV).

She said: “When I arrived on scene it was clear Paul was having difficulty in breathing. I administered a salbutamol nebuliser and saw a progressive improvement in his condition. “ I was then able to choose the most appropriate care pathway for him, which in this case was to be reviewed by his GP.”

Working Together // March 2016

`Anna was excellent,

calming and professionaL´ ”Anna was excellent, calming and professional” remembers Paul. “She was with us for approximately two hours and in that time stabilised my breathing, calmed both Linda and myself down and made an appointment for me to see my GP the following day.

“We can’t thank her and everyone involved in the quick response enough – the care we received was marvellous.”

Paul has recovered well and has not had another bad asthma attack since the incident in October.

As a result of the excellent response and care he received from SCAS, he wrote to his local MP, Steve Brine, about his experience and the MP wrote back to say he had passed on Paul and Linda’s comments to Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health.

Paramedic Anna Challis

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M Working Together // March 2016

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At the beginning of December, friends and colleagues of Milly Stokes gathered at Southern House in Otterbourne, to bid a fond farewell to Milly who retired after an incredible 47 years and nine months service as a volunteer car driver.

It was back in 1968 that Milly, who lives in Eastleigh, began volunteering for the then ambulance car service in Hampshire.

“In my first 10 years”, says Milly, “I used to take three chaps from Netley village to Knowle Hospital. Getting them there at 9.30am and transporting them back to Netley for 3.30pm meant I could do my driving and still be there to collect my children from school.”

Over the years, Milly has driven patients to and from places as far from Hampshire as Liverpool, Plymouth, Norfolk and Birmingham as well as got to know lots of ‘regulars’ – patients who she has transported frequently as they attend hospital or treatment centres for dialysis, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Her commitment throughout her long and distinguished years of volunteering saw her given six long service awards from a number of organisations, including one from SCAS and one from University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

`I WILL still keep up my volunteering, I won't be sitting around on my bottom!´ In 2012 her exemplary service was rightly recognised with an AMBIES Special Award.

On her retirement Milly also received a letter of thanks from the Prime Minister.

When asked what she’ll miss about her role as a volunteer car driver, Milly said: “I’ll miss meeting all the patients and having so many different and interesting people to talk to. Also, I’ve loved seeing new towns, villages and countryside when I’m out driving so I’ll miss that too.”

At the event to mark Milly’s retirement, James Underhay, Director of Strategy, Business Development, Communications and Engagement, said: “It’s hard to believe that in the year Milly started volunteering, Harold Wilson was Prime Minister, Dad’s Army first appeared on TV and British Rail’s last steam train service between Liverpool and Carlisle made its final journey.

A lot may have changed since then but one thing has remained constant; Milly’s dedication, enthusiasm and commitment to her patients. She has been an inspiration to many for her fantastic service and we will be very sad to see her go.”

And whilst Milly may have ‘hung up her keys’ for the last time, she has no plans to put her feet up completely.

“I will still keep up my volunteering - I won’t be sitting around on my bottom!

I’m already thinking about volunteering at my local hospital, and maybe I’ll help out at a charity shop too.”

With the help of people like Milly, SCAS’ Patient Transport Service helps hundreds of people every single day. If you think you have some spare time and can join the team, please send an email to volunteer.cardriver@scas. nhs.uk or call 0300 123 9801 (option 5) for more information.

Working Together // March 2016

CFR O

internat

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At the end of 2015, Gary Clark, the Group Co-ordinator for Swallowfield Community First Responders (CFR), was in the United States on business.

He was staying in Cary, North Carolina, and over the weekend that he was there, rather than put his feet up he got in touch with Cary Emergency Medical Service (EMS) and asked if he could be an observer on one of their shifts.

Having got in touch, and explained his professional interest and experience, Gary was offered the chance of joining EMS 55 on their 09:3021:30 shift.

The crew were very thankful for Gary’s third pair of hands as they continued to tell him at numerous times during the day.

“In part of the shift the crew took me to the Cary Fire Station to introduce me to the fire crew who also respond to medical emergencies”, added Gary. “Again the welcome was fantastic and the fire crew were very eager to show me their vehicles and the equipment they had, including their large ladder vehicle which they demonstrated – all 100+ feet of it!”

OBSERVING GOES tional Gary said: “Tammy (acting Divisional Chief) and the EMS 55 crew Tim (Paramedic) and Leah (EMT) all provided an extremely warm welcome for me and I soon found myself being treated as one of the team. It is interesting to note that both Tim and Leah started off by being volunteers for Cary EMS so they understood why a CFR would want to volunteer.”

Within 15 minutes of the shift starting EMS 55 had its first call which proved to be a challenge for everyone as a lady had dislocated her shoulder, her arm was in an unusual position and she could not move it.

At the end of the shift Gary, Tim and Leah had attended six emergency calls and visited six different hospitals, including a specialised children’s hospital.

