Caring | Team work | Professionalism | Innovation

OCTOBER 2014

South Central Ambulance ServiceNHS Foundation Trust

ATTHE

HART OF IT

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12 SUMMERSAFE AND AUTUMNAWARE CAMPAIGNS

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22 PRAISE FOR DEDICATION AND PROFESSIONALISM

CREWS REUNITED WITH PATIENT WHOSE LIFE THEY HELPED SAVE

CHINNOR GETS ITS FOURTH DEFIB THANKS TO LOCAL FUNDRAISING

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4 SCAS SHOWCASES SIMBULANCE FOR FIRST TIME AT CARFEST

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SCAS PTS SERVICE GROWS IN HAMPSHIRE

CREWS REUNITED WITH PATIENT WHOSE LIFE THEY HELPED SAVE

16 AT THE HART OF IT

26 WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT US

The Trust showcased its mobile simulation vehicle, the Simbulance, for the first time ever, at last month’s CarFest, Laverstoke Park Farm.

During CarFest, SCAS staff were on hand to show members of the public inside the Simbulance. This is an innovative and award winning virtual classroom facility which normally enables ambulance staff to experience realistic medical situations inside an ambulance cabin thanks to educational elements including ambulance equipment, manikins and audio-visual recording capabilities on board.

Helen Pocock, Education Manager (Research and Development) for SCAS, said:

“We were looking forward to showing people of all ages a variety of medical scenarios being simulated in a mobile setting. In the past, simulation has been restricted to labs or classrooms, but the Simbulance allows us to show types of medical situations that typically happen in an ambulance. We were also keen to show the wider public how we are using this technology to develop not only technical abilities, but also some of the other skills essential to our role.

“We invited children to bring along their teddies to be assessed in the Simbulance so that they could engage with us in an interactive way and familiarise themselves with basic equipment and the overall ambulance environment. This helps to reduce the fear factor should a child ever require our services in the future. There was also a chance for children to enter our ‘Name the Manikin’ competition in aid of Children in Need”.

SCAS SHOWCASES SIMBULANCE FOR FIRST TIME AT CARFEST

OCT 14

Scan this with your iphone for more information

To keep up to date about the Simbulance, follow @SCASLearning on Twitter

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CREWS REUNITED WITH PATIENT WHOSE LIFE THEY HELPED SAVEYacht skipper Richard Houghton, 58, from Gosport, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in June 2013 in the middle of the night whilst at home.

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OCT 14

His partner, Dawn Saunders, woke up at 3am on 15 June to find him face down in his pillow. Fortunately, Dawn dialled 999 and began performing CPR on Richard.

SCAS Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) staff, including dispatcher Amber Dickinson, efficiently dispatched ambulance crews, which included Alec Shepherd, Mike Francis, Jon Agate and Gail Anderson.

SCAS crews worked hard to revive Richard and to stabilise him as much as possible before conveying him to Queen Alexandra Hospital.

Richard was in an induced coma for six days before regaining consciousness. He then spent two weeks on a cardiac ward. Richard, being unable to walk or coordinate his limbs, then underwent five weeks of intensive rehabilitation.

Richard returned home after five weeks, and after a year spent recovering, he and Dawn were determined to meet the crew.

During the reunion on 22 September at SCAS’s Southern House headquarters in Hampshire, Richard explained:

“It was truly wonderful and quite humbling to meet the ambulance crew who are every day at the sharp end of life and death (and everything in between). I had died and they literally gave me my life back.

“I wanted to meet them to say a heartfelt thank you for all that they had done for me and those that love me that night. I am in awe of their professionalism and dedication because thanks to them, now I have a great future to look forward to. They are very special people and I will never forget them.”

Gail Anderson, SCAS Paramedic, said:

“I personally found it amazing and humbling to meet Richard again. His story is fantastic and heart-warming and I feel very proud to have been part of it.”

SCAS NOW PROVIDES PATIENT TRANSPORT SERVICE IN ALL OF HAMPSHIRE8

SCAS NOW PROVIDES PATIENT TRANSPORT SERVICE IN ALL OF HAMPSHIRE

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On 1 October 2014, SCAS took over responsibility for running the non-emergency Patient Transport Service (PTS) across Hampshire from two existing providers. We got the contract by winning a tender issued by seven Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs).

