Health Secretary Shona Robison has thanked some of the behind-the-scenes NHS workers who keep the health service running over the festive period. She visited staff at NHS 24 and the Scottish Ambulance Service contact centre in South Queensferry to thank them for their hard work throughout the year, and particularly over Christmas and New Year. Continue reading Health Secretary thanks NHS staff
A thousand new paramedics will be trained to work in the ambulance service over the next five years, the Scottish Government has committed today. Continue reading A thousand new Paramedics to be trained
Choosing to attend only organised displays is the best way to keep yourself, your family and your community safe. Continue reading Help protect your community from bonfire tragedy
The Scottish Government is to invest an additional £2 million in the Scottish Ambulance (SAS) next financial year. The cash has been earmarked to progress service developments that will improve patient care.
The extra funding will be used to help the ambulance service deliver their refreshed strategy, Towards 2020: Taking Care to the Patient, that will support the overall vision for the health service to provide more care to patients at home or in the community and help to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.
To achieve this, more investment will be targeted at developing the clinical skills of the current ambulance service workforce to operate to the full scope of their practice, as well creating new roles with enhanced skill sets.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “The Scottish Ambulance Service play a vital role in the delivery of NHS care for patients, often being the first to attend to a patient who is unwell. They have a key part to play in this Government’s vision for a health service that works around the needs of a patient and delivers the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
“That is why we are supporting the vision set out in this strategy with this additional funding which will help accelerate the pace of change and mean patients will start to benefit sooner. I know how committed and dedicated ambulance staff are to delivering high quality patient care day in and day out, and it is important we ensure they are equipped with the appropriate skills, training and clinical support to be able to deliver more care in the community.
“Our vision for a health service that meets the changing needs of our population, also needs our local services to evolve. With this vision, and investment, the ambulance service will be better prepared to meet the needs and the challenges of the future, working with local services.”
Over the course of the five-year strategy, the SAS aims to decrease A&E attendances by around 12 per cent by taking high quality care to people in the community and bringing those who need it directly to specialist care, rather than having to be admitted through emergency departments.
It also outlines plans to take forward investment in new technology to enhance diagnostic capacity and clinical decision support to frontline staff, as well as making further improvements to pre-hospital cardiac care by leading a national programme of improvement for out of hospital cardiac arrest.
Pauline Howie, Chief Executive, Scottish Ambulance Service said: “Our strategy recognises the principle that care should be appropriate to need, so we will continue to respond rapidly to serious emergencies while developing care pathways that are integrated with other health and social services in local communities to enable patients to be treated safely at home or in their community when appropriate.
“Last year over 77,000 patients avoided attendance at A&E after being treating safely at home by our teams and we continued to improve cardiac arrest survival rates.
“Our strategy is supported by a programme to develop our staff to meet the changing needs of patients within the new landscape of integrated health and social care in Scotland.”
Towards 2020: Taking Care to the Patient, A Strategic Framework for 2015-2020, is available at:
http://www.scottishambulance.com/UserFiles/file/TheService/Publications/Strategic%20Plan_Online%
Edinburgh emergency calls slightly down on last year
Hogmanay was the busiest night of the year for the Scottish Ambulance Service, which dealt with 2,394 calls to its 999 centres across Scotland. Call volumes were 2% lower than last year’s total of 2,443 but the service experienced intense periods of high demand, managing over 250 calls per hour between midnight and 7am.
Additional call handlers, dispatchers and ambulance crews were on duty to deal with the surge in demand across the country, and Cardonald – which covers the West and South West of the country – was the busiest of the three Ambulance Control Centres (ACC). Inverness experienced a 16% increase in call volumes in the north of Scotland.
Between midnight and 7am demand was particularly high across Scotland and during that time ambulance control rooms dealt with 1,829 emergency calls, which was 76% of total demand.
Pauline Howie, Chief Executive, Scottish Ambulance Service said: “As always, Hogmanay was our busiest night of the year and our teams dealt with a high volume of calls across the country. While there were slightly fewer calls overall than last year, the activity at times was intense, with 76% of the workload occurring between midnight and 7am.
“All of the teams in our control rooms and out on the streets demonstrated their professionalism and commitment, doing a fantastic job of delivering care to those in need.”
Totals for each of the three Ambulance Control Centres between 7pm on 31 December and 7am on 1 January were:
(Previous year totals in brackets)
Edinburgh – 971 calls (1019)
Cardonald – 983 calls (1045)
Inverness – 440 calls (379)
‘drink responsibly, keep safe and do not cause any unnecessary burden for our ambulance crews’ – Health Secretary Shona Robison
With Christmas now over, revellers’ attention turns to the New Year celebrations. Party season is in full swing, but too much drink means this is always a busy time of year for the emergency services.
