Working Together Autumn 2018

South Central Ambulance Service

NHS Foundation Trust

Wo rkin gto ge

ther

DIAMOND COUPLE SET TO ENJOY 60TH ANNVERSARY Autumn Twenty Eighteen

Autumn 2018

On the PTS bus 10

SCAS NHS 111 is ‘Good’ 26

Steph meets lifesaving team

28

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LAS and IOW Partnerships 44

Community round up 74

Autumn 2018

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DIAMOND COUPLE SET TO ENJOY

y r a s r e v i nn A 60th

THANKS TO ANNIE, JORDON AND DARREN

Autumn 2018

Shirley and Ted Woodgate from Wallingford, Oxfordshire, are looking forward to celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary in November this year with family and friends.

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This milestone achievement might not have been possible without the swift actions of SCAS Paramedic, Annie Noble, and Emergency Care Assistant/Student Paramedic Jordon Clements, along with Paramedic Team Leader, Darren Weston.

The SCAS team of three came to the couple’s aid early in the morning on 25 November 2017.

“Ted and I had enjoyed a lovely time the previous day”, remembers Shirley. “I’d had a driving lesson in the morning as we were getting a new Mini and I wanted to be confident of where all the controls were.

Later that afternoon we drove over to Reading for a meal out in the evening. I’d felt fine all day and gone to bed tired, but with no symptoms.”

However on the following morning, Shirley woke up with severe chest pains, feeling hot and sweaty.

they arrived. That was very reassuring to hear.”

Annie and Jordon arrived at the couple’s home in less than five minutes and their initial assessment confirmed that Shirley was having an MI (myocardial infaction) or heart attack and needed to get to hospital quickly. Having got her into the ambulance however, she promptly went into cardiac arrest.

“Jordon started CPR and I got the defibrillator ready”, says Annie. “Fortunately it just took one shock to bring Shirley round and she was soon talking to us again.”

Jordon adds, “I asked Shirley how her pain was now once she came round. She said it was better, but we didn’t want to risk Shirley going into cardiac arrest again on

“I asked her if she wanted me to call the doctor”, adds Ted. “But she just said ‘ No – ambulance’. This was very unlike Shirley so I knew something was up and dialled 999 straight away.”

The call was made at 6.29am into SCAS’ Bicester control room; at almost the very same time Annie and Jordon had logged on as available for the start of their day shift so they were immediately dispatched from their Didcot base.

Ted adds, “I remember the call taker was asking me lots of questions and I said something like ‘Shirley’s really not very well, can we just skip these?’ He was really very good with me and said that the ambulance was already on its way, so he wasn’t holding anything up and the questions would then give the crew more information as they were driving which would help them look after Shirley when

the way to hospital with just Annie in the back, and me driving. So we asked control for some back-up and Darren came quickly to us in a rapid response vehicle.”

With Darren in the back of the ambulance with Annie, they could safely begin the 15 mile journey to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. With the team carefully monitoring Shirley all the way, they made it without further incident and took Shirley straight into the PPCI (Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) suite where she was operated on shortly afterwards by Consultant Cardiologist, Professor Adrian Banning.

Autumn 2018

Annie and Jordon also visited Shirley during her short hospital stay and were delighted to see she was recovering well. Shirley was also keen to praise the hospital team. “I arrived on Saturday morning and was home again by Monday!

The care there was first class too and I’ve had great support from Ted at home, along with family coming in to help too. I’m pretty much back to my usual self.”

Shirley and Ted very kindly brought some gifts for Annie and Jordon, as well as the rest of the Didcot team, when they visited the resource centre on 30 August. It wasn’t the first time they had visited the station; in face they had been regular Friday night visitors in the past.

“One of our friends worked here,” explained Ted, “and there used to be regular dances held inside the garage on weekend nights. All the vehicles would be moved out into the forecourt and we’d set up a few tables for food and drinks.”

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Shirley adds, “It was a great dancing venue because the concrete floor was polished and so smooth – we could all just glide across it! Of course this was back in the 1970s before the days of ‘health and safety’ which no doubt put paid to our weekend dancing in the end!”

With the couple celebrating their Diamond Wedding Anniversary in November, they are incredibly thankful for the speed with which Annie, Jordon and Darren got to them when they needed help, and the fantastic care they received. As a certain TV host might have said, we hope they ‘keep dancing’ for many years to come.

Autumn 2018

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WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES…..8,760 LITTLE HOURS

s d n e sc e d n io t a s i vat i s’ r e l p b e c m n a a h l s u l ta o t ‘Amb o int Autumn 2018

‘Dispute looms at Sussex Patient Transport Services’’ ‘Union holds 24-hour protest in Lewes over patient transport’

‘Pensioners wait six hours for patient transport’ South Central Ambulance Service has now been working for more than a year to recover and rebuild the nonemergency patient transport service in Sussex. The plethora of headlines like the ones above during 2016/17 which became synonymous with the period when Coperforma delivered the service, now seem a dim and distant memory. Working Together spent three days with the SCAS Sussex PTS team in September to find out exactly how things had improved for staff and patients.

Sussex is one of the largest counties in England and home to around 1.6 million people. With miles of coastline and famous beaches, it is a destination for many visitors too on day trips or longer breaks.

Not only the scenic coastline, but areas of outstanding natural beauty and charming towns and villages attract people to visit and live in the region. But as anyone who

has spent time in Sussex knows, getting around can be problematic. The county only has eight miles of motorway, and the well-used A-road network can quickly grind to a halt with even minor traffic problems.

There cannot be a much greater misnomer than ‘rush hour in Sussex’.

The model for PTS in Sussex is different to SCAS’ other contracts in Hampshire, Surrey and the Thames Valley. Unlike other areas, Sussex PTS runs seven days a week and the SCAS team is supported by a large cohort of approved private provider partners who carry out around 80% of the patient journeys. SCAS took over the contract from Coperforma as a step-in provider, initially carrying out discharges and transfers from March 2017 before taking over the whole of the service from 1 April 2017. The remaining length of the contract was for three years with an option for it to be extended for a further 12 months.

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Over the first 12 months of the new service, the SCAS PTS team: Received

82,886 calls

Undertook

286,314

patient journeys

Drove

3,350,443 miles

In May 2018, the latest six-monthly review of the PTS service by Healthwatch Sussex found that the level of satisfaction amongst service users continued to increase.

Users across the county said the service was “better organised and more efficient overall� with regular drivers having a significant impact on people’s experiences.

Amongst those patients taking part in the survey, 85% were either satisfied or very satisfied with the service, and 80% of respondents would recommend Sussex PTS to family and friends.

So what has life been like for the staff delivering the service since April? We went along to find out.

Autumn 2018

We began our visit at the contact centre in Durrington, near Worthing. Contact Centre Manager, Eileen Quinn, welcomes us to the PTS offices. The team share two rooms in the large offices of Coastal West Sussex CCG. The majority of the call handlers work from here, though there is a very small team based at Pacific House in Eastbourne.

It’s quick to see from the information that Eileen has up on her screen how busy the team are. For the two days prior to our visit, 673 and 610 calls were received into the contact centre; some are ETA calls but the majority are for new bookings.

“We should h ave 18 call ha ndlers and two team lead ers following the recent Commercial S ervices Transfo rmation Programme”, s ays Eileen, “b ut as that process has o nly just finishe d we’re only just in th e recruitment p hase now.

Currently we have 12 call h andlers so it can be a challe nge to manag e the peaks and troughs. F or example, o n the Monday of the week p revious to this one, we had over 800 calls .”

Eileen has spent her career working in hospitals and for the NHS in the local area. She was with the Patient Transport Bureau, which handled bookings for SECamb when that ambulance trust ran the county’s PTS service, and was then transferred into Coperforma and again into SCAS. Since April 2017, new systems and processes have been put in place and one of the trickiest challenges Eileen thinks that she and especially hospitals have faced, is to unlearn how things used to operate in the past.