It is a complicated process transferring a service like this from two providers to one new one, and a project team had been working since May 2014 to ensure a smooth handover.

63 new specialist vehicles were commissioned from Yorkshire vehicle manufacturer O&H Facilities, all of which are designed and made to exacting standards to provide Trust patients with the comfort, facilities and security they need.

Four sites were renovated to provide additional PTS bases at Gosport, Havant, Portsmouth and Totton, providing a clean, safe and comfortable base for teams to work from.

Technology will play a key role in SCAS delivering a high-quality service. Both SCAS Contact Centres are working together to provide a seamless experience to the service users, with calls being answered by the next available call handler at either centre, supported by a new single patient data system. All PTS staff will have Personal Data Assistants (PDA’s) to provide live performance data, enabling teams to be proactive in response times.

James Underhay, Director of Strategy and Business Development said:

“This is a really important contract for SCAS, and we are determined to deliver the best possible service to patients in Hampshire.

“I would like to welcome all the staff who have joined us from other providers, and to thank everyone who has worked so hard to ensure a smooth transition of services.”

New PTS vehicles being prepared

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OCT 14

SCAS is keen to recruit additional voluntary car drivers across the area to support patients who require car transport. Volunteers use their own vehicle, for which mileage is paid, and existing volunteer drivers enjoy this worthwhile and rewarding experience, helping others in their local community.

If you are interested, please contact us on the details below, or pass them on to a friend, family member or colleague who might be volunteer.cardriver@scas.nhs.uk

New PTS vehicles being prepared

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SUMMERSAFE AND AUTUMNAWARE CAMPAIGNS

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OCT 14

SUMMERSAFE AND AUTUMNAWARE CAMPAIGNS

SUMMERSAFE CAMPAIGN AND AUTUMNAWARE CAMPAIGNOver the past few months, SCAS has been busy encouraging members of the public to be ‘Summersafe’.

The SCAS communications team has been working closely with clinical, operational, EOC and emergency planning colleagues to highlight key messages for people to think about during the hot weather and school holidays.

Topics highlighted in SCAS press releases, tweets and radio interviews included:

Ù The dangers of leaving children and pets unattended in vehicles during hot temperatures

Ù The risks people face when near to water Ù The importance for motorcyclists to wear the right personal protective

equipment when out on the roads Ù The importance of staying hydrated Ù The benefits of getting your repeat prescriptions as part of your

holiday preparations.

The Summersafe campaign generated a lot of positive coverage in local and regional news outlets and saw a steady stream of engagement amongst SCAS stakeholders and involved working in partnership with other emergency services.

We want to continue building on this success. SCAS has launched its next campaign to help members of the public be Autumnaware.

The Autumnaware campaign will involve press releases, tweets, images and much more, in order to share advice and encouragement on how to stay healthy and safe as the clocks go back and winter quickly approaches, being mindful of healthcare aspects such as:

Ù Getting your flu vaccination, particularly the young and the elderly Ù Try to boost your immune system by eating lots of fruits and

vegetables Ù Keeping your repeat prescriptions up to date.

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So please keep your eyes peeled for the autumnaware campaign by using the #autumnaware hashtag and retweeting messages on our twitter feed @SCAS999.

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AT THE HART OF ITMICHELLE ARCHER

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The radio has gone again. This time the EOC have sent us to the local city where there’s a Road Traffic Collision (RTC). We’re sent as we believe there to be 9 casualties. It’s rush hour again and there’s a lot of cars on the road. In the dark our vehicle lights up like a Christmas tree so it’s impossible not to see us. Rich explains that people can get quite panicked by emergency vehicles and not really know what to do. What I have observed is that although most people will pull over, there are quite a few who do not pull to the side of the road and actually stop which makes it very difficult to navigate through. Essentially if people are worried about an emergency vehicle approaching them, stay calm, where possible pull to the side of the road and stop. If that’s not possible, continue on your path and the emergency vehicle will take necessary action to pass you. We make steady progress to the incident and on arrival Jack has been briefed by the clinicians already on scene. No time to stop to say hello to other crews as Rich and I have been asked to jump back in the vehicle and head to another potentially serious incident just down the road. Jack and Dickie follow in their vehicle. Again when we get there Jack is off to get a briefing from the police officer in charge, we’re no longer needed. We’re back in the car and heading back to base…unless we get dispatched to another incident on route of course.

