June 2013

Caring | Team work | Professionalism | Innovation

MEETMADDOX

4 year old Maddox makes 999 call and

helps to save his mother

/ June 20132

4 Student Responder Scheme with their own vehicle launched

11 4 year old Maddox’s 999 call

10 Ray Barefield attends Queen’s Garden Party

3

7

12,348public members

to date6,000

12,000

NUMBER OFFOUNDATIONTRUST MEMBERS

3,000

9,000

FT review & membership

Cheryl goes third manning

Ray Barefield attends Queen’s Garden Party 15

16 TWEET TWEET

19

8 What people say about us

First Aid Awareness

/ June 20134

First Student First Responder Scheme in England to have their own response vehicle

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) Community Liaison and Training Officers (CLATO) David England and Ian Jones working together with Oxford University Medical School have launched the first Student First Responder Scheme in England to have their own response vehicle.

Over the past few weeks SCAS has recruited 48 volunteers from fourth and fifth year medical students at Oxford University to provide early and often vital intervention for patients suffering life-threatening medical emergencies whilst an ambulance response is en route to the scene.

To date 34 medical students have been trained by SCAS to respond to incidents across the three counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. 17 of the volunteers have passed a driving assessment which qualifies them to use one of the ambulance Trust’s dynamic response Vauxhall Corsa cars.

Members of the Student First Responder Scheme will be carrying the same equipment as a Community First Responder (CFR) plus Entonox and will follow the same protocols as a CFR.

They will work as a crew of two proceeding to 999 calls as directed by SCAS’ Emergency Operations Centre at normal road speed. The students will be doing shifts in their free time and will cover towns and villages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.

David England SCAS Community Liaison & Training Officer said:

“When I came up with the idea of using medical students for responding I didn’t think we would get 34 signed up and trained so quickly. The students spend their time on placements in the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford and others across the region, but this hands-on pre-hospital experience will be an eye opener for them. Not only will it inspire some to specialise in pre-hospital care in the future but it will also make today’s medical students and tomorrow’s junior doctors better prepared to deal with life-threatening emergencies in hospital as well.”

Professor Alastair Buchan, Head of the Medical Sciences Division and Dean of the Oxford Medical School said:

“The Student First Responder Scheme is a fantastic initiative that will enable medical students to be first on-scene at major life-threatening medical emergencies. The opportunity for our students to be present at the earliest stages of a patient’s injury or illness will be of immense educational value as well as helping patients on their road to recovery.”

Dr Syed Masud, Consultant in A&E and Pre-Hospital Care at the John Radcliffe Hospital, said:

“The Student First Responder Scheme is part of the bigger picture in pre-hospital care and emergency medicine. The students have started up a Society for Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine and Major Trauma and in partnership with the Emergency Services will be holding their inaugural national conference in November 2013. The John Radcliffe Hospital is fully supporting both initiatives.”

5

/ June 20136

SCAS Community Responder Training and Liaison Officer Amanda Cundy together with Community First Responders (CFR) Gary Clark and Ian Hammond of the Trust’s Swallowfield CFR Scheme attended at the first ever National Conference for Community Responders on 31 May. The event was held at the GMEX Conference Centre Manchester and was organised by the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) as part of the 18th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine.

The conference agenda was full of important and thought provoking content, with a wide variety of speakers including Professor Douglas Chamberlain, a well renowned figure in the area of cardiac care. He gave a witty but very serious presentation on the importance of Community Responders and the vital part they play in saving people suffering cardiac arrests. Professor Maaret Castren, Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Department of Clinical Science and Education, Soderjukhuset gave a presentation highlighting superior competency of Community First Responders compared with other health professionals.

Julie Hilling MP spoke with a passion to further the cause of including basic ELS ( Emergency Life Support) into the schools curriculum as there was convincing evidence that school pupils were not only able to perform this vital act, but also would be more likely than adults to employ their skills in an emergency.

North West Ambulance Service’s Dave McNally addressed conference on the new and important NWAS E CFR scheme.The Extended Community First Responder scheme was set up to improve patient services in remote areas, and to take advantage of many CFR’s who are both willing and capable of taking on additional skills.

They now have 70 E CFR’s trained – all of whom are volunteers for this upgraded role. The initial results are encouraging and show that it has saved lives as well as making the Ambulance Service more efficient.

The whole E CFR training package is extensive (34 modules over 6 months) and is undertaken by a combination of distance learning and classroom teaching and assessment and has been extremely well thought out with a huge commitment from NWAS and their CFR’s.

Another interesting and entertaining session was by a CFR Co-ordinator – a retired Head Teacher who now leads a team of 30 CFR’s in 9 groups over a large and difficult area of Lancashire – good to hear how other teams are organised and operate, as well as listening to a very entertaining speaker.

