emergency services – Page 6 – The NEN

Scottish Ambulance Service receives 10 million calls

More than 10 million people have called the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) Ambulance Control Centre (ACC) in the past nine years.

The amazing milestone of 10 million was received on July 17 at 05:56 and was taken by East ACC call handler Melissa Hurst.

SAS uses a system to log calls called C3, which is a service operating system to record all incidents called into 999; this allows our clinical staff to review and offer support where appropriate and for our dispatchers to allocate resources when required.

It was introduced in 2006 and originally implemented into the three regional ACCs – Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh – which operated separately. In 2014, it was implemented nationally as the ACCs integrated into a national service; this is when the national incident count started.

Earlier this year, the Service launched its Integrated Clinical Hub. Using a multi-disciplinary network of skilled clinical staff, the Hub gives SAS the ability to provide a detailed consultation for patients whose initial 999 triage has ruled out time-critical illness. The hub operates 24 hours a day, to ensure patients receive the best possible response to their need when they dial 999.

Michael Dickson, SAS Chief Executive, said: “Our ACCs are an invaluable part of the Scottish Ambulance Service and this is truly a remarkable achievement. Thanks to all of our ACC staff who continue to provide such a crucial service.

“Whether these calls were for call handlers to deliver incredible care, for dispatchers to send the right resource to the scene as quickly as possible, or clinicians to assess and keep our patients safe, we are grateful and proud of all of our ACC staff for the outstanding service they provide to Scotland.

“Our Clinical Hub transformation is aimed at supporting more patients in communities to ensure patients get the right care, at the right time. The number of patients being cared for out with hospital Emergency Departments remains substantial and as we head into a challenging winter period, it’s vital we find ways of delivering the right care for individuals and easing pressure on Emergency Departments.”

Call handler Melissa said: “Taking the 10th million call puts it in perspective of just how many people have depended and relied on SAS to help and care for patients. It shows just how essential our service is for both the public and healthcare professionals and I’m thankful to be a part of it.”

The milestone comes as the SAS ACC team recently won Call Handling Team of the Year at the Control Room Awards, and our control room received Accredited Centre of Excellence (ACE) accreditation for the excellent standard of its 999-call handling and supporting processes.

Scottish Ambulance Service celebrates International Paramedics Day

The Scottish Ambulance Service is celebrating International Paramedics Day on Saturday 8th July by saying thank you to all their hardworking and dedicated staff, and sharing some of their stories.

Launched in 2022 by the College of Paramedics, International Paramedics Day takes place on the birthday of Dominique-Jean Larrey, who is considered the “father of modern-day ambulance services”. It aims to celebrate the tremendous work carried out by paramedics and first responders, and to inspire the next generation of clinicians.

As skilled clinicians, paramedics and first responders make an extraordinary contribution to health and social care systems across the globe, helping patients when they need it most and providing safe and effective treatment.

Paul Bassett, Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service says: “International Paramedics Day is a fantastic way for ambulance services across the UK to come together and sing the praises of all of our dedicated and hardworking staff.

“We want to celebrate our paramedics, technicians and volunteers, as well as the call handlers and dispatchers, who are absolutely integral to bringing care to patients across Scotland. It’s a difficult, emotionally and physically demanding job, but it’s also incredibly rewarding, and we are so appreciative of all that you do.”

Kimberley Davies, a paramedic in Dalkeith (pictured top) says: “I enjoy helping and seeing different people every day from babies to the elderly and being able to make a difference in someone’s life.

“The most challenging thing is being away from home for long hours, but we make up for it on days off. It’s surprising how much your day can vary, from general transfers to emergency calls.”

Stevie Hannah, Special Operations Response Team (SORT) Paramedic Team Leader for the West, says: “I’m 30 years with the service this year so I must be enjoying it. What I like most is that no two days are the same, ever!

“I love meeting members of the public and trying to help them in their time of need, which can also be the worst day of their lives. It’s challenging to be in extreme situations where we are dealing with the public, and also having media focus on us, because of the nature of the incidents we attend.