She says, “Online bookings, for example, are new to Sussex. The SCAS onsite staff are consistently showing healthcare professionals how to book online. They find this a constant job, as there are so many agency staff working in the acute hospitals. This means that they train staff every day. Currently, Sussex is the best performing county for SCAS with

each acute hospital booking over 80% of their discharges and transfers online. The Contact Centre takes ‘complicated’ bookings from acute hospitals over the phone. This is for patients who require a stretcher to a home address, or for bariatric patients. The team ensures that they get all the relevant information from the caller, so that the crews who will be transporting the patient, are fully aware of the address that they are taking the patient to.”

The day that the contact centre went live on 1 April 2017 was a Saturday. Eileen was on site obviously, along with senior PTS managers and even one of SCAS’ Executive Directors.

It was a ‘roll your sleeves up’ kind of day and everyone pitched in, from organising an emergency skip delivery to clear out the old office furniture that had been left, to assembling chairs, desks and storage so the team could be up and running as quickly as possible.

“It went very smoothly”, remembers Eileen.

“I think it surprised many people just how seamless it was. The best compliments we were given towards the end of those first weeks was when people said they didn’t realise the provider had changed. As staff delivering the service, we certainly have noticed the change however!”

As she introduces some members of her contact centre team who she is keen to point out have all gone above and beyond many times during the last 18 months, Eileen concludes by saying that whilst the PTS service is still very much run on business principles under SCAS, it is now in the hands of a very much more patient-focused and supportive organisation. There are new career development opportunities and by including contact centre staff in meetings with colleagues not just from the rest of the county, but also from the PTS services SCAS operates in Hampshire and Surrey, there are also fantastic learning opportunities and a greater understanding of how service improvements can be made.

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ELLIE CORNELIUS

CASSIE MULLEN

“I’ve over two years’ experience in PTS, starting off at the Patient Transport Bureau and finally now at SCAS. I used to handle bookings but now I’m exclusively on the ETA line. I do a week of early shifts, followed by a week of lates and then one weekend in four. We get between 150-200 ETA calls a day so it’s a busy line! I also use IM (Instant Messenger) to communicate with our hospital contacts. I enjoy the role because I like a challenge, I think I have a good telephone manner and I’ve got a knack for calming people down.”

“Like Eileen, I was also at the Patient Transport Bureau, then TUPE’d over to Coperforma and then again to SCAS. I’m a people person so I’m very happy in my role as a Team Leader. If I’m on an early shift (07:00-15:00) I’ll help with calls, pull together data on activity for management reports, manage in-day queries as they arrive and help cover the ETA line. On a late shift (10:00-18:00) I would spend more time completing any Datix entries, managing GRS and looking at rotas for the rest of the week. Of course there have been challenges since SCAS took over, but we now get much more support and it’s a much better atmosphere.”

CALL HANDLER

TEAM LEADER

Autumn 2018

MATT HELM

LOCALITY MANAGER

Leaving Worthing, we head over to Eastbourne on the notorious A27; the 35 mile trip takes just over an hour (did we mention traffic in Sussex is a nightmare?).

A stone’s throw from the coastline, we arrive at Pacific House; a recently constructed serviced offices complex where the Sussex PTS planning and despatch teams are based, along with some of the local management team.

Locality Manager, Matt Helm, welcomes us to the Eastbourne offices. Matt has worked on patient transport in Sussex for nearly five years now – starting with SECamb, transferring to Coperforma and again to SCAS. Starting his career as a planner and dispatcher, he has also been a team leader, volunteer car driver lead, renal manager and contact centre assistant manager.

He’s been appointed to his latest role as part of the Commercial Services Transformation Programme.

Eight dispatchers, two team leaders, three planners and four call handlers make up the core of the Eastbourne office staff. Jess Bowbrick, who is the Private Provider & Volunteer Car Driver Manager for Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, is also based in the offices.

The team co-ordinate and manage an average of around 950 journeys a day to the 10 acute hospital sites and numerous treatment centres and clinics; though on a really busy day this number can increase to around 1,200. Around 80% of the service is delivered by private providers, who have been vetted and gone through a rigorous governance process

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Matt: “It's a model that works we ll for us. We get a high qua lity service fro m partners we can rely o n and operatio nal challenges such as sickne , ss absence, a re something the private pro viders manag e to ensure that the vehic les and staff w e need are available.

Unlike the res t of patient transport in S CAS, we’re a s even days a week servic e, operating fr om 6am to 11pm (7am-10 pm on Sunday s) and with SCAS having been parachu te d in to rescue the service in April 2017, we couldn’t have taken it over w ithout this ope rational model in plac e.”

Matt’s role involves attending contract review meetings with local commissioners, liaising with the contact centre manager, managing the Eastbourne team, helping with day-to-day challenges where he can draw

on his own experience having worked as a planner and despatcher, as well as being part of project teams looking at how SCAS can retain the Sussex PTS contract as well as identify new business opportunities.

Having worked in the service for over five years, Matt is delighted to be back in the NHS fold again. “It’s now a very familiar environment to when I started with SECamb”, he says. “There’s better engagement with senior managers, a real patient care focus and we have things like statutory and mandatory training and policies on safeguarding that were just lacking under the previous regime. It’s a much more efficient service, but one that is also more caring.”

Autumn 2018

DAVID LOWES

Acting Team Leader & Despatcher “I joined SCAS in May 2017, having previously worked for a number of years on the road as an ambulance care assistant for Southern Ambulance Service. I began as a call handler here in Pacific House, before moving across to despatch and recently promoted to Acting Team Leader.

It’s been a big eye-opener working ‘on the other side’. When you’re on the road you only see one set of jobs, your own. Here, I can see everything.

Of course I can empathise with our road crews if they call in with problems. Having done the job I know how long it might take to get a particular patient in and out of their home; or knowing the road system and traffic what is and isn’t possible in terms of time and distance. It’s good to have road experience in the team because I can help my colleagues understand what really can and

can’t be done on the road, as well as pick up any potential logistical hurdles before they become problems for our staff and patients.”

A key challeng e for the team remains on the day dis charges. With the planned bookings all s cheduled acro ss the PTS fleet 24-hours in advance, ca pacity needs to be b uilt in to cope with on the day bookings.

This averages around 70 a day but can be as high as 70 just in one of the fou r geographica l areas that the county is split into.

Central (Brigh ton) East (east of B righton to Rye ) West (west o f Brighton to P ortsmouth) North (north o f Brighton to S urrey

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BEN TAYLOR Planner

“I am a member of the fourstrong planning team based at Pacific House and it’s our job to get everything ready for the day’s scheduled bookings 24 hours in advance. The team works from 06:00 to 18:00 with people staggering their starts at 6am, 8am and 10am so that there is cover throughout the day. We can have over 1,000 journeys to plan daily, with renal patients making up around 300 of those.

We work methodically, planning the busiest region – Central – first as it contains the main hospital for the region, the Royal Sussex County. Once that’s done then all the other areas feed off the Central schedule, and we also have to plan in outpatient appointments to specialist hospitals in London, Oxford and elsewhere. Plus of course there is the on-the-day discharges and bookings to cope with.

In order to cope with those unexpected bookings, it’s important we can scatter the fleet across the county. Having a large volume of renal patients helps us to do this. Our local knowledge of the area is also crucial to the following day running smoothly. We don’t just take into account travel distances, but also time of travel. We know that a short distance on the map could take a long time depending on when our crew travelling.

That human element was lacking under Coperforma where the despatch function had been dispensed with for an automated system which seemed to just leave people out if it didn’t think the journey was achievable.”

Autumn 2018 July 2017

On the PTS BUS CLAIRE DAVIS & PAUL MELHAM Ambulance Care Assistants

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The Eastbourne operational base is at Hellingly Hospital, about 10 miles north of Eastbourne. The site was opened in 1903 as the East Sussex County Asylum. Most of the old buildings and site land has been sold off for housing, but a few remain along with a modern medium secure mental health unit and a building housing management offices, crew room and facilities for Eastbourne operational staff.

tells us she has been an ambulance care assistant for 18 years and loves her job, despite the well-publicised ‘bad days’ of the past! She’s obviously dedicated to her patients as she mentions that at the worst times under Coperforma, Claire and her colleagues would make their own way to the renal units at the end of their allocated shifts, see who had still not been collected and take them home.

This morning we’re meeting ambulance care assistants Claire Davis and Paul Melham, who are on a 09:30-20:00 shift.