SCAS attends the Community First Responders Conference in Manchester

COMING SOON - YOUR AMBIES!This is your opportunity to nominate those colleagues who go above and beyond for the sake of our patients, colleagues and the organisation.

Is there someone you know who should win an award?

Nominations open mid July, keep an eye on www.scas.nhs.uk to find out more.

7

Cheryl Stokes, Emergency Medical Assistant Dispatcher, goes third manningOn Monday 17 June I went out Third Manning at Adderbury with Paramedic Jayne Handisides and ECA Laura Raw.

“I had the most amazing day watching and helping the crew with a variety of jobs, including an elderly male having a Diabetic hypo, a man who had fallen out of a van whilst at work and broken his leg, a woman in Cardiac Arrest and a Road Traffic Collision on the M40.

The crew got me really involved and talked me through what they were doing and why, so that I understood and learnt from my day on the road.

At roughly 14:50 we were called to a 79 year old female who was in cardiac arrest, when we arrived on scene the first crew had been there about 3 minutes and had just began CPR, I didn’t know what to make of the experience at first, until Paramedic Jayne Handisides asked me if I would be able to take over the CPR, I got stuck in straight away and the experience was great, the adrenaline rush is a good buzz too!

I was shocked but satisfied that I got to assist Jayne and Laura so much in one day, and now I can’t wait to get on the road myself!”

/ June 20138

What others say about us

Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire

Buckinghamshire

Oh behalf of my mother and I, we would like to thank the paramedics who saved my brothers life. They worked very hard on him to bring him back to life after a cardiac arrest. Please pass on our thanks for not giving up on him.

Message of thanks for delivery of our baby.

We couldn’t have asked for better attention, we are grateful for all those involved in providing such prompt and efficient service. The attention to detail and care shown were second to none. They are a credit to the South Central Ambulance Service.

They were exceptionally helpful and compassionate and professional. They made her comfortable and got her to hospital quickly. This is the first time we have had to use this service and are delighted at the help we received. They are great ambassadors for the ambulance service and we thank them greatly.

9

Hampshire

Oxfordshire

Berkshire

Thank you to the crew at the scene who did a great job in resuscitating the patient.

From the Paramedics, whose name I can only remember as Steve and his colleague to my discharge I want to say a BIG thank you. Steve, so kind and funny!! Although obviously in a hell of a lot of pain I found him comforting, informing me every step of the way what would be happening to me.

I want to say a very BIG THANK YOU to the two lovely lady Paramedics who came to my husband’s aid on Sunday night. They were very prompt and extremely calm – which gave me a lot of confidence and made me feel very calm as well. They even made sure I was comfortable at the hospital while I was waiting for my husband’s assessment to be made. Thank you again, and if anyone has negative ideas about the ambulance service they can answer to me!

/ June 201310

Bicester EOC Control Manager Ray Barefield had the honour to represent the Trust at one of The Queen’s Garden Parties on 22 May. Garden parties have been held at Buckingham Palace since the 1860s, when Queen Victoria instituted what were known as ‘breakfasts’ (though they took place in the afternoon). In the 1950s the number of garden parties held at Buckingham Palace was increased from two to three a year. They took the place of presentation parties attended by debutantes, but have evolved into a way of rewarding and recognising public service. They are attended by approximately 8,000 guests.

People from all walks of life are invited on the recommendation of national organisations such as the NHS who submit lists on a pre-arranged quota. This practice ensures that a representative cross-section of the community is invited and that guests are generally people who have contributed a large amount to their various organisations or society.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by other members of the Royal Family, enter the garden to the National Anthem played by one of the two military bands.

Most people like to dress up for their special day. Gentlemen wear morning dress or lounge suits, while women wear afternoon dress, usually with hats or fascinators. National dress and uniform are also often worn.

Ray said:

“Being nominated by the Trust to attend The Queen’s garden party was a pleasant surprise and a great honour.

“It was an enjoyable day, the atmosphere was great and it was nice to get up close to the Royal Family, something you don’t do every day and having the chance so to see so many well-known celebrities.”

Ray Barefield attends Queen’s Garden Party

11

4 year old Maddox’s 999 call helps to save his mother

/ June 201312

Maddox’s mother Hollie Ashton commented:

‘With my poor health, I taught Maddox from an early age what to do in case of an emergency where “Mummy was poorly.” He stayed calm and acted like a brave and responsible boy and got me the medical help I desperately needed - I couldn’t be more proud of him.’

The ambulance crew conveyed Hollie Ashton to Milton Keynes General Hospital where she was admitted. Hollie was discharged from hospital a week later and is now back home with her son Maddox and partner Steven Shearer.