“But I would advise anyone going into the profession, you are making a difference in people’s lives every day. Treat every patient as if they were a member of your family and you’ll never go wrong and don’t forget to talk and seek advice from your colleagues.”

Leesa Taylor is a paramedic in Banff, and she describes it as being “the best job in the world. You never know what a day will bring or who you’re going to meet! Knowing you can make a small difference to them or their loved ones is really rewarding. The job definitely keeps you on your toes too.

“I think people will find the progression of the role surprising – gone are the days where we just take everyone to hospital. Paramedics also help with triaging calls, within management roles and within our education departments, to name a few. The role is evolving more and more, with scope for progression as practitioners or as specialists in critical care.”

999 Anniversary: Strachan House says thanks to local emergency services

Residents from Strachan House care home in Blackhall hit the road and made some surprise visits to its local emergency service responders this week, armed with goodie boxes and letters of appreciation for everything they do.

It comes as the 999 emergency number reached its 86^th birthday on the 30^th June.

The care home staff and residents took to the roads and visited police, fire and ambulance in the Blackhall area to show their appreciation for everything our heroes do in our hour of need when the well-known number is dialled.

Drylaw police officers, Telford Road fire station and paramedics at the Western General were all very surprised when they received our hampers of thanks!

Mandy Burgen, Head of Wellbeing and Lifestyle for Strachan House, said: “Behind every emergency number dialled it’s important to know there is a team of people who respond without hesitation. It has been an honour for staff and residents to deliver these boxes of goodies to say thank you.

“Our local emergency services do so much, so to surprise them with a little gift of kindness was amazing. Our residents loved being able to say thank you, as well as meet and chat with local police, fire personnel and paramedics”

Louise Abraham, a resident at the home, said: “It was lovely to be able to meet so many of our emergency services and show our appreciation for all their hard work they do.”

Strachan House has built up excellent reputations within its local community, regularly holding community events and activities for residents and surrounding neighbours.

Gordon Philp, General Manager at Strachan House said: “We are always keen to show as much support as we can to our local services and 999 day was the perfect day to demonstrate how much appreciate all their hard work and dedication”.

Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 83 residents from respite care to long term stays.

Fire service to change the way it responds to false fire alarm signals

**IS YOUR WORKPLACE READY?**

Firefighters across the East of Scotland responded to almost 10,000 unwanted fire alarm signals last year – the equivalent of around 27 a day.

The figure has been revealed as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) gets ready to change the way it responds to unwanted fire alarm signals:

From 1 July, 2023 an alarm activation will require those with fire safety responsibility, known as dutyholders, to investigate the cause of an alarm and only call 999 once a fire has been confirmed.

This approach is already embedded across several other UK fire and rescue services, who require a confirmed fire before they send fire appliances

Fire Alarm Systems provide an early warning of fire and are one of the most effective ways to keep your business, staff and customers safe in the event of a fire.

Unfortunately, most signals from these systems are not actual fires – they are false alarms often caused by cooking fumes, dust or a lack of maintenance. These unwanted fire alarm signals (UFAS) mean our fire crews are called out unnecessarily.

From 1 July 2023, we will stop attending automatic fire alarm (AFA) call outs to commercial business and workplace premises, such as factories, offices, shops and leisure facilities – unless a fire has been confirmed.

Dutyholders with responsibility for workplace premises should safely investigate a fire alarm before calling 999, as our control room operators will now be asking for confirmation of an actual fire, or signs of fire, before sending the nearest resource.

SFRS will treat any fire alarm as a sign of fire, other than from a single smoke detector. Other signs of fire include: visual flame/smoke, smell of burning, or any other fire alarm signal.

This change does not apply to sleeping premises, such as hospitals, care homes, hotels or domestic dwellings who will continue to get an emergency response.