We are now just around the corner from the station and we’re dispatched to another RTC. Its now nearly 6pm, just an hour left of the shift. This collision sounds serious.

Rich switches on the blue lights and sirens and we’re off again but we’re heading in the wrong direction at the moment, time for a swift u-turn. We hit the motorway again, this is going to be a long run as the incident is right on the county border. Rich is making good progress down the motorway and the rain is here again. We’re in the outside lane of the motorway and again with our lights and sirens blaring, members of the public adjust their driving to enable us to pass. As we travel it appears that there are several reports of RTCs coming in around the same area. Our colleagues in the EOC are constantly reviewing the incident we are on our way to, ensuring that we are heading to the correct location and checking that all the different locations that are being given to them are the same incident that we are heading to.

Rich used to work in this area and so knows it quite well, sadly it’s notoriously a treacherous bit of road even in the daylight. As we get closer to the incident the traffic starts to back up. We follow another blue lighted car down the wrong side of the road going relatively slowly in case we meet a car coming in the other direction. It has taken about 35 minutes to arrive at the incident and we are met with a sea of blue lights from Police, Fire and numerous Ambulance responses. Rich gets out of the vehicle and puts on his fluorescent jacket and helmet, chats to Dickie and they make their way towards the crash scene. No doubt discussing what kit they might need. Once we get there the scene is a mass of people, emergency vehicles and the crumpled mess of the three vehicles it involves.

OCT 14

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At this stage we know that one person is uninjured, one person has minor injuries and there are serious concerns over one person who is trapped in the worst affected car.

Given the amount of resources that have been dispatched ambulance crews, solo responders, teams from both Air Ambulances – including doctors who have travelled with blood in case its needed, and the HART team. The patient couldn’t have been in better hands. It’s here I lose most of the HART team for a while who are all getting involved in the treatment of the two casualties. I stand back and whilst looking on try not to make a nuisance of myself. Jack takes control of the scene from an ambulance perspective and co-ordinates any additional resources whether that be man power, vehicles or equipment, that might be required. Chrissy, the officer we met earlier, is next to arrive and takes over from Jack liaising with the EOC updating them on the situation at hand and sorting out further resources that might be required.

As I watch on I can’t help feeling immensely proud of our staff, the service we provide to patients and how calm each and every individual is in the joined up response to do the best for the patient who is trapped and potentially seriously injured. The roof is now off the car and medics can now get a better view of all the patients’ extremities, however, the patient is still trapped and it won’t be for a little while longer that he will be released. I can see a few familiar faces from various parts of the service and beyond, all busily working around the scene. An air ambulance Paramedic called Rocky towers above, taking control, spinal board in hand, and Ewan one of the doctors is talking with colleagues presumably making decisions about what needs to happen next for that patient. Meanwhile ambulance staff and doctors continue to treat him. As people work quickly to release him Lisa and Gavin in another ambulance turns up to take the patient with minor injuries to hospital. That patient is handed over to Lisa and Gavin and they get on their way. As I stand there watching what’s going on Daryl takes a step back, there are so many people it’s getting crowded and it’s a chance to find out a little bit more about what’s going on.

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OCT 14He explains what’s happening, what might be wrong with the patient, how they are treating him, and I continue with a steady stream of questions.

I wonder whether the patient knows what’s going on around him…I’m told the patient has had a lot of painkillers so he probably won’t. A couple of times the patient screams out, in pain or in confusion I don’t know, but it’s such a horrible sound. Medics around the patient continue to talk through what’s happening and I’m really relieved to see that the patient is having a conversation with those caring for him. Treatment continues and the patient is wrapped up and put onto the ambulance, it’s a cold and damp evening so I’m told they are using a special blanket, that has what resembles pocket warmers all over it to keep him warm. Doctors will be accompanying the crew to hospital to continue the patients care on route, and as the ambulance with its blue lights disappears into the distance I breath a sigh of relief that the patient has had the best care from all the team involved, from those in the control room (after all without them the call would never have been received and none of us would be here) to all those who have arrived on scene.

The medics job is done at the scene and it’s time for Jack to lead a quick de-brief with input from the ambulance staff and fire service before everyone clears up and leaves. We’ve been on scene for well over an hour and it’s now time for Rich, Jack, Daryl, Dickie, Dave and myself to head back to base and home. Fortunately at this time of night there’s not much traffic on the road and so our route back to base is undisturbed.