Vicky Holliday, SCAS Area Manager for Milton Keynes said:

‘Maddox is a fine example of what any child should do faced with a medical emergency. He has received a commendation from South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust for being an outstanding example to others of what to do when you call 999 for an ambulance and, as a special thank you for a job well done, we have given him his own toy ambulance.’

With his father at work and his 2 year old sister at home 4 year old Maddox Shearer knew exactly what to do at 11.30am on 22 April 2013 when he couldn’t wake his mother Hollie at their home in Milton Keynes. Maddox dialled 999, asked for an ambulance and looked after his mother and sister until help arrived.

He calmly gave South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) Senior Emergency Call Taker Laura Patrick his address, told her that he had tried to wake his mother, even that his mother suffered from a long term medical condition. What’s more Maddox waited for the ambulance crew to arrive and opened the door for them when they did!

SCAS Senior Emergency Call Taker Laura Patrick said:

‘I was really impressed with 4 year old Maddox who not only managed to give me quite a difficult address but was very calm. Not many 4 year olds know their address let alone can phone for an ambulance and give such clear information despite being worried about their mum who has passed out.’

‘Even when Maddox’s mum came round and was talking to me Maddox was able to open the door and show the ambulance crew in. A very clever little boy with very proud parents I’m sure. I feel Maddox deserves some recognition for doing such an amazing job.’

Maddox is a fine example of what any child should do faced with a medical emergency.

13

SCAS Team Leader Brian Wagstaff presents the toy ambulance to Maddox

/ June 201314

Air ambulance charity donationThanks to Bicester Receptionist Pauline Davies for organising a raffle of gifts given by suppliers to staff for Christmas. As NHS employees are not allowed to accept any item with a value of £25 or more quick thinking Pauline decided to raffle off a hamper and other items to Northern and Southern House staff with the proceeds of £140 going to the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust.

Thanks also to Amanda Bolley and colleagues in the Education Department for collecting a further £61.99 for Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust.

Photo: Pauline Davies pictured presenting a cheque to Mr Mark McGeown – Chief Executive Officer of Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust.

The work of the Vehicle Commissioning Unit at Eastleigh Resource Centre was recognised this week when Richard Kersley and his team were presented with a Certificate of Appreciation by the Bransgore Community First Responders. The VCU had conducted the fitting out of the responders group’s new Land Rover Freelander.

They managed this in between their day to day work for the Trust. The funds for the Freelander had been raised by local community donations and was match funded by a grant from Defra and the EU aimed at supporting rural community services.

Handing over the certificate the group co-ordinator Mike Jukes said,” It has taken a long time to raise the funds to secure the vehicle and Richard and his team have worked very hard to fit the necessary items we requested.

Their help has produced a superb vehicle and with will be able to continue to support our community in the New Forest areas, camping sites and other rural locations. They have been most supportive and found a way to get around most problems to reach this final stage.

We have got an excellent vehicle with the equipment we need. The certificate is a small way in which we can say thanks”.

Certificate of Appreciation

15

12,528public membersto date

6,000

12,000

NUMBER OFFOUNDATION

TRUST MEMBERS

3,000

9,000

Foun

datio

n Tr

ust

mem

ber

ship

Can you help us at events?We have lots of events planned to sign up new Foundation Trust members and we need your help!

DATE EVENT VENUE

Sat 7 July Calshot Lifeboat Open DayCalshot Lifeboat Station, Calshot, Hants

Sat 10 and Sun 11 Aug

MK Islamic Arts & Crafts Festival Milton Keynes, Bucks

Sat 31 AugustHampshire Fire and Rescue Open Day

Hampshire Fire Station, Eastleigh

Sat 14 SepHeritage Open Day and Emergency Services Day

Waddesdon Manor, Aylesbury, Bucks

Sat 14 Sep Oxford Open Doors EventThe Castle, Castle Street, Oxford, Oxon

You can make a difference!

For more information, email getinvolved@scas.nhs.uk

or phone 01869 365126.

Thank you for

your support

members!

Wowzers!

/ June 201316

TWEETTWEET

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!

DMcGnJun 11, 5:40pm Qualified as a First Responder for @SCAS999 today and can now help patients.

HantsFireDogs Jun 12, 8:49pm Attended incident today where the crew from Blue Watch Southsea administered CPR to casualty before handing to @SCAS999 for defibrillation.

layton_90Jun 3, 10:24pm

@SCAS999 7 call outs in the last 3 nights I’ve gone on call. really proud of what I do in my spare time! #cfr #999friends

17

Follow us on Twitter @SCAS999www.twitter.com/SCAS999

hillheadcg Jun 7, 10:39am @SCAS999 we like your video - we have now re-tweeted - probably see you over the weekend sometime #teamwork #alwaysoncall

@CllrPoll Jun 12, 10:40pm Thanks to @Bucksfire for the Biker Down course I attended tonight. I am inspired to undertake further first aid training. @SCAS999

emma_jayne79 Jun 7, 3:18pm

@SCAS999 I would like to say a huge thank you to Gus one of your paramedics, who was fab with my 6yr old son after a nasty fall yesterday.