This follows the SFRS public consultation in 2021 and is estimated to greatly reduce unnecessary call outs in order to free up our firefighters to attend real emergencies and to allow them to do more community safety prevention work.

What do I need to do next?

As a dutyholder you must ensure that your premises are safe for staff, visitors and occupants in the event of a fire. You have a responsibility under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 to maintain the facilities and equipment provided. Failure to do this could lead to prosecution.
Staff and occupants should be made aware of how to respond safely to AFA activations in each premises. It is recommended that you read the guidance Investigating Fire Alarms prepared by the Fire Industry Association. Ignoring them or assuming the fire and rescue service has been notified could put people at risk.
You should contact your insurance company to discuss the changes in response to AFA activations, but please note that SFRS will always attend a confirmed fire.
If there is a fire you should always call 999 immediately and follow other specific strategies, such as evacuation and assembly points.

How you can help to reduce false or unwanted alarms

As a dutyholder, you have a responsibility under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 to maintain the facilities and equipment provided. Failure to do this could lead to prosecution.

We fully support the installation of automatic fire alarm systems, but these systems must be fully managed and maintained to reduce false alarms and ensure that they activate at the right time and achieve the correct response.

You must work with your fire risk assessor and update your fire risk assessment with any changes.

We have two initiatives in place to assist with reducing instances of UFAS. ‘TAKE5’ and ‘BE AWARE’ are simple and effective ways of delivering key information to staff and guests, allowing them to consider their actions in buildings.

Other key steps include:

Reviewing your Fire Safety Risk Assessment and keeping a log of all false alarms to identify any trends which should be raised with your alarm engineers.
Creating an action plan to reduce the chance of any false alarm occurring
Check detector types and their locations – would moving detectors or changing the type used reduce activations? Seek advice from your alarm engineer.
Upgrading automatic fire detection (AFD) systems that are obsolete with more modern technology e.g. ‘multi-sensing’ detectors
Fitting manual call points with protective plastic covers in problem, vulnerable or high traffic areas
Ascertaining whether any false alarms are a result of activating the wrong call points such as green emergency door release points
Keeping AFD systems appropriately maintained
Considering whether a link to an Alarm Receiving Centre is necessary or if it is appropriate to suspend the automatic dialling function whilst buildings are occupied or at certain times of the day
Seeking further guidance and advice from their alarm system provider or servicing agent as well as their local legislative fire safety officer.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Stewart Nicholson is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Head of Service Delivery for the East of Scotland. He said: “We will continue to work with dutyholders to help them better understand their obligations, but I must stress the importance of having adequate training in place for staff and in ensuring appropriate fire safety provisions are in place within your premises.

“By changing our response to these types of incidents, we can potentially free up 64,000 hours every year giving firefighters more time for other activities, such as training and fire safety prevention work.

“However, there are benefits to businesses too by preventing these incidents from happening in the first place. On average, every unwanted fire alarm signal interrupts business for around 27 minutes each time.”

New £1.5m Scottish Ambulance Service training facility opens at Newbridge

A new £1.5 million Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) special operations training and logistics facility was opened in Newbridge, Edinburgh yesterday (June 12).

Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care Michael Matheson visited the base to see the expansion and learn about what type of training will be carried out at the facility, which is the first of its kind in the UK.

He spoke with Scottish Ambulance Service Chief Executive Pauline Howie, SAS Chair Tom Steele, incoming CEO Michael Dickson and General Manager of the National Risk and Resilience Department (NRRD) John Burnham, along with other staff from NRRD.

As part of SAS’s Civil Contingencies Response Programme, the training facility – which is an expansion to the ambulance service’s existing NRRD east base – will be used as a centralised training location and a dedicated equipment logistics hub.

The facility will be used for a range of training exercises, including how to respond to major incidents, and also Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents.

It also includes a 360, fully interactive, immersive training suite which can be used to simulate a range of incidents in different environments including emergency departments, night clubs, industrial sites.

The suite enables not only the practice of clinical skills but subjects staff to a variety of stimuli including lighting and sound effects which may impact on performance.