Both Claire and Paul are in the crew room by 9am, checking their jobs for the day. They have two booked in: firstly a patient to be collected from Pembury Hospital in Tunbridge Wells to be taken to a care home in Crowborough; and then a patient being discharged from Eastbourne Hospital to be taken home to Pevensey.

Paul is slightly less experienced with eight years in the role under his belt, and had to take a part time job under the Coperforma regime to make ends meet as he wasn’t paid for a couple of months. He says it’s nice to be back in the NHS uniform; his previous bright green polo shirt meant he kept getting asked where eggs and other groceries were whenever he popped in to Asda!

A colleague on a shorter shift (09:0017:00) has been allocated the collection and return of a patient from Hastings to St. George’s Hospital in Tooting, London, for an outpatient appointment at 2pm.

She’s on her own and is a bit concerned about traffic on the M25 that might mean she won’t finish by her 17:00 scheduled time. Claire and Paul offer to swap vehicles and jobs for the day as they are finishing later. As Paul speaks to the control room to gain approval of the change, Claire tells us that Hellingly Hospital is one of the most haunted sites in England and she and a number of colleagues have experienced some spooky goings on. As she tells us about shadows walking passed offices and footsteps being heard coming down the corridor but no one being there, we’re glad it’s not a shift late in the winter that would have a dark ending to look forward to!

Control are happy to sign off on the suggested journey changes so after swapping keys and smartphones, we head off to Hastings. On the way Claire

Autumn 2018

We arrive on time in Hastings to collect Reg and Beryl; Reg is recovering from a cancer operation and subsequent treatment and today it’s his latest six monthly check-up with his consultant in London. After getting the couple safely into the ambulance, Paul takes the wheel for the 70 mile trip to St George’s in Tooting.

Claire remains in the back, chatting with Reg and Beryl and regularly checking they are both comfortable on the journey.

Reg served for 18 years in the Army, retiring as a Sergeant Major, and he and Beryl have been together for about 12 years. They knew each other as friends and love blossomed when they were both widowed. Reg regales us with some hilarious army and family anecdotes – most of which are unfortunately unprintable!

“This service is wonderful”, says Beryl.

“When we were told Reg would have to come up to London regularly we were really worried as we looked up how we would get there and it involved three trains and a couple of buses!

I don’t think we’d have been able to do it, to be honest. We’ve had one minor hiccup all the time we’ve been using the service, but normally it’s fantastic.”

They tell us that they only got married last year, an experience they were (eventually!) able to share with their seven children, six grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren!

“It was the day before Beryl’s 80th birthday”, adds Reg. “We went to the Registry Office with Beryl’s brother and sister as witnesses and then went out for a nice lunch. The following day at the party with lots of family and friends, I was giving a little speech and then went down on one knee and asked Beryl to marry me. She played along – saying

no, don’t be silly get up off the floor – but eventually said yes and everyone cheered! We then told them we’d actually done it the day before and they cheered even louder. It took three people to get me up and standing again mind.”

We arrive at the hospital at 1:15pm; in plenty of time for Reg’s 2pm appointment and allowing the couple to get a quick cup of tea. As we were getting closer to the hospital, Claire could tell that Reg was getting anxious and was very good at reassuring him and checking he was alright. Our journey through South London also took us through Paul’s old stomping ground where he grew up as a teenager. Once again, there were a few stories that will have to remain only for those on the vehicle!

Claire and Paul accompany the couple to the right outpatient clinic and check they are booked in, before returning to the vehicle.

We stay parked on the hospital site and have our lunch break. We chat about what keeps them in the job, and for both it’s a combination of the camaraderie with their team and the satisfaction of taking grateful patients like Reg and Beryl to vital appointments they wouldn’t normally be able to get to under their own steam.

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Shortly after 3.15pm, Beryl calls to say they are ready to go home; Paul and Claire head back to the clinic to collect them. It’s good news! Reg has been discharged from St George’s and can now just remain under the care of his local hospital, the Conquest at St Leonards-onSea, near Hastings; no further specialist appointments are needed.

Claire is in the driving seat for the return journey and Paul is in the back.

Paul makes sure Reg and Beryl are aware that they might still be eligible for patient transport for their more local appointments given their limited mobility, and it would be worth checking this out.

“I shall miss our trips to London”, says Beryl.

“I won’t”, adds Reg, with a glint in his

eye. “At least I can now look forward to my own 80th in October with a bit more confidence.”

Claire says from the front, “Beryl! You never told me earlier you’d married a toy boy!”

“Shame he wasn’t a rich one”, she says laughing.

We drop off the couple to their seafront apartment in Hastings at 5:20pm and Paul and Claire see them to the block’s lift doors and take their farewells. We get back to the Hellingly base at 6.15pm and as there are no further transport bookings for Claire and Paul, the rest of the shift is spent cleaning and restocking the vehicle; ready for a new crew to do it all again tomorrow.

Autumn 2018

IAN THOMSON

Business Manager for Sussex PTS Ian Thomson is the Business Manager for Sussex PTS. His office is based at Hellingly but he travels extensively across the county (and beyond) meeting commissioners, local councils, visiting PTS staff across Sussex and meeting the wider SCAS PTS team in other parts of the South Central region.

He was with Coperforma when they were awarded the Sussex PTS contract, but resigned before they officially took over running the service as he was convinced that the solution they were proposing could not be delivered.

“Regrettably, I was proved right”, explains Ian. “However, I was asked to return in June 2016 to see if I could sort out the mess. Through a lot of blood, sweat and tears from my team, we were actually meeting KPIs by the end of the year but it was too late. Decisions had been made to remove the contract from Coperforma and I, like many people, transferred over to SCAS in April last year.”

Ian is proud of the fact that most of the acute hospitals have fed back to him at various meetings that they didn’t really

notice the switchover to SCAS at an operational level. Feedback from hospitals and commissioners has predominantly remained positive over the last 18 months too. At a recent pre-CQC inspection meeting, the local Councils commented that they were getting much more safeguarding concerns from SCAS; and were happy with the fact that more information was coming in.

Ian adds, “Now we’re in a situation where we are discussing and reviewing individual cases where something has not gone as it should with a patient’s transport. Under the old regime those meetings were looking at themes and trends of what was going wrong on a much wider scale.”

The service continues to evolve and improve; on-the-day discharges remain high and a challenge but Ian recognises that often there are circumstances and root causes beyond both the hospital and SCAS’ control. One way the team is looking to limit the impact of such discharges is through the HALOs – Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officers.

“We’ve not got all our HALOs in post”, says Ian, “and they are all doing a great job. In West Sussex, Sharon Stephenson at St. Richard’s in Chichester, along with Charlie Day and Rosie Wilcock at Worthing, have

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done a fantastic job successfully reducing on the day discharges to 62-65% of total discharges. Levels were running at 70-75% that remain elsewhere. They’ve been so proactive in highlighting and reinforcing the message that large volumes of on the day discharges cause problems for everyone, and are seeing some great results driving those numbers down.”

Rosie and Charlie job share the HALO post at Worthing Hospital; Rosie works Mondays and Tuesdays. Charlie works Thursdays and Fridays, and they both work on Wednesdays to allow a smooth handover and update. Together, they have a combined almost 30 years’ experience in the role; no wonder Worthing was highlighted as a beacon of excellence.

ROSIE WILLCOCK

Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officer “On a normal day, we would manage around 35-40 patient discharges and around 50 patients coming in for outpatient appointments who of course need to then be taken home the same day. We’ve built up excellent relationships with the hospital, the managers here, on-site teams and of course with our own road crews.

Therefore, when problems arise we’re the first port of call to see what we can do to solve them. There isn’t much better job satisfaction than getting that ‘impossible task’ and still being able to manage to get that patient home.”

CHARLIE DAY

Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officer “A typical day would start with conference calls with our dispatch team, we’d update them on predicted discharges here for the day, what the hospital’s bed status was, and highlight any pinches where we may be asked to assist with maintaining patient flow in A&E, Clinical Decision Unit, or elsewhere in other wards. It’s our job to ensure that discharges are achieved within the agreed KPIs, in order to do that we try to get as many pre-bookings as we can from the wards the day before, as well as manage any on the day problems with individual clinics or outpatient departments that can affect patient appointments.”