Of particular interest for Gary, was seeing how Cary EMS staff are all laptop based, including Bluetooth connectivity to their lifepack systems, which allows all the patient’s stats to be sent ahead to the hospital.

Gary concludes, “the greatest thing about the experience was to have received such a warm welcome and to meet such fantastic people who, like the staff of our own ambulance service, show great care and professionalism in what they do. I have been invited back onto another shift and work permitting I will take up the offer!”

Working Together // March 2016

D DIDCOT POWER STATION MAJOR INCIDENT

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Working Together // March 2016

At 16.03 on Tuesday, 23 February, we received a 999 call reporting a building collapse at Didcot Power Station in Oxfordshire.

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Due to the size of the structure that had collapsed and the potential high number of casualties, SCAS swiftly declared this a major incident.

This was the first time a major incident had been declared by SCAS since a 30-vehicle collision on the M40 in February 2015.

The Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART), Northern House Clinical Coordination Centre (CCC), operational road teams, Air Ambulance Paramedics and doctors, the ECRU car (Enhanced Care Response Unit) and our Patient Transport Service were just some of the SCAS resources who took the calls, went to the scene and who triaged and treated over 50 casualties, before taking five people to hospital.

On the day of the incident, unfortunately one person was confirmed as having died as a result of the collapse and a further three people were unaccounted for. At the time of writing, the search to recover the bodies of the three missing people continues and could take many more weeks given the dangerous and unstable nature of the collapse site.

All three emergency services are working closely to ensure a coordinated response to this difficult situation and to ensure the safety of its personnel whilst searching for the three people who are missing.

Working Together // March 2016

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Working Together // March 2016

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“I want to express my gratitude to all members of SCAS staff who have been involved in our response this far. At the time of the incident, several off-duty staff also logged on to offer their support and I would like to say thank you very much to them.

“Interest in the events at Didcot came not only from local and national media, but also from as far away as Canada and America.

“Many senior SCAS managers have been to the scene to talk to those staff working on site and I also visited to talk to our HART teams, who continue to provide support to the recovery teams.

“Incidents of this scale are fortunately rare but when they do happen, it is a real test of our preparedness and I am very appreciative of everyone’s efforts in ensuring that we responded in a measured, timely and effective way.”

Will Hancock, Chief Executive

Working Together // March 2016

SCAS RESILIENCE TRAINING FOR MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES

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Working Together // March 2016

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At the end of 2015, SCAS Paramedic Richard Dear was part of a team that went out to Egypt and Oman to help local paramedics, doctors, emergency services and government officers improve the resilience of each country’s health service.

This World Health Organization (WHO) initiative saw Richard as part of a UK Med team comprising critical care nurses, consultants, paramedics and Public Health England specialists who undertook four day training programmes designed to help each country develop response capacity and strategies to respond more effectively to natural disasters and other mass casualty incidents.

“There is no training specialisation in either country, or other parts of the Middle East to run such courses”, said Richard. “Simulation is not part of the day-to-day practice in Egypt and Oman as it is here in the UK in terms of crisis preparedness and resilience training.

Oman is at risk of cyclones, with 32 people killed by one that hit in 2007, and in Egypt, it seemed to me that it was fairly ‘routine’ to have large RTCs with upwards of 20 or 40 casualties. That level of casualties would trigger a major incident here but to them it seemed to be a normal occurrence. And of course, every country now needs to be better prepared to deal with mass casualties that could occur in the event of terrorist attacks.”

The programme run in both countries – Egypt in September 2015 and Oman in December 2015 – was broadly similar, comprising of predominantly classroom learning for the first three days of the course, with the fourth day being devoted to a simulation of a major incident.

“The simulation worked really well in Egypt”, remembers Richard, “as we had paramedics, doctors from the local hospitals around Sharmel-Sheikh where the course was being held, along with police, a bomb disposal team and Ministry of Health managers.”

`in Egypt, it seemed to me that it was fairly routine to have large RTCS with upwards of 20 or 40 casualties´

Working Together // March 2016

`This made the simulation very real with all the key players involved.´

With the course attendees in Oman being hospital doctors and Ministry of Health managers, it took more effort to make the simulation on the last day real. Richard and the team put in to practice the three days of classroom learning and walked the attendees through mass casualty pathways, practised basic trauma care, demonstrated how to manage patients in ‘hot zones’ and worked on advanced life-saving skills and techniques.

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Richard and the UK Med team took out some of the kit that they use for treating patients including paediatric and inflatable mannequins for simulation, dressings, tourniquets and EZ10 kits (used to get intravenous access through bone if the clinician is unable to get access through a vein).

Richard adds: “Some of the attendees had never seen some of our kit before and had no idea it existed. It was a great opportunity to show them what advanced technologies are now available to help save lives. In both countries there didn’t appear to be any financial issues in being able to order new equipment having seen it in action on the course.