SAS Chief Executive Pauline Howie said: “We are delighted to open this new training facility today and I’d like to thank all the staff involved. It has been an incredible effort and our NRRD department is a vital part of the Scottish Ambulance Service.

“This training facility will be invaluable for our staff who respond to both large and challenging incidents. This can include treating and conveying patents from challenging inaccessible and confined location including water, chemical accidents and incidents involving a large number of people.

“This facility will help us prepare to respond to these large-scale and complex incidents safely and provide the best care to our patients.”

Health Secretary Michael Matheson said: “This facility will be a valuable asset in allowing staff to train in a realistic but safe environment.

“Giving them the chance to experience different scenarios which could be out of the usual confines of their daily routine is so important as it will give them the confidence, resilience and knowledge of how to respond.

“Our ambulance staff run to help those in times of need and it is right that we give them the tools to allow them to do that and this training facility will do that.”

Portobello Beach Safety Markers

The City of Edinburgh Council installed location markers at Portobello Beach as part of a beach safety partnership with the Edinburgh Police Division and Maritime and Coastguard Agency in April 2021.

Numbered signs 1-6 have been attached to existing beach defence groynes and yellow circular signs to the sea wall. The emergency services can use these numbered markers to plot your location in an emergency.

Marker 1 – Pipe Lane

Marker 2 – Bath Street

Marker 3 – Bellfield Street

Marker 4 – John Street

Marker 5 – Bedford Terrace

Marker 6 – End of the promenade at Joppa Road

The signage has been used numerous times over the last few years, including search & rescue incidents.

Feedback from emergency responders and partner agencies has been very positive: “The numbered signs worked well, giving a direct place to attend, which in my view, saved vital minutes in our attendance.”

Please stay safe on our coastline. Further information on water safety can be found with our RNLI partners at https://ow.ly/txu250OLkfM

In a coastal emergency, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

#RespectTheWater

Fire Brigades Union: Governments must ‘heed stark warning’ of Scottish wildfire visible from space

This week, firefighters have battled a wildfire that started burning on Sunday afternoon near Cannich, south of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. 7,400 hectares have burned so far, with images of the 22-mile long plume of smoke captured by NASA from space.

Two firefighters injured tackling the blaze have since been released from hospital.

Wildfires require a significant number of firefighters to respond due to the extensive terrain, physically demanding work over long periods of time, transporting equipment by hand while being exposed to significant temperatures.

A decade of budget cuts has left Fire and Rescue Services stretched for resources while climate related incidents have increased in frequency and severity. J

uly 2022 saw the temperature in parts of the UK exceed 40 degrees centigrade for the first time in recorded history, increasing the risk of wildfires.

Last week the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service announced further cuts on top of a decade of austerity. These cuts will see the loss of ten fire appliances, reducing fire cover and impacting firefighters’ ability to respond to incidents.

Since 2010, 11,500 firefighters have been cut across the UK, and Scotland alone has lost 1,100 firefighters since 2013.

Matt Wrack, FBU General Secretary said: “Throughout this week, firefighters in Scotland have bravely battled what is now believed to be one of the biggest wildfires in UK history and which can be seen from space.

“Two of our members have already been injured working in these extreme conditions. Thankfully both have now returned home. However, this shows us the real dangers of the climate emergency.

“Wildfires, such as the ones we are seeing in Cannich at the moment, are on the rise year on year.

“All governments must heed this stark warning: the climate crisis is here now. We need urgent climate action to prevent loss of life, and that must also involve serious investment in our fire services.”

Scottish Ambulance Service Air Ambulance celebrates 90 years

The Scottish Ambulance Service Air Ambulance is celebrating 90 years of providing vital life-saving services to some of Scotland’s most remote and rural locations.

The first air ambulance mission was on May 14 1933 when a fisherman was evacuated to Glasgow from the Isle of Islay. There were several other flights that year, and in the years that followed.