On the day we visit, it’s a Wednesday so both Rosie and Charlie are working and it is also the monthly drop-in clinic at the Patient Discharge Lounge. The clinic allows any member of staff to visit at a convenient time and discuss with Charlie or Rosie any concerns, ask any questions or cover any training issues they might have had. If they are unsure about any bookings or how to use the online system, they can be taken through these again step-by-step.

It’s time to take our leave from Sussex, but we’re left with a strong sense of the dedication, professionalism and care that everyone we have met has for their patients and their colleagues, not just in SCAS but across the county’s health and social care system. The trials and tribulations that those we spoke to have been through would have broken the spirits of many people. But here, those challenges seem to have galvanised a community desperate to get a much-loved, much-appreciated and highly valued service back to its former consistently high standards.And with the progress already made in the first 18 months, it really won’t be long before those standards are reached.

Autumn 2018

SCAS NHS 111 IS GOOD

AND THAT’S OFFICIAL

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In August, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited SCAS to inspect some of its services.

The first report resulting from this inspection was published by the CQC on 20 September and rated SCAS’ NHS 111 service as ‘Good’ across all categories.

In the report, CQC inspectors acknowledged the improvements made to the NHS 111 service for the South Central region since the last inspection in May 2016. At that time the service was rated as ‘Good’ overall but required improvement in the effective domain.

It is great news for our hardworking staff in our NHS 111 service, as well as for the 1.25 million patients who call us every year, that SCAS now has a rating of ‘Good’ across all the domains. The report concluded that our NHS 111 service provides a safe, caring, responsive and well-led service to a diverse population spread across central and south England.

Inspectors noted that: »» Staff involved and treated people with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect »» Patients were able to access care and treatment from the service within an appropriate timescale for their needs »» The service routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured care and treatment was delivered according to evidence-based guidelines »» The provider was responsive and acted on patient complaints and feedback. Feedback from patients was welcomed by the provider and used to improve the service »» The service had good systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When they did, the service learned from them and improved their processes.

The report also complimented the Trust on the creative and proactive approaches it had taken to solve staffing issues, such as the use of home workers, joint working and changes in working patterns to attract more staff. In addition, the wellbeing of staff was clearly a top priority for SCAS and inspectors recognised the role that investing in wellbeing officers to provide pastoral and operational support for staff had played in reducing levels of staff sickness. Overall, staff working in our NHS 111 service told the inspection team that it was a good place to work.

A copy of the full report can be found at www.cqc.org.uk/location/RYEA3

Autumn 2018

STEPH SAYS

THANK YOU TO LIFESAVING SCAS TEAM

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Early on the morning of 22 June, 20-year-old Southampton resident Steph Blake was struck by a car whilst crossing the Totton bypass at a set of traffic lights. Almost immediately calls started flooding in to SCAS’ emergency operations control room in Otterbourne.

Autumn 2018

calls and recognising the seriousness of Steph’s injuries, also dispatched the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance to the incident.

The ambulance arriving at scene within eight minutes of the first 999 call was crewed by Paramedic, James Cooper, Student Paramedic Ellie Cleary and Emergency Care Assistant, Stephen Wood.

“We had been on shift since 6am”, remembers Stephen, “and we’d already been sent to a medical emergency that morning. Having cleared from the scene we were on standby in Totton when this call came in so fortunately it took us less than five minutes to get there.”

“It was very difficult on the day”, remembers Senior Emergency Call Taker, Aimee Lake. “We had lots of calls coming in with various people telling us the person struck was a girl aged 14 to a 25-year-old woman.

We were very lucky with some of the members of the public at the scene who gave us the information we needed to let us know Steph had been critically injured. They were able to carry out some of the instructions we gave them and help Steph whilst our staff were racing to the scene.”

Georgina Etheridge took the first 999 call that was received, but Aimee, Darren Bradley and Kayleigh Ramsey all took subsequent calls to help build a picture of what was happening at the scene and help make sure staff from Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service and Hampshire Police were on their way as well. Whilst Dan Paice dispatched the nearest ambulance to the scene as a priority one call, over on the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Dispatch Desk, Jay Turner had also listened to the increasing number of

James adds, “I’ve been on the frontline for 10 years now and this was the first incident I’d seen where a patient had suffered such a traumatic brain injury. We knew the air ambulance was on its way and the team’s skills were definitely going to be needed. Ellie, Stephen and I all worked extremely hard to try and stabilise Steph in order that she would still be with us when the critical care team arrived.”

“The incident had happened not far from Steph’s house”, remembers Jay Turner, “and thankfully there was a landing site at the recreation ground so it meant the air ambulance team could get to Steph really quickly.”

The helicopter, piloted by Dave Nicholls, landed and the medical team of Specialist Critical Care Paramedic, Louise Wigmore, Dr Rob Summerhayes, Senior Registrar in Emergency Medicine at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, and Dr Ewan McMorris a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Hampshire Hospitals NHS

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Foundation Trust, were on scene just 12 minutes after James, Ellie and Stephen had arrived in their ambulance.

Steph’s head injury was so severe that the team needed to carry out a series of emergency medical procedures at the roadside, before they could then, with the help of the ambulance crew, get Steph on board the ambulance for the trip to the major trauma centre at nearby University Hospital Southampton.

The air ambulance medical team made the trip in the back of the ambulance in order they could keep monitoring and treating Steph en route; which meant there wasn’t any room for Stephen so he got an unexpected ride to hospital in the helicopter.

“I don’t remember anything other than crossing the road. I was in a coma for nearly a month and I woke up to my Dad in the hospital room.”

Autumn 2018

Mum, Sue, says it is a day she will never forget. “It took a while for Steph to be stabilised at the scene and it felt like an eternity as we waited at the hospital for her to arrive. As soon as I saw her I thought she was dead.”

“We were told that if she survived it was likely she would have life-changing injuries”, adds Dad, Steve. “We didn’t really know what that meant at the time.

We just knew she wasn’t out of the woods and we were just focusing all our hope on seeing her, somehow, pull through.”

Within hours, Steph had undergone a lifesaving operation on her brain and then spent time on the hospital’s Neurological Intensive Treatment Unit fighting for her life. Slowly she started to recover and delighted friends, family and medical staff as she began to be able to eat, drink, talk and walk – simple things that

it was feared she might never be able to do again.

Whilst still having no recollection of the accident itself, Steph made it clear that she very much wanted to meet the team that helped save her life at the roadside.

Her friend, Matt Woods, works in the PTS Contact Centre at Otterbourne for SCAS and he reached out and helped organise a visit for Steph, her parents Sue and Steve, along with younger sister, Ella, to the Nursling Resource Centre in Southampton on Friday 28 September.

Apart from Georgina, who was sadly unavailable on the day, all the EOC team were able to meet Steph and her family, along with James, Ellie and Stephen who had treated her at the scene. It was an emotional occasion for everyone.

Sue told the team, “If you hadn’t all worked well together, Steph wouldn’t

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be here today. Until you’re involved in something like this you don’t realise what everyone does and to see how your team came together to work miracles was amazing.

You guys gave her back to us. I honestly don’t know how she’s still alive, never mind doing so well already.”

Matt and Steph’s friends had also raised nearly £700 for the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, and at the meeting in Nursling this money was gratefully received on behalf of the Charity by Community Engagement Manager, Ian Browning, and Events Fundraiser, Nicole Davies.

When Steph has recovered further, she is planning to visit the HIOWAA base at Thruxton to meet Louise, Rob, Ewan and Dave and Matt has promised to take her to his Otterbourne base so she can also meet Georgina.

After saying their goodbyes, the thoughts of the team were summed up

by Kayleigh, who said, “Days like today and to see how well Steph is doing is what really makes all of our jobs worthwhile.”

Autumn 2018

SCAS LAUNCHES INNOVATIVE CLINICAL PATHWAYS TRIAGE APP In July, SCAS launched its Clinical Pathways App that puts key information at the fingertips of frontline staff and improves patient safety, the patient experience and clinical care and outcomes. In addition, it also reduces staff anxiety when they are deployed to emergencies in unfamiliar areas.