Last year in the 20 days between 13 December – 1 January the Scottish Ambulance Service dealt with almost 32,000 emergency incidents, an increase of around 4,000 – or an extra 200 calls a day – compared to normal demand.
Ambulance cover has been increased by up to 20% at peak periods to deal with the surge in emergency calls.
As well as fuelling more emergency calls, alcohol is behind most of the assaults and abusive behaviour that ambulance teams have to endure.
The safety of ambulance staff is paramount and any assault or threatening behaviour will be reported to the police. If ambulance crews feel that their safety may be compromised, they are instructed to hold near the scene and wait for support from colleagues or the police, rather than put themselves at risk.
Health Secretary, Shona Robison, said: “Our ambulance crews work incredibly hard to provide the best patient care 365 days a year, and this work does not stop at Christmas. While others are enjoying their nights out over the festive period, the emergency services are continuing to work around the clock to respond to 999 calls through all conditions and weather.
“We all have a duty to ensure we are using our public services responsibly and keeping them free for those who really need them. So, while I hope everyone across Scotland thoroughly enjoys the Christmas and New Year festivities, I’d ask people to take on board the advice of the Scottish Ambulance Service and ensure they drink responsibly, keep safe and don’t cause any unnecessary burden for our ambulance crews.”
Pauline Howie, Chief Executive, Scottish Ambulance Service, said:
“The festive period is the busiest and most challenging time of year for our staff. They deserve recognition and respect for their dedication to serving their communities and dealing with the many alcohol related cases that are a result of people over indulging at parties and in pubs across Scotland.
“As they enjoy festive parties, we would ask people to drink sensibly and wrap up well for the weather. This will help us to ensure that ambulances are dispatched to those people who are in most need of our help.”
The Scottish Ambulance Service responds to the most serious life threatening cases in an average of 6.5 minutes.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is appealing for the public’s help to ensure that 2014’s Bonfire Night is the safest ever for Scotland:
Bonfire Night is traditionally one of the busiest nights of the year for the SFRS with the number of emergency calls typically seeing a 40% increase throughout the period. SFRS is up to four times busier on 5 November than any other night of the year.
From 2009 to 2012, the number of secondary fires, which includes bonfires and refuse fires, averaged 1118. In 2013 there was a significant drop in this number to 517 bonfires on November 5th, with an overall drop in secondary fires of around 40% compared to 2012. SFRS aims to maintain and improve upon this decline in calls for Bonfire Night 2014.
The Service is appealing to the public to stay safe this Bonfire Night by attending organised events rather than staging their own bonfires or fireworks displays.
Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, Director of Prevention and Protection for the SFRS said: “This year we want Bonfire Night to be the safest one on record. I’d ask every member of the public who is thinking of holding their own bonfire or fireworks display to attend an organised event instead. These events are well organised, much more spectacular than a DIY display and most importantly it’s much safer for you, your family and friends.
“When our crews are called to attend bonfires it means we have to divert resources away from other emergencies and life threatening calls – that could end tragically for anyone who truly needs our urgent help.
“We want everyone to be able to celebrate on 5 November and have fun, but in a safe way that doesn’t require the intervention of the emergency services.
“In the run up to Bonfire Night 2014 our Service personnel will be going to schools across Scotland to teach children about the dangers associated with bonfires and fireworks.
“We can all play a part in making this time of year safer. It is against the law for fireworks to be sold to children and young people. If you are aware of this happening please report it to Police Scotland or Trading Standards. We would also encourage the public to report unsafe or dangerous bonfires or bonfire materials and any suspicions of deliberate fire setting. In doing this, we can keep our communities safer together.
“The public are requested to pass on any information about who may be responsible for fire setting to Police Scotland using the 101 non-emergency number or Scotland Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.”
Daren Mochrie, Director of Service Delivery at the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “Every year our ambulance crews and hospital departments treat people for severe burns and other firework night related injuries. Fireworks are safe when used properly but the consequences can be tragic and life changing if the appropriate precautions are not followed and we recommend that people go along to a professionally organised display.
“In the event of someone suffering from a burn or scald, you should act quickly and:
The majority of minor burns and scalds can be treated at home and if unsure you can contact NHS 24 on www.nhs24.com/SelfHelpGuide or phone 111 for further advice. If injuries are serious, seek urgent medical help and call 999 and ask for ambulance”.