Now 90 years later and fully funded in its entirety by the Scottish Government, the Service provides air ambulance support to both urban and rural communities across Scotland, as well as supporting the ScotSTAR retrieval teams – such as SAS’s neonatal, EMRS and Paediatric Teams – and responding to 999 calls in a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) role.

A national multi-disciplinary team of paramedics, nurses, advanced practitioners, and doctors work together to provide health care to all areas of Scotland.

For the year 2022/23, air ambulance crews attended 4185 incidents – an increase compared to the previous year (2021/22) of 3,924 incidents and 3076 the year before.

Scottish Ambulance Service Chief Executive Pauline Howie said: “The Air Ambulance Service is a vital lifeline for communities across Scotland and 90s years of caring for patients across Scotland is an amazing milestone.

“I’d like to thank all those Air Ambulance staff who have served patients over these years, and all those current staff who continue to provide the very best care to patients, often in the most challenging of circumstances.

“The air ambulance network ensures the very best health care to remote and rural communities, carrying our routine transfers, attending emergencies, and assisting with paediatrics and neonates and their families.”

The service is delivered through a managed contract of two helicopters; one based in Glasgow and one in Inverness and two fixed wing aircraft; one at Aberdeen Airport and one at Glasgow Airport. In addition to the four government funded aircraft, the service is supplemented by two helicopters provided by Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA).

While the first flight took place on 14 May 1933, the Scottish Air Ambulance Service only became recognised as a public service in 1948 following the creation of the UK National Health Service. Until then, the hire of an ambulance aircraft was a private arrangement between patient and airline.

Recently, the Air Ambulance launched a re-procurement consultation, providing an opportunity for the public to help shape the future of the Air Ambulance Service. The consultation has welcomed responses from more than 1,500 patients, members of the public, healthcare professionals and stakeholders groups.

Staff profile – Stephen Lee

Stephen Lee joined the Scottish Ambulance Service in September 2004 as an Ambulance Care Assistant. He became a Paramedic in 2008, based at Paisley Ambulance Station.

He initially started at the Air Ambulance Service in 2009 before he joined the training department. Now he works as an Air Crew Paramedic on the Fixed Wing Aircraft based at Glasgow Airport, where he has been in the role for five years.

He described the air ambulance network as a “vital part” of the NHS network, and added: “Without this service remote and rural communities would not have access to the full range of hospital services.

“Myself and my colleagues provide that vital link in the service chain to ensure the health of the nation. Without this link, some remote and rural communities might not be able to continue, as the specialist care is centralised it’s important that we move people to the centres for this care to enable remote and rural communities to grow and continue to function.”

He said he attends routine transfers for patients attending clinics and planned hospital admissions, emergencies where the patient has been stabilised but require specialist care in another hospital, critical care retrievals with the adult, paediatric and neonatal teams.

He added: “My duties are to ensure the equipment in the aircraft is serviceable, to liaise with the pilots regarding any aviation problems. I also ensure the safe loading of patients, equipment and the general safety of the cabin when in flight.”

The things he enjoys most about this role are the variety from day to day, saying “hour to hour I do not know what is coming next.”

Stephen explained: “It could be a maternity job from the Islands or a repatriation to Northern Ireland the work is challenging but very rewarding – I think it’s the best job in the Service. I also enjoy meeting the rural and remote crews who do a difficult job in challenging circumstances.

“I’m also flying across some of the most beautiful countryside every day while going to work, and I do enjoy working with the pilots, who are dedicated to what we do as a team. The highlights working as an aircrew Paramedic are many, some to do with things I have seen while flying such as flying into Edinburgh and seeing the Three Bridges across the Forth or flying up the Tay to land in Perth.”

He said logistics play a large part in his role where he has to ensure the patient has a seamless journey from hospital to hospital.

He added: “We live and work in Scotland and the weather presents some challenges. We are bound by the legal limits set by the CAA, and while we can ask for some exemptions we cannot break the law.”