The project was led by Mark Ainsworth-Smith, Consultant Pre-Hospital Care Practitioner at SCAS, assisted by Els Freshwater, Consultant Paramedic at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, John Black, Medical Director at SCAS, and supported by a large team of testers. The App was developed by Volatile State and a grant of ÂŁ9,600 was given by the South Central Ambulance Charity to fund the project.

Location

Presenting complaint

Clinical question

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What was the challenge/problem?

SCAS operates in a complex setting over a large geographical area the size of Cyprus.

Within this we have 10 acute sites, seven specialist sites and two major trauma centres. Our emergency 999 service divides the four counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire into seven operational nodes.

Though frontline staff are based within a ‘home’ node, they are becoming increasingly transient and often find themselves working in unfamiliar areas.

We also have a significant and increasing number of specialist teams who work across the South Central region, and our private partner providers supply crews who may work across the Trust’s operational area.

Destination recommendation

Patients with major trauma, stroke, vascular emergencies, and heart attack amongst other serious and/or life-threatening conditions are no longer taken to their nearest hospital but to specialist units. It can be incredibly confusing for crews, especially when working out of area, to know all the suitable receiving units and their relevant details and information, such as acceptance criteria, hours of opening, pre-alert numbers and entrance details.

Some of this critical information is available via the Trust’s existing ePR (electronic patient record) system but it is a time consuming process for crews to check all the pre-alerts for all the receiving units, and some of the information had become out of date or was inaccurate; one pre-alert number for Wexham Park Hospital called a local Chinese Restaurant!

Destination map

Autumn 2018

NB: receiving unit information is secure and only available to staff working in SCAS. Access to it is password protected and only available via team leaders / clinical team. No patient identifiers are on the app, though staff can keep basic information for their CPD portfolio.

What was our technological solution?

Working with Volatile State (an app developer that SCAS had commissioned previously), and with funding for the project provided by the South Central Ambulance Charity, SCAS created the Clinical Pathways App, available on both Android and iOS. The Clinical Pathways App uses GPS technology to identify the user’s current location, selects the most suitable receiving unit, gives an estimation of drive time to the ambulance crew, and provides a series of basic clinical ‘joggers’ to the user based around ACQIs and evidence-based care.

What has been the impact?

The app provides pre-alert numbers to all receiving units (not all units are open 24-7), as well as telling the crew which entrance to go to. A pre-alert has been shown to improve clinical outcomes, and by providing the crew with the nearest and most appropriate unit, the patients will be seen by the right specialist clinicians in the quickest possible time.

At the scene and on the way to the receiving unit, the clinical information provided by the app also provides recommendations for giving appropriate medicines based around clinical patient indicators, e.g. aspirin in chest pain, tranexamic acid in trauma, etc.

As it is widely available on Android and iOS, the Clinical Pathways App can be downloaded by SCAS staff – as well as our private provider partners – on either their work or personal smartphones. The pre-alert information on the app is PIN protected to ensure only authorised staff are able to access it, and it can be amended or updated within ‘next working day’ parameters by the developers.

At the time of publication, the Clinical Pathways App has been downloaded by over 1,000 people which means that more patients will receive rapid diagnosis and treatment within the ‘golden hour’ required for optimal chances of survival and returning to good health.

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Autumn 2018

Since the start of 2018, the Estates Department at SCAS has been involved in a major relocation project.

With the completion of the sale in 2017 of the old Battle Hospital site in central Reading, the Estates Team was tasked with relocating both the patient transport and South Central Fleet Services (SCFS) operations from the Battle site to new homes in Loverock Road, Reading, and Milton Park, Didcot, respectively.

Head of Estates, Paul Cross, adds: “At the same time, we were tasked with relocating the SCFS Oxford workshop to Milton Park, as well as the ICT Clinical Communications Team and Telemetry Team. And of course, being a 24-7-365 service we didn’t have the luxury that some businesses and organisations enjoy of simply stopping operations whilst these complicated moves were carried out.”

Out with the old….

With the lease signed for the new unit on Loverock Road, refurbishment of the premises selected in part due to its close proximity to the Battle site, could commence. Work was scheduled to meet a 20 August deadline; the date that all the SCAS teams had to leave the Battle site so it could be demolished to make way for housing.

“Unfortunately as the refurbishment of the Loverock Road site was getting under way”, says Paul, “unknown people gained access to the site in mid-June, stole materials and caused significant damage to the building, both internally and externally. This damage was so extensive that we had to pretty much start again from scratch; and there was no way the building would be finished by the time the PTS team had to leave the Battle site.”

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NOW WE’RE MOVING The damage included copper piping and wiring ripped out and removed, both boilers damaged, ceilings and wall partitions smashed and other fixtures and fittings smashed beyond repair. Additional security measures were quickly put in place on the site but the cost of the repairs added tens of thousands of pounds to the project.

in SCAS had stored at the site for a number of years could either be moved to new homes, or disposed of.”

The Estates Team also had the unenviable task of clearing the Battle site; a not inconsiderable challenge given the 25 years that operations had been run from the location.

James Saunders, Fleet Manager at Battle, was looking forward to the move. “We can sometimes have challenges managing the volume of work we get”, he says. “And vehicles sometimes have to go to more than one site to get the repairs or maintenance they need. The move brings nearly the whole Fleet team together in one site on Milton Park for the first time, so it will be great to effectively have a one-stop shop.”

“We’d agreed with the site’s new owners, Bellway Homes, that anything that wasn’t ‘bolted down’ on site had to be removed”, adds Paul. “It was a fair few skip’s worth! We also had to ensure that equipment and vehicles that other departments and teams

Slowly, but surely, the site was being cleared, making sure of course that operations could still be run from the site until the Fleet Services and PTS teams relocated.

Autumn 2018

The PTS team also left on schedule on 20 August

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At Battle, the SCFS team worked one shift – 08:00-16:00 – daily and at weekends. Once they moved to Milton Park along with the other workshop teams, operational hours would be extended from 06:30 to 23:00. This would be covered in two shifts, an early one from 06:30-15:00 and a late shift from 14:30-23:00, and would reduce vehicle downtime as well as ensuring that far less work would need to be outsourced to other dealers at peak periods.

The SCFS team was the first to leave the Battle site, starting in phases from early August. Over the following three weeks, James spent time shuttling between Battle and Milton Park, overseeing the installation and commissioning of new equipment whilst also ensuring the scheduled work could still be carried out in Reading, and as teams were relocated, in Didcot too. The last week on site from 13 August was the unenviable task of clearing what remained on the Battle site.

The PTS team also left on schedule on 20 August and staff based at Battle, along with the Estates and Project Team overseeing the relocation, undertook a tremendous amount of work making sure that the large and sprawling site was in a fit state to hand over to the new owners.

Furthermore most of this physical work was undertaken during one of the hottest summers on record; though moving day itself for the PTS teams was typically the day the weather broke resulting in wet and muggy conditions.

Autumn 2018

MILTON PARK

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‌in with the new Loverock Road, Reading The refurbishment work is continuing at Loverock Road, but once finished the new unit will include a spacious crew room with a newly fitted kitchen, separate locker room for changing, meeting room space, an IT suite for e-learning and for staff to access Trust emails and systems, team leader and management offices with smaller kitchenette, shower facilities, a large secured garage and external parking.

The base has been operational since late August with temporary offices and facilities housed in the compound to ensure that the patient transport service can still operate. The work was finally completed and the unit handed over to SCAS on 8 October.

Milton Park, Didcot The new site at Milton Park was handed over on 25 September and brings together the fleet workshop, the vast majority of the SCFS support network, and a 20-strong workforce under one roof for the first time at the new 22,987 sq. ft. premises. The unit also is the new home for the relocated Operational Support team and ICT Clinical Communications and Telemetry team.

LOVEROCK ROAD

SCAS now benefits from the strength of Milton Park’s transport links within the region and an element of future proofing has been considered in the planning as the site can accommodate its growing team.

MILTON PARK

Autumn 2018

r e t t be er h t e g to

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On 25 September, South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and London Ambulance Service NHS Trust announced that they had established a partnership to look at potential efficiencies through projects like joint procurement of vehicles, equipment and IT systems.

The two trusts, which provide 999 / 111 urgent and emergency care services for about 16 million people between them, are also committed to working more closely together and learning from each other’s best practices.