When we arrive the team on the night shift are there waiting. Jack, Daryl, Rich, Dickie and Dave handover to the night crew, take all their personal kit and uniform out of the vehicles they have been using and they’re good to go home. This team will be back bright and early in the morning ready for another day.

It’s safe to say that I have had an interesting and eventful day and experienced just a fraction of the specialist skills of the HART team and of course other ambulance crews. Overall I leave feeling shattered but incredibly thankful and proud not only of the HART team I have been with but also everyone I have come in contact with today, all doing what they do for one reason. The patient. They are the people who are here 365 days a year, 24/7, making a real difference in peoples lives every day…amazing!!

Special thanks to:The HART team: Rich, Jack, Dickie, Daryl and Dave.

And to Claire, Westley, Chrissy, Kate, Lydia, Andrew, Lorna, Katy, Mark, Ewan, Pat, Ben, Kirsty, Megan, Alexander, Paul, Adam, Zulfinguar, Lisa and Gavin.

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Autumn is not a great time of year for the million or so British children with asthma. It’s when they are most likely to lose control of their symptoms and end up in hospital. But it needn’t be so.

There is a dramatic rise in the number of children rushed to hospital for their asthma in the autumn term.

Facts and figuresAround 7,000 children with asthma are hospitalised during September and October every year in England alone – that’s half as many again as the average across the rest of the year.

Why in autumn?

It is unclear why September and October are particularly bad months, but there are likely to be a number of factors involved.

These may include exposure to asthma-triggering coughs and colds carried by class-mates, and a ‘laissez-faire’ attitude to taking medication properly over the summer holidays, rendering them more vulnerable to attacks.

While it is virtually impossible to protect children from the coughs and colds, much can be done about their use of the asthma medication.

Make sure your child isn’t one of them by acting now!

We know that up to 75% of hospital visits could be prevented by giving children the right support to handle their condition. Asthma UK’s free, award winning My Asthma pack is proven to reduce admissions by 60% and helps you develop a fun routine with your child to manage their asthma and reduce the risk of attacks.

Order your FREE pack now by clicking here.

BETTER ASTHMA CONTROL NEEDED TO STAVE OFF AUTUMN WHEEZING

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PRAISE FOR DEDICATION AND PROFESSIONALISMAn emergency call taker working in EOC South has been praised by her colleagues for her dedication and professionalism whilst taking a very difficult 999 call recently.

Jamie-Lea Vaughan-Quinn received a call from a man in a distressed and confused state.

He was unable to tell Jamie-Lea his location and gave a vague description of his surroundings.

With assistance from her colleagues Emily Jones and Aimee Lake, the caller’s location was eventually confirmed thanks to Jamie-Lea’s excellent questioning and calm telephone manner.

With Jamie-Lea’s shift due to finish, she chose to stay and complete the call rather than transfer it to a colleague.

SECT Purple Team, Aimee Lake, explains:

“At no point did Jamie-Lea show any frustration. She was polite and professional showing exemplary compassion. After the call, she did not complain about the caller, despite how frustrating it was to get the information. Jamie-Lea maintains very high standards and on this call she went above and beyond. She would also not see this as anything more than doing her job.”

Head of EOC South, Tony Peters, added:

“Everything Jamie-Lea did, should be held up as an example to others. Her dedication and professionalism, caring nature and compassion was second to none. Well Done!”

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A fourth defibrillator has been installed in Chinnor thanks to the fundraising efforts of Chinnor BUZZ, an independent group of local businesses.

More than £2,000 was raised at a quiz night organised by the group; sufficient to pay for the purchase and installation of the new defibrillator, as well as a pager for use by the local First Responders.

CHINNOR GETS ITS FOURTH DEFIB THANKS TO LOCAL FUNDRAISING

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OCT 14

Fiona Mantle, a Community First Responder and Parish Councillor, said:

“I’d like to thank Chinnor BUZZ for their fundraising efforts. Chinnor is now very well equipped in terms of defibrillators, which provide a very useful addition to the existing Community First Responders Team.

The defibrillator has recently been installed outside the Wheatsheaf pub in Chinnor.Chinnor now has four defibrillators located strategically around the village.