Edinburgh adventure park hopes to raise £1k for emergency services with family-friendly heroes weekend

Edinburgh family attraction hosts weekend-long event dedicated to members of the armed forces and emergency services
Activities include an inflatable assault course, emergency service displays and tours of emergency vehicles
The £2.50 entry fee will be donated to charity

An Edinburgh adventure park is celebrating the country’s armed forces and emergency services with a Heroes Weekend on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 May.

Conifox Adventure Park in Kirkliston is inviting families along to the weekend event where they’ll meet members of the Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Ambulance Service and the RNLI, and have the chance to take part in interactive displays and various activities provided by the services.

Tickets to the event are only £2.50 and are available online at www.conifox.co.uk. All proceeds will go to charities that support service people and their families and, with plenty of family-friendly fun on offer, the attraction is hoping to raise more than £1,000 in donations over the weekend.

Some of the displays and activities available for kids and adults alike over the weekend include an inflatable Scots Guard assault course, decommissioned Royal Airforce weapons and various uniforms and protective gear that can be tried on.

Visitors will also get the chance to take a look inside ambulances, fire engines, police cars and other protection vehicles where the service personnel will be happy to answer any questions they might have.

For adults, there will also be recruitment information available for many of the services. There will also be food and drink available to purchase on the day.

James Gammell, Managing Director of Conifox Adventure Park said: “We appreciate the work and dedication of our armed and emergency services and want to celebrate their bravery with this charity event. We also know how exciting their jobs can be, and we wanted to bring that to our customers alongside some fun displays and activities.

“It’s a chance for us as a community to give back, and a chance for families to create memories that will last a lifetime. Who knows – it might even inspire some heroes of the future!”

Conifox Adventure Park is open to visitors Wednesday through to Sunday and tickets for both the Heroes Weekend, Adventure Park and indoor Activity Centre are available to purchase online at www.conifox.co.uk.

Record recruitment at Scottish Ambulance Service

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) has recruited a record 1,388 staff and introduced 52 additional ambulances in the past three years as part of its Demand and Capacity Programme.

Launched in 2019, the Demand and Capacity programme is the largest and most complex programme ever undertaken at the Scottish Ambulance Service, with multi-million-pound investment from the Scottish Government enabling hundreds of new A&E staff – Paramedics, Technicians, Ambulance Care Assistants and Advanced Practitioners – to be recruited.

464 frontline A&E staff have been recruited this financial year, in addition to recruitment of 924 over the previous two years.

Of the 464 this past year, 368 are Trainee Technicians, 33 are Qualified Paramedics, 47 Newly Qualified Paramedics, 6 Advanced Practitioners and 10 Qualified Technicians. 153 were recruited for the East Region, 105 for the North Region and 206 for the West Region.

Over the last three years, the estates element of programme has also enabled the opening of ten new stations, including nine co-locations with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service at Ardrossan, Dreghorn, Clarkston, Penicuik, McDonald Road in Edinburgh, Crewe Toll, Sighthill, Bathgate and Aberdeen Central.

Scottish Ambulance Service Chief Executive Pauline Howie said: “The aim of the Demand and Capacity Programme is to ensure we are working as effectively as possible by having the right resources in place to deliver the most appropriate care for the people of Scotland.

“The increase in staffing and resources, coupled with alignment of shift patterns to patient demand profiles, aims to improve patient safety and staff welfare and has involved a considerable amount of work behind the scenes.

“With demand for our services increasing across the country and additional pressures that have been brought about by the pandemic, this investment has been vital in protecting our response to patients and supporting our existing staff.

Health Secretary Michael Matheson said: “Our increased investment to support the Scottish Ambulance Service through their Demand and Capacity review is helping to ensure the right resources are in place across the country to deliver a high-quality emergency service to the people of Scotland.

“These additional resources will help support existing staff, who have shown remarkable resilience in the face of sustained pressure over the last three years, and I thank them for their continued dedication and hard work.”