South Central Ambulance Service Chief Executive Will Hancock said: “We already work closely together with London Ambulance Service, including at incidents which happen on or near our boundaries, during large-scale planned events and major incidents. With ever increasing demands on ambulance services across the country, such partnerships will be crucial to ensure that the improvements in patient care and experience, working environments for staff

and innovations in service delivery can be delivered within our existing resources.

“Many of our residents in the South Central region commute into London daily to work.

We would also therefore like to explore opportunities to improve patient care for that large body of people we share between our two services, for example, through closer working between our 111 and integrated urgent care services. People might call 111 during the day and have a face-to-face appointment booked for them nearer home when they return.”

London Ambulance Service Chief Executive Garrett Emmerson said: “Our patients expect and deserve the best care we can provide and that means making every £1 of taxpayers’ money count.

“Our five year strategy is improving the way in which we provide urgent and emergency care to people who live, work or travel in London in the most cost effective way. And we know that to keep improving, we need to partner with the wider NHS – and that’s what this partnership is all about, working with and learning from our neighbours to ensure the best care for the 16 million people who live and work across London and the South Central region.”

The partnership announcement with London followed close on the heels of an announcement SCAS made on 30 August, that it had established a collaborative working arrangement with the Isle of Wight NHS Trust (IWNHS).

Both SCAS and the Isle of Wight share common challenges in 999, NHS 111 integrated care and patient transport services and those areas will be the immediate focus of the collaborative work.

Both organisations recognise that improving the quality and performance of services for patients whilst achieving greater value for money, can be achieved through potentially sharing resources and best practice working.

Autumn 2018

On making the announcement, Will Hancock, said: “As the Hampshire and Isle of Wight health systems continue to further integrate and develop as part of the Sustainability and Transformation Programme (STP), it makes perfect sense to seek opportunities to work more closely together to identify ways to deliver excellent patient care and reduce cost.”

Chief Executive Officer at IWNHS, Maggie Oldham, added: “Our services work with a range of partners including the Police and Fire & Rescue Service and volunteers from organisations such as the Coastguard, and already collaborate

in a number of operational areas and we welcome opportunities to engage with stakeholders as we develop areas for further collaboration.”

A key area of immediate collaboration is the implementation of a new computer aided dispatch (CAD) system for the IWNHS Ambulance Service. Staff from IWNHS Ambulance Service spent time visiting SCAS’ Southern Headquarters at Otterbourne at the end of August to be trained on the new system.

The Island’s current CAD system has been in use for nine years and needs to be

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updated. The new system for the Island is already in use within the South Central region by SCAS and its implementation by IWNHS will: »» Ensure that the IWNHS Ambulance Service will be ready to move to the new Emergency Services Network (ESN) when it goes live at the end of 2018 (the ESN will link the ambulance service, the police and fire services under a single communications network) »» Provide economies of scale for the IWNHS Trust’s finances »» Ensure fewer software glitches and

temporary fixes »» Enable interoperability with the SCAS system which improves resilience should there be problems with either the SCAS or Isle of Wight systems »» Enable the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service to report the new Ambulance Response Programme (ARP) standards

July 20172018 Autumn

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COAST GUARD 175

Autumn 2018

In late September I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work a shift with the crew of the Coastguard Search and Rescue (SAR) Flight based at Lee-on-the-Solent on the south coast of Hampshire – call sign Coastguard 175.

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We frequently train alongside our emergency service colleagues and this was a fantastic opportunity to see the care that the Coastguard delivers to rescued casualties in a challenging and often hostile environment. The day started with a briefing, where the off-going crew handed over to the on-coming crew for the beginning of their twentyfour hour shift. The crew always consists of four highly trained and experienced persons – two pilots, a winch operator and a winchman, who is invariably a registered paramedic.

Once the weather, flying conditions and any potential hazards had been discussed and planned for, I was kitted out with my flight gear and the crew checked the aircraft and its equipment. The new AW189 is one of the most advanced SAR helicopters in the world and is certainly popular with the crews who fly it. The technology on-board is so advanced that it is often flying itself and will devise its own search patterns based on information inputted into the flight computers by the crew.

The equipment carried on board is not dissimilar to that which is carried by one of our own frontline ambulances, most of which would be recognisable to any SCAS crew, allowing SAR crews to deliver emergency department standards of care directly to casualties in the air or at sea. However, we don’t have much need for advanced radar or infra-red cameras in the ambulance service!

With the checks complete, it was time to go flying. Each member of the crew must regularly practice their own particular skills and so this training flight was the perfect opportunity to see them in action.

We flew west, past Cowes, The Needles and then east towards the Nab Tower. The first exercise was to throw a drogue (representing a casualty) out of the door into the sea, fly around and pick it up again.

It sounds simple but the precision with which the aircraft can hover and the winch operator can guide the winch hook to pick up the ‘casualty’ was incredible to see.

We then flew to The Solent and found a cargo vessel with which to practice winching – now it was time for me to go out of the door. I was briefed, harnessed up, hooked onto the winch cable, ushered to sit on the edge of the open door, legs hanging over the side and before I knew it I was being lowered onto the deck of the ship below. When I was within arms-length of the winchman, who was waiting on the deck for me, I was swung inboard and landed on the deck with an undignified bump, much to the amusement of the ship’s crew. I paused for breath and within a minute I was being hauled back up into the aircraft before we flew inland over Portsmouth Harbour and back to base.

Fortunately no paramedics were hurt in the making of this training flight and it was a fantastic opportunity that I hope to repeat in the future! I am extremely grateful to the crew of Coastguard 175 for their hospitality and the great opportunity that they provided me to see their specialist work firsthand.

James O’Kennedy – Paramedic/ Clinical Mentor – North Harbour Resource Centre

Autumn 2018

On 25 May, Paul and Kay Burnham fro Stubbington, Hampshire, had spent the working hard cleaning and carrying out s maintenance of the couple’s boat, Roman moored at Haslar Marina. As the day wore Paul became aware that he was becomi more and more tired and increasingly breathless.

om day some ns 8, e on, ing y

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PAUL’S SAILING DAYS MAY BE BEHIND HIM, BUT HE’S GOT PLENTY MORE YEARS TO LOOK FORWARD TO

Autumn 2018

“I have Von Willebrand disease”, says Paul, “but I’m not one for letting my condition rule my life either; I’ve been determined to carry on and live my life to the full and be active. As I didn’t have any pain; I eventually just had to sit down in the car park as we were going home and apologise to Kay for not being up to doing any more of the boat work.”

Von Willebrand disease is an inherited condition that can sometimes cause heavy bleeding. In Paul’s experience, he knew that any severe chest pains could indicate bleeding in or around his heart that could prove fatal. But not having any such pain, he thought it was not too serious.

“Because by the evening it was just this tiredness and breathlessness without pain that had stopped me in my tracks”, says Paul, “I asked Kay to get me up to the Minor Injuries Unit at Gosport War Memorial for an out-ofhours appointment.”

Paul was promptly seenby one of the nursing team at the MIU and after an initial assessment and tests, an emergency transfer from SCAS was

requested to get Paul to the Queen Alexandra Hospital as quickly as possible, as he was seriously ill.

Paramedic Dee Morgan, Student Paramedic Rhys Dear, and Emergency Care Assistant, Kate Willcocks, were already on their way to another patient when they were requested to divert to the Gosport MIU. Rhys remembers arriving at the MIU, “Paul was looking quite pale and it was easy to see there was something not quite right with him.”

Paul was not just very grateful that the team arrived with him so quickly, but was incredibly thankful for the care and compassion both he and Kay were shown.

“With my symptoms and medical history”, recalls Paul, “I it felt it important to explain to Dee, Rhys and Kate what I was feeling and how incredibly complicated the disease I have is. In the past it has been hard to get the medics to understand, what I’d been through before. But they were amazing; they listened carefully, they asked the right questions and I remember Dee being so kind to Kay – sitting with her, holding her hand, making sure she knew what was going on and what was going to happen next.”

The whole team were keeping things very calm but they were well aware that Paul was acutely unwell.