These modern defibrillators are very easy to use and provide spoken instructions to guide you through the process of using them. A training day for residents was also held to help make them feel at ease using the equipment.

“I’m sure the defibrillators will help save lives over the coming years.”

What others say about us

I wanted to pass on my thanks to the paramedics who attended my late husband, all were calm and efficient in what must have appeared chaos, they were so kind, polite and understanding.

I would like to thank the paramedic who attended me, she was very kind and helpful, her prognosis was right, thank you for your help.

Just a note to say an enormous thank you for your prompt attention, not only were you so fast getting here but nothing was too much trouble and I was put to ease calmly and efficiently.

I am writing to congratulate the crew who attended my husband, they arrived almost straight away, they were highly professional and in my opinion saved his life, with heartfelt thanks.

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What others say about us

Thank you so much for allowing me to visit, I found the session very informative.

I was very happy with the way both treated me and I am very grateful.

I would like to say a warm thank you to the crew on how they treated me and showed respect to me, they are remarkable men who greatly represent the ambulance service.

Thank you for the service I received and medical attention when I had a crash from my bike, I was so well looked after, please pass on my thanks to them directly.

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OCT 14

TOTAL 999 ACTIVITY

RED 1 [19 mins]RED 1 [8 mins]

42,087

NON CONVEYANCE

16,541NON CONVEYANCE %

43.41%

76.62% 97.60%

RED 2 [19 mins]

95.81%75.69%90,064

111 CALLS ANSWERED

CFR RESPONSES

31,243PTS JOURNEYS

2,697

RED 2 [8 mins]

What does it mean?

Total 999 activity equates to the number of calls which received a SCAS response or were dealt with by our clinical support desks Non conveyance is the number of incidents we responded to where the patient was not taken to hospital.

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

Red 1 - Red 1 calls are the most time critical and cover cardiac arrest patients who are not breathing and do not have a pulse, and other severe conditions.

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

HOW WE’RE DOINGAUGUST 2014 FIGURES

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TOTAL 999 ACTIVITY

RED 1 [19 mins]RED 1 [8 mins]

42,087

NON CONVEYANCE

16,541NON CONVEYANCE %

43.41%

76.62% 97.60%

RED 2 [19 mins]

95.81%75.69%90,064

111 CALLS ANSWERED

CFR RESPONSES

31,243PTS JOURNEYS

2,697

RED 2 [8 mins]

All figures are provisional.

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.

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OCT 14

Foun

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DATES FOR YOUR DIARYDATE EVENT VENUE

Sat 18 Oct Fareham 999 Day Fareham, Hampshire. All day

Tuesday 4 Nov Healthwatch 2014 thecentre:mk, Middleton Hall, Milton Keynes

You can make a difference!

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

or phone 01869 365126.

Thank you

for

your suppo

rt

members!

13,166public membersto date

8,000

13,000

NUMBER OFFOUNDATION

TRUST MEMBERS

5,000

12,000

30 @SCAS999

@SCAS999

OCT 14

TWEETHere 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!

Anfi3ldAssassin Sep 11, 8:06am

Thanks to @SCAS999 and nhs #RoyalBerks for looking after me overnight. #CreditToTheNation #respect.

safeandcool Sep 17, 8:18pm

Happy to announce that I am now a qualified first aided and thanks to great training from @SCAS999.

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5,592 followers

5,592 followers

@safeandcool Sep 17

Happy to announce that I am now a qualified first aided and thanks to great training from @SCAS999

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

kels_penguin Sep 26, 2:49pm

@SCAS999 wants to thank Lucy the loveliest paramedic I’ve met who came out last night during my asthma attack, she was fab!

a_manda_62 Sep 24, 2:56pm

@SCAS999 good day at AGM, this year at Council offices, Gatehouse Way, Ayles, CFR and Co Responder team, thanks guys.

GloveBoxGlover Sep 26, 1:36pm

The @NHS111 @SCAS999 service is superb. The most helpful people at the end of the phone. Well done. #PublicService.

5,592 followers

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OCT 14

5,592 followers

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 TrustUnits 7-8 Talisman Business Centre Talisman RoadBicesterOX26 6HR

www.scas.nhs.uk

DEADLINE for copy for the next issue: 15 November.Please keep articles under 250 words.

15NOV

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