Superintendent Danny Hatfield, Head of Prevention and Interventions, Police Scotland, said: “We want people to listen to safety advice and attend organised events so families can keep safe and enjoy the Bonfire celebrations. The best way of keeping safe is to attend official bonfire events which will also help reduce the number of unnecessary call outs for Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
“We can all play a part in making this time of year safer while having fun. Remember it is against the law for fireworks to be sold to children and young people. Please help us keep people safe by reporting any concerns to Police Scotland by calling 101.”
SFRS have produced lots of guidance and safety tips about Bonfire Night 2014, available online now at http://bit.ly/SFRSbonfire2014.
Advice includes information about bonfire and fireworks safety (including a bonfire and fireworks safety leaflet available for download) along with links to our TV, radio and press advertisements.
SFRS will be offering tips on staying safe in the lead up to Bonfire Night through our social media channels on Facebook and Twitter.
3,800 copies of learning resource to be distributed across Scotland
Scottish Ambulance Service clinicians are set to benefit from a new learning resource on dementia designed and developed by NHS Education for Scotland and the Service itself.
It is essential that ambulance clinicians are able to recognise when a person may have dementia, and that they are are confident of their ability to provide appropriate support, care and treatment. The bespoke resource will help ambulance clinicians to give informed, high quality and person-centred support to people with dementia, their families and carers.
Ambulance clinicians will frequently come into contact with people with dementia, their families and carers as well as people with early signs of dementia who have not had a diagnosis. While recognising the often immediate and time limited nature of their contact, this will have an influence on the impact of the whole care experience for the person with dementia, their families and carers.
Pauline Howie, Chief Executive, Scottish Ambulance Service, said: “This new learning resource is an invaluable clinical support tool that will be issued to every one of our frontline emergency staff, as well as our Patient Transport Service teams.
“People with dementia often face many complex challenges and issues and this initiative, which is enhanced by a number of specially trained ‘Dementia Champions’ within the Service, will help our teams to provide the most appropriate care and treatment for people with dementia and their families and carers.”
Malcolm Wright, NHS Education for Scotland Chief Executive added: “We are delighted to have developed this important resource in partnership with the Scottish Ambulance service. NHS Education for Scotland is committed to providing educational resources and training opportunities for the entire health workforce to support rights-based, and person-centred approaches to the care, support and treatment of people with dementia and their families and carers. This new, targeted resource is a valuable addition to our suite of resources developed as a part of the ‘Promoting Excellence’ work force development programme”.
The learning resource focuses on understanding dementia, effective communication, and providing positive person-centred support. It can be used for individual learning, learning as a group or team, in a facilitated learning event, or in a mixture of all of these approaches.
As well as providing key learning, activities and scenarios are used throughout the learning resource to help encourage exploration and reflection about real practice issues.
A ten year old girl was treated in hospital following a fall from a zip line at Gypsy Brae on Sunday night.
Firefighters from Crewe Toll, Tollcross and Newcraighall responded to reports that a 10 year old girl had fallen from a zip line at Gypsy Brae, off West Shore Road at around 9pm.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s line rescue specialists lowered themselves down to reach the girl and secured her to a stretcher before lifting her to safety.
The child suffered a suspected broken arm and was attended by Scottish Ambulance Service staff before being taken to Royal Sick Children’s Hospital for treatment.
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The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) Patient Transport Service is responsible for the transport of non-emergency patients who do not need an immediate or urgent ambulance.
Ambulance transport is available for patients who need support to reach their healthcare appointments if they have medical or mobility needs that prevent them from travelling independently and require the support of ambulance staff during the journey. The core service operates between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).
From 22 October 2012, to request a journey by ambulance, patients should call the new ambulance booking line on 0300 123 1236 (calls are charged at local rates for both landlines and mobiles). Patients who are hard of hearing, deaf or speech impaired can contact the service through Text Relay on: 18001- 0300 123 1236. Callers will be asked a series of questions about their condition and – if appropriate – the ambulance booking will be confirmed during the call. Ambulance transport may be requested up to 28 days before the healthcare appointment. Patients who need support making the call should ask their GP or carer.
The SAS is producing a leaflet called Information for patients who need ambulance care services to attend healthcare appointments, which will be distributed to hospitals, GP practices and other healthcare facilities from early October. It will also be on the NHS Lothian website at www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
Scottish Ambulance Service
NHS Lothian