Dee adds, “Paul was brachycardiac – with his heart rate no more than 25-35 bpm; we’d given the maximum triple dose of atropine we could administer and it had zero effect. Without further, immediate treatment in hospital, it

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Autumn 2018

wasn’t a question of if Paul went into cardiac arrest, but when. Obviously mentioning any of that or behaving in a way that demonstrated how worried we were would also have had an adverse reaction!”

Kay remembers Dee’s wonderful bedside manner too; “She just very quietly and calmly said ‘Why don’t you pop back home and get a couple of things for Paul as the hospital will probably keep him in tonight at least, and you can meet us there.’ I felt very reassured that everything was going to be fine – I had no idea just how serious it was.”

Paul’s love of boats is only equalled by his love of cars, and he is a selfconfessed speed freak.

“I could tell Kate wasn’t hanging around once we got on to the motorway”, he remembers. “I did think about asking Rhys and Dee who were with me in the back if they could open the blinds so I could see what was happening – but I didn’t think they’d take me too seriously if I did! Kate, Dee and Rhys had a great sense of humour which really kept me calm from the moment they arrived and on the journey to hospital – especially Rhys’ jokes!”

Paul had a pacemaker fitted at the Queen Alexandra Hospital four days later after the doctors worked out a plan of action due to his medical condition and hasn’t looked back since. He has a small unit by his bedside which downloads the data from the pacemaker at night and sends it directly to his cardiologist team at the QA. He adds, “I’d started wearing a Fitbit given to me by my youngest daughter so that I could easily keep a check on

my heart rate. I remember the first night back home and suddenly the reading on my Fitbit dropped and I thought something was wrong! It was quite late in the evening so I desperately rang round to try and find someone who could tell me what was happening. Fortunately I got hold of someone who told me that the model I had had fitted was set for 60bpm during the day, but automatically dropped to 50bpm at 10:30pm to help me sleep – panic over!”

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Paul and Kay were delighted to meet Dee, Kate and Rhys again in September at SCAS’ North Harbour Resource Centre in Cosham, Portsmouth.

“It was wonderful to come and say thank you face-to-face and give some gifts to the ambulance team who saved my life”, says Paul. “It was an emotional occasion for me. They are just such cool, calm, caring professionals who even gave up time on a Sunday day off to come and meet Kay and myself again which says it all. I hadn’t realised just how important the meeting would be to bring myself some closure; I now have peace!”

With a final compliment to Kate for her great driving, Paul and Kay make their farewells but on the way out Paul mentions that the boat is now sold and he promises he is, finally, slowing down with life.

Kay’s face however, tells a somewhat different story!

Autumn2018 Autmn 2018

SCAS CELEBRATES NHS 70 On Thursday 5 July, SCAS staff and volunteers joined in the celebrations happening across the country to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the National Health Service.

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Foundation Trust Governor, Loretta Light, was the guest of honour at the event held at Trust Headquarters in Bicester, Oxfordshire. Loretta celebrated a birthday earlier in 2018 similar to the NHS’ own!

Staff based at Northern House joined Loretta, Trust Chair – Lena Samuels, and Deputy Chief Executive – James Underhay, to mark the special birthday with some amazing cakes brought in by SCAS’ very own Star Bakers.

Over in Southern House in Otterbourne, Hampshire, a dress down day and cake sale raised some funds for the South Central Ambulance Charity. A raffle raised further funds for a dementia charity and rumour has it, there was even a spot of singing.

Autumn 2018

Members of the public across the South Central region also took the opportunity to commend our staff for the fantastic jobs they do, and there were lovely and unexpected visits to a number of SCAS sites from people bringing gifts. Colleagues from across our 999, NHS 111, patient transport and support services took to social media to say how proud they were to be working as part of the amazing and unique NHS.

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Autumn 2018

Over

500 students trained in lifesaving CPR

at Beaconsfield high school

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Thanks to the efforts of local community first responder, Les Owen, over 500 students at Beaconsfield High School have now been trained in how to give lifesaving CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or chest compressions, as well as how to use a defibrillator.

Autumn 2018 Auttumn 2018

The school took part in the European Restart a Heart Day initiative in October 2017, and since then Les has returned to Beaconsfield High and has now trained 535 students in these lifesaving first aid techniques.

Les, who has been a community first responder for South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) since 2014, said: “Beaconsfield High School for Girls, under the guidance of the Headteacher, Rachel Smith, has recognised the value of explaining CPR and the ease of use of a defibrillator. The school staff and students have shown great enthusiasm to learn. Local people can feel proud they have so many students at one of their local schools who will recognise and know what to do if a cardiac arrest occurs. Well done everyone and thank you for your support.”

Earlier this year, the Government announced that the UK would finally catch up with some other countries around the world by ensuring that CPR training and other lifesaving skills would be part of compulsory health education in all schools in England by 2020. Beaconsfield High School is already leading the way in this regard.

Rachel Smith, Headteacher, at Beaconsfield High School, said: “I was so personally touched by one student’s example of saving her father’s life by knowing CPR that her story led us to roll-out this training across the school, helping to potentially save more lives in the future. It perfectly fits within our Getting Life Ready initiative, which was created to develop life skills that are needed to flourish now and after school.

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“The CPR training delivered by Les was topnotch, and our students all thoroughly enjoyed the learning challenge, and the opportunity that we were able to give them. The school is so committed to the benefits of this training that we are also considering rolling it out to staff.”

Restart a Heart Day is one of a number of initiatives SCAS supports to encourage more people to learn how to do lifesaving CPR (or chest compressions) should they come across someone collapsed, not breathing and potentially in cardiac arrest. For every minute that passes without CPR starting on a person in cardiac arrest or a defibrillator shock being applied, their chances of survival reduce by 10%.

Nic Morecroft, Head of Operations – Community Engagement & Training at SCAS, said: “It’s wonderful that Beaconsfield High School staff and students have so enthusiastically got behind our Restart a Heart campaign. Carrying out CPR on someone during those few minutes while our emergency ambulances are on their way could really make the difference between that person living or dying as every second counts. There are now over 500 potential lifesavers in the local Beaconsfield community and that’s due to Les’ dedication and commitment too.”

On 13 September, Les Owen, Nic Morecroft and Andrew McClean, Assistant Headteacher, along with a large group of Year 8 and Year 10 students formed the shape of a heart to celebrate reaching the 500 milestone and formally launch SCAS’ Restart a Heart Day 2018 campaign.

This year, SCAS is aiming to teach CPR to 10,000 people in the region on international Restart a Heart Day (16 October), predominantly in schools but also at some public and community events. The Winter edition of Working Together will contain a report on the day’s activities.

Autumn 2018

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NORTH CLINICAL COORDINATION CENTRE APPRECIATION WEEK The week of 10-16 September was designated as North Clinical Coordination Centre Appreciation Week. The idea came from a suggestion by the EOC North Action Team that it would be nice to organise an event to recognise and appreciate the North CCC Staff whose work can sometimes go unnoticed.

Autumn 2018

The week was months in the planning for the sub-committee of Clinical Service Desk (CSD) Manager Rachael Cook, Senior Emergency Call Taker (ECT) Michelle Barford, CSD Paramedic Viki Heil, ECT Sophie Wilkinson, EOC North Administrator Gina Soanes and 111 Team Leader Sue Pittuck, and was entirely funded by staff who hosted dress-down days, bake sales, a pub quiz and car boot sale. The idea captured the local business and public community too, with health and wellbeing treatments being provided onsite during the week, goody bags for staff, raffle prizes and some delicious foody treats.

The week was designated as non-uniform, and the highlights included: »» Visit by Victoria Prentis MP who officially launched the week of appreciation »» Tess, Monty, Jess and OJ the therapy dogs making lots of new friends in Bicester »» Fashion faux-pas day when staff came in dressed as their 16-year-old selves »» Free ten minute back and neck massages from a local therapist »» A school sports day themed afternoon for all off duty staff »» Staff working on the sports day were treated to an M&S Buffet »» Crazy shirt day culminating in a chilli supper for staff on duty, cooked by SECT Michelle Barford and 111 Team Leader Pauline Nicklin »» A 24-hour takeover of SCAS’ Facebook and Twitter accounts »» An afternoon tea, courtesy of M&S and CCC Star Bakers Sophie Wilkinson, Michelle Barford, Gina Soanes and Sue Pittuck – served by Head of EOC North, David Williams, and 111 Manager, Ruth Page »» Dress to Impress Day for staff on Saturday turning the CCC into a glamourous weekend venue »» A carvery-style Sunday Roast for all staff working on Sunday

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Head of EOC North, David Williams, said: “I can’t tell you how impressed I was with the organisation of the week, and more with the commitment and energy that the subcommittee showed in the preparations for the events prior to the week, and then again in the week itself.