2856followers

/ June 201318

Congratulations to South East 24 (frontline crew operating out of South East Hampshire) who completed the three peaks challenge on 4 June 2013 raising around £1000 for the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. The team started the drive up to Fort William in Scotland on Tuesday 4th June which took 12 hours. A long and tiring drive however then they had nearly a day to rest and acclimatise. They commenced the challenge at the base of Ben Nevis at 1600 which proved a really hard mountain with bolder fields and sheer drops. The guys worked really hard and pulled together so well. At the summit, Ben Nevis was packed snow and the temperature dropped significantly but we all made it to the top as one unit. Once back to the minibus they had hot food and drink and then drove straight to Scafell Pike in Cumbria to start the ascent. Scafell Pike is as hard to climb as Ben Nevis but not as high although it was psychologically draining.

Scafell was completed safely however the team were delayed by road closures and a restricted speed on the minibus. As soon as we reached the minibus at the base of Scafell they again had hot food and travelled to North Wales to Snowdon. Here the challenge stipulates that the clock stops at the summit only. The weather was glorious throughout with fantastic views and once the team completed the final summit it was time to relax. The team travelled straight back home after climbing Snowdon with very achy legs, blisters but with a million memories. Everyone worked so hard and pulled together through really tough and arduous times. The whole team had a fantastic sense of humour and are no doubt a better working Ambulance team for their life experience. All monies raised are being donated to the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

Three Peaks Challenge [by Ross Smith]

19

The whole teamRoss Smith (Team Leader) Walker Mat Purssey (Clinical Mentor) Walker Tom Davies (Paramedic) Walker Craig Turner (ECA) Walker

Chris Addoo (ECA) Walker Davina Geraghty (Technician) Walker Steve Gooch (Technician) Driver Karen Cardwell (Paramedic) Driver

/ June 201320

Ken Wilcox from South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust kindly agreed to visit Covéa Insurance and present a First Aid Awareness talk to 22 staff given over two evening sessions in June.

The objective of the talk was to provide Covéa Insurance staff with some knowledge of the basic life support rules of First Aid and the importance of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

The talk was aimed at people wishing to learn or to refresh their knowledge of basic First Aid skills. During the talk Ken covered a range of topics and emergency responses.

Feedback from attendees was positive and people found the talk to be very useful:

‘Ken’s approach was both informative and entertaining.’

‘Ken was extremely knowledgeable and communicated his knowledge in a way that everyone could understand.’

Covéa Insurance would like to thank Ken for his time and effort in organising this presentation for staff and for passing on some knowledge of these essential life skills.

First Aid Awareness at Covéa Insurance

21

All figures are provisional.

What does it mean?

Total activity equates to the number of calls which received a SCAS response or were dealt with by our clinical support desks Activity variance over the same period last year.

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

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

Category A [Red 1] - indicates a performance target for an emergency response, which is categorised as immediately life-threatening, to reach an incident within 8 minutes from the time a call is connected to the ambulance emergency control centre. The national target is to respond to 75% of all these calls within 8 minutes.

How we’re doing

May 2013 Year to date

Total activity 40,322 Total activity 79,815

Activity variance 6.69% Activity variance 8.12%

Non conveyance 15,389 Non conveyance 30,798

Non conveyance % 42.49% Non conveyance % 42.51%

Category A [Red 1] 82.66% Category A [Red 1] 81.77%

Category A [Red 2] 78.50% Category A [Red 2] 77.80%

Red 19 96.62% Red 19 96.26%

111 calls answered 65,760 111 calls answered 189,470

Number of CFR responses 1,611 Number of CFR responses 3,504

Number of PTS journeys 36,481 Number of PTS journeys 72,992

Category A [Red 2] - indicates a performance target for an emergency response which may be life threatening but less time-critical. Calls should receive an emergency response within 8 minutes.

RED19 performance - indicates a performance target for a conveying response (ambulance or rapid response vehicle) to reach an incident of a life-threatening nature within 19 minutes from the time a call is connected to an ambulance emergency control centre. The national target is to respond to 95% of all these calls within 19 minutes.

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.

/ June 201322

4 JULY

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

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust7-8 Talisman Business Centre Talisman RoadBicesterOX26 6HR

DEADLINE for copy for the next issue: 16 July.Please keep articles under 250 words.

16JULY

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

June 2013

Caring | Team work | Professionalism | Innovation

MEETMADOX

4 year old Maddox makes 999 call and

helps to save his mother