Managers from the Ministries of Health in both Egypt and Oman had good budgets available for developing their emergency planning and response teams.”

The experience was rewarding not just for those attending the course, but also for Richard and the UK Med team.

“It’s a unique opportunity to work with foreign clinicians, especially in non-English speaking areas”, says Richard, “looking at their experience, skill levels, equipment and the infrastructure that they have to work with.

To find out more about the UK International Emergency Trauma Register (UKIETR) that is hosted by UK-Med, visit www.uk-med.humanities.manchester.ac.uk.

Working Together // March 2016

GleefulKaz Feb 28 @SCAS999 thank you for all you do, very glad not to need your services tonight x

fangohren Feb 27 @SCAS999 a big thanks to Ben & Neil in SO15 tonight - couldn’t have wished for nicer people to turn up!

TWEET TWEET

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Beckytrustme Feb 24 @SCAS999 thank you guys for coing to my work when I had a massive asthma attack. If you were not there when u did I might not be here.

ianhudspeth Feb 24

teamHAM Feb 23

My thoughts are with all those affected by the incident at #Didcot Power Station.

Thank you to all emergency services for quick response.

Happy 1st Birthday to my third born!

Thanks again to @SCAS999 for being cool as cucumbers at the home birth!

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!

Working Together // March 2016

WHAT OUR PAT AB The crew attended a call out to me at my home at approximately 6am this morning.

I would like to thank two paramedics that assisted my mother and I when my father passed away.

I was so impressed with their, calm, friendly and professional manner I really had to get in touch and say “thank you� to them. They are truly a credit to their profession and did everything possible to make a difficult situation easier for my husband and I. Many thanks to them both.

This was of course a very difficult time for Mum and I but your paramedics were very understanding and very kind. Please thank them for their professionalism on that day.

I would like to say a great big thankyou to the paramedic who saved my husbands life in the early hours of Monday 15th Feb. My husband went into cardiac arrest and it was thanks to her that my husband is here today. A GREAT BIG THANKYOU from the bottom of my heart ...

I would like to say a massive thank you to the crew who attended my wife.

They were very professional & caring. My wife was very stressed but they made her feel really at ease. Once again thank you very much.

On behalf of our family I would like to compliment Mikey and Jamie, two crew members, who conveyed my elderly mother, from home to hospital.

My mother spent just over four months in hospital and had recently returned home only to encounter a chest infection. The response time was excellent and they both showed extreme kindness, thought, care and compassion at home, throughout the journey and upon arrival at hospital. They were a credit to SCAS and demonstrated professionalism to their patient and accompanying family member throughout the ambulance journey.

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TIENTS SAY BOUT US I cannot fault the care, professionalism and response of your team.

They were absolutely superb.

I am writing to express my appreciation for the excellent care given to my husband, this morning.

He tripped over in Winchester High Street at 11am today, crashing down on his head.

The crew arrived very soon and their friendly and professional approach was immediately apparent They worked quickly assessing the situation and reassuring my husband. On arrival at Accident and Emergency, they smoothly transferred us to the care of the hospital staff and I am pleased to say that he is now recovering at home. This was our first experience of SCAS. We were both extremely impressed and would be grateful if you would kindly pass on our thanks to the crew.

I needed help from your paramedic/ambulance team today and I just want to report on my experience of their service.

I cannot fault the care, professionalism and response of your team. They were absolutely superb.

With my wife in labour on the bathroom floor, I placed a 999 call.

I was fortunate enough to be put through to Wendy who talked me through what was happening and helped me to deliver our second child, a beautiful baby boy. I just wanted to get in touch to express our immense gratitude for your help. Your calm voice and professionalism got my wife and I through what could have been a highly stressful and emotional time. You told me on the phone that this was the first baby you had helped to deliver‌..great job!!!

The crew arrived to see to my mum who had fallen about 5 hours previously.

I would just like to say on behalf of my mum, myself and my husband, a massive thank you to them both for lifting her up, for making her relax and feel comfortable. they were great and took amazing care of her. You all do the most amazing work, and the guys do SO well under incredible stress. I hope one day you get all the ambulances you need, and more people respect and thank you for the kind work you do. Mum is much better now, and I wanted to say she keeps saying how lovely and kind and calming you were... stay safe everyone, and thank you again. xx

Working Together // March 2016

HOW ARE WE DOING? FEBRUARY 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 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.

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

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

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

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

CFR stands for Community First Responder.

NEPTS stands for Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service.

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total 999 activity

non conveyance

non conveyance %

45,341

20,152

48.28%

red 1 (8 mins)

red 2 (8 mins)

red 19

70.40%

68.30%

92.80%

111 calls answered

no. of NEpts journeys

cfr responses

105,848

42,152

1,458

Working Together // March 2016

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

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Copy deadline for the next issue of Working Together is 11 April 2016.

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