Without this dedication the week would not have been nearly so successful and the extravaganza it turned out to be!

“The entire process, from conception as a simple afternoon event, born of a staff suggestion at the Staff Survey Action Group, through the metamorphosis to a week long programme of fun and frolics has been, quite simply, a fantastic achievement.

“Many thanks to the North EOC Action Group for the incredible work they did.

This group was set up to challenge the way we thought about staff engagement,

social conditions, relations and non-pay reward and it has most certainly done that. I hope that this year’s event will be the first of many similar events whether they be grand or modest.”

Autumn 2018

STEPH WINS BBC PEOPLES AWARD Milton Keynes-based Paramedic, Steph Nokes, won the Silver Award in the 999 Category at this year’s BBC Three Counties Peoples Awards.

Steph was nominated for the award by Kelley and Gareth Evans for successfully resuscitating a then 24-weeks pregnant Kelley when she collapsed in cardiac arrest at the couple’s home in August 2017. Steph successfully resuscitated Kelley and on 24 November baby Ava was born happy and healthy.

This amazing story featured in the last edition of Working Together and in the couple’s nomination they wrote:

“In August 2017 Stephanie saved my life and the life of my unborn child.

We literally owe our lives to her – she is extremely humble and utterly amazing.”

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Autumn 2018

The Peoples Awards, held on Wednesday 26 September at Dunstable Theatre, were hosted by Breakfast Show Presenter, Andy Collins, and every year celebrate the exceptional people of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, with all nominations coming from members of the public.

Following a drinks reception in the foyer, the guests moved into the main auditorium where they were entertained by an orchestra and a variety of dance acts before the main ceremony began. When Steph was called up to accept her award, she was joined on stage by Kelley and Gareth to celebrate her amazing achievement.

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Autumn 2018

Community round-up

Our charity team, staff, community first responders, volunteers and supporters work tirelessly all year round raising much needed funds for the South Central Ambulance Charity and other causes, as well as develop and strengthen the Trust’s relationship with the local communities we serve.

Here’s a small selection of what they have been up to between July and September 2018.

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Project Heartbeat SCAS was delighted to support the launch of Project Heartbeat in Reading on 17 July. Launched at the Majedski Stadium, the project aims to encourage local businesses to sponsor public access defibrillators so that more of these lifesaving devices can be installed across Reading. At the time of launch there were 16 such PADs for the around 300,000 people that make up the population of the largest town in England. Find out more at www.cardiacscience.co.uk/ projectheartbeat

Over £600 raised for Hanslope CFRs A big thank you to Jacqui Walter, Kirsty Monk and Jessica Tomlinson who abseiled down the 418 feet of the world’s tallest permanent abseil tower in Northampton on Saturday 1 September. The challenge of the National Abseil Centre can be tackled all year round so if you’ve a head for heights, why not give it a go? Visit www.extremeabseil.com for more details and bookings.

Autumn 2018

GAFIRS Emergency Services Day On 15 July staff from North Harbour and local Gosport CFRs alongside HMS Collingwood Military Co-Responders supported the annual Emergency Services Day at Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service. The team spoke to hundreds of interested adults and children, all of whom appeared to love being shown around the variety of vehicles that were on show. In addition, Paramedic Lauren Bromley baked fourdozen cakes that were sold throughout the day to raise funds for GAFIRS.

Gosport & Lee-on-the-Solent Defibrillator Gosport & Lee-on-the-Solent Community First Responders unveiled the latest publically accessible defibrillator (PAD) for the local area. The PAD, located outside the Inn by the Sea on Portsmouth Road, has been made possible thanks to the support of businesses, groups and fundraising events by the local CFRs to raise the ÂŁ1,750 required to purchase and install the defib. This is the 14th such lifesaving device within a one mile radius of this popular seafront area.

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David is 100 not out Reading Team Leader, Dave Harmsworth, completed the Prudential London 100 – cycling 100 miles on 29 July and raising £500 for Children with Cancer UK. In 2014, Dave’s four-year-old son was diagnosed with a Wilms tumour. Thanks to the Royal Berkshire and John Radcliffe Hospitals, Owen is now three years in remission and a strapping, healthy nine-year-old.

Timbertown 2018 The August bank holiday weekend saw over 200 children descend on Timbertown in Maidenhead. Given access to hammers, saws, nails and donated wood and pallets, that they then let their creativity run wild. Volunteer first aid medical support was provided

by Wexham-based staff, Alex Garlick and Rob Woodward.

Autumn 2018

New CFR Response Vehicle for Winslow Steve Winslow, Community First Responder, and Dave Cave, Community & Engagement Training Officer, officially received the new Winslow response vehicle at the end of July from Phil Blacklaw and Tony Robinson, Assistant Provincial Grandmasters

of Buckinghamshire Freemasons.

The vehicle was purchased thanks to generous donations from all the lodges that meet at Eliot Hall Masonic Centre in Winslow and the Buckinghamshire Masonic Centenary Fund. It replaces the first operational vehicle that had been in service since April 2015 and has 4x4 capabilities to cope with adverse weather and rural conditions.

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SCAS v WMAS Team SCAS took on their counterparts from West Midlands Ambulance Service in a friendly rugby match on Saturday 8 September at Portsmouth Rugby Club. As well as bragging rights, the teams were raising money for the Ambulance Benevolent Fund.

The boys in green put in a fantastic shift, suffered three injuries and despite giving blood, sweat and tears, were narrowly beaten 70-7. A rematch in West Midlands is planned for 2019.

Open Day Hardley Fire Station Staff from Hythe Ambulance Station supported the Open Day at Hardley Fire Station on 8 September, showing visitors around an ambulance, instructing people how to carry our lifesaving CPR (chest compressions) and how to use a defibrillator, as well as taking part in a live RTC demonstration.

Autumn 2018

Getting fresh with new students at Solent University The Health Information Team, based at Southern House, and Community & Engagement Team, based at Bicester, attended Solent University’s Freshers' Fayre on 20 September. The team were promoting good health and illness prevention, as well as making students aware of the need to have an ACWY Meningitis vaccine if they hadn’t already done so, as well as what symptoms to look out for and what action to take. Students were also keen to find out more about the flu jab, and the team’s stock of 500 leaflets were all taken on the day.

Military Responders receive Queen’s Commendation Having been awarded the AOC 38 Group Team Commendation in Her Majesty The Queen’s Birthday Honours in June, the RAF High Wycombe Military Responder Team formally received their award from local MP, David Liddington, as part of the station’s Honours and Awards Ceremony held in the Officers’ Mess, RAF High Wycombe, on Monday 17 September.

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Tweet us @SCAS999

Autumn 2018 2018

How are we doing?

Ambulance Response Programme

Apr-Aug 2018 What does it mean?

Category 1

Category 3

Life-threatening calls. Responded to in an average (mean) of seven minutes and at least nine out of ten times within 15 minutes (90th percentile).

Urgent calls. Responded to at least nine out of ten times within 120 minutes. You may be treated by ambulance staff at the scene.

Category 2

Category 4

Emergency calls. Responded to in an average (mean) of 18 minutes and at least nine out of ten times within 40 minutes (90th percentile).

Less urgent calls. Responded to at least nine out of ten times within 180 minutes. You may be given advice over the phone or referred to another service, such as a GP or pharmacist.

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Category 1

Category 2

06:56

15:30

90th Percentile

90th Percentile

12:35

32:57

Category 3

Category 4

Mean

Incidents 12,526

90th Percentile

1:56:23

Incidents 72,084

Target achieved

Mean

Incidents 103,184

90th Percentile

2:48:18

Incidents 6,635

Target missed

Autumn 2018

Autumn

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

Wo rk

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Copy deadline for the next issue of Working Together is Monday 31 December 2018

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