Every year, around 3,200 have an out of hospital cardiac arrest in Scotland.
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Tag: Scottish Ambulance Service
Scottish Ambulance Service staff and volunteers awarded for acts of bravery and heroism
A Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) call handler along with SAS volunteers, members of the public and two youngsters have been rewarded for their bravery at this year’s Brave@Heart awards.
The Brave@Heart Awards celebrate acts of bravery in exceptional circumstances by blue-light services, voluntary rescue organisations and members of the public.
Claire Morrow Taylor, Claire Weller, Alison Mckay, Jackie King, Alister Brown, Richie Batho, Craig Scott, Ben Kilner, Stephen Kilner, Jacob Bothwell and Jayden Fox all collected Brave@Heart certificates on Tuesday (October 3) at an award ceremony in Edinburgh Castle attended by Stephen Massetti, SAS’s Director of National Operations, and presented by First Minister Humza Yousaf.
Claire Morrow Taylor, an Ambulance Control Centre (ACC) call handler based at SAS’s West ACC, helped save a life of a member of the public who was lying on a road in Glasgow.
Her award submission said: “She immediately took control of the situation, instructing her husband to direct traffic around the incident whilst she called 999 to request an ambulance and attended to the patient. Claire, a non-clinical member of staff, demonstrated that she lives and breathes the SAS and NHS’s core values – we are proud of her actions and feel lucky to have Claire as part of the SAS Team.”
Claire Weller, a SAS Wildcat Cardiac Responder, along with Alison Mckay and Jackie King, all members of the Findhorn Coastal Rowing Club, came to the aid of their crewmate MacLean MacLeod when he suddenly collapsed in April 2022.
Their award submission said: “They immediately recognised what had occurred and could see that MacLean wasn’t breathing and had no pulse; Claire quickly began CPR chest compressions, along with Alison, and instructed the other crew members to dial 999 and access the nearest defibrillator for deployment at the scene. Jackie, who was out walking at the time, delivered two of the AED shocks.”
MacLean was transferred by ambulance to Dr Gray’s hospital and has since made a full recovery. At the time, he said: “I would not be here today were it not for Captain Claire and the crew.”
Alister Brown, a community First Responder at Largs was meeting his friend Jim Stevenson at Largs Golf Club in March 2022. However, Jim arrived breathless and then collapsed shortly thereafter.
His award submission said: “On examination, he realised Jim wasn’t breathing and his training kicked in. He began CPR whilst also calling for assistance to deploy the defibrillator which was located on the golf club premises. On one shock, things started moving and signs of survival were visible.”
At the time, Jim said: “I wouldn’t be here today. It’s simple – this is life-saving work.”
Richie Batho, Craig Scott, Ben Kilner and Stephen Kilner attended to a man who took unwell in the grounds of The Unit Gym and Fitness centre in Banchory.
Their submission said: “The group realised the patient was unconscious and in cardiac arrest. They immediately commenced CPR taking turns and were able to give four shocks with the Automated External Defibrillator which was on the premises.”
Young Jayden Fox, 14 of Kirkcaldy, was on holiday in Banchory with his grandfather Bill Fox suffered a cardiac arrest.
His award submission said: “Jayden sprang into action and commenced performing CPR on his grandfather even before emergency crews arrived on the scene. He remained calm and collected throughout and continued performing CPR until paramedics arrived on the scene which led to a positive outcome for Bill.”
Jacob Bothwell, 11 of Montrose, was at home when his mother became unwell in February 2022.
The award submission said: “Young Jacob smartly dialled 999 from his mother’s mobile to ask for assistance from police and ambulance services. Jacob managed to call for assistance and contact his father who was out of the house on work on the day as well. In addition to this, he looked after younger siblings simultaneously to ensure they were not panicking as well.”
SAS Chief Executive Michael Dickson said: “The actions of all the Brave@Heart recipients are truly commendable and they have each showed extraordinary bravery.
“All our staff and volunteers do amazing, lifesaving work each day. They are all wonderful ambassadors for the Scottish Ambulance Service and their communities and are fully deserving of their awards.
“I’d like also to commend the actions of the members of the public, including the two youngsters who did amazing jobs to help relatives.”
Public urged to help save lives by joining the GoodSAM App Movement
Over 3,000 people in Scotland have an out of hospital cardiac arrest every year and every second counts. The public can help by dialling 999, starting CPR – or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation – and using a defibrillator it can help save lives.
The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) has urged people up to GoodSAM, an app which has shown a substantial increase in survival by supporting early intervention, ensuring a quicker response by community responders and Scottish Ambulance teams.
The benefit of using GoodSam was highlighted at the annual Scottish Cardiac Arrest Symposium held in Edinburgh (6 September 2023).
Michael Dickson, SAS Chief Executive said: “When a cardiac arrest occurs we know every second counts, the earlier CPR happens the greater the chances of survival. The public can help by joining GoodSam and find out how to carry out CPR.
“I would encourage everyone to find out more by visiting www.savealife.scot/GoodSAM – you can really make a difference.”
Dundee-based Chris Allison read about the app in a newspaper article, which inspired him to register a few years ago. Chris volunteers for the HM Coastguard and wanted to further help out his local community by becoming a GoodSAM responder.
He was lying in bed early one morning when he received a GoodSAM notification for a cardiac arrest happening around the corner. He quickly raced to the scene.
He found the patient’s wife administering CPR whilst quite distressed, so he took over until the paramedics arrived shortly after. He stayed with the paramedics to assist and after a lot of hard work from all involved, they managed to get a pulse then transport the patient to hospital.
Chris said: “As I had previous experience of emergency medicine through my work, I felt it my duty to register as a GoodSAM responder.
“There is no right or wrong when it comes to CPR, but family members can often find it hard when they are highly distressed.
“The GoodSAM app is extremely valuable as it gives local people in their communities the ability and system to provide life-saving support.”
“Hoax calls are no joke”
SCOTTISH AMBULANCE SERVICE: ‘LIVES ARE BEING PUT AT RISK‘
The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) has received more than 200 malicious hoax calls so far this year. 37 of these were in the NHS Lothian area.
Between January and August, a total of 219 malicious calls were received compared to 191 over the entire 2022.
In 2021, there were 220 for the entire year and since 2017, there have been 2620 hoax calls.
This year’s malicious calls resulted in 236 vehicles being allocated, with crews spending 130 hours at these calls – an average of 33 minutes for each call.
In one of the calls, a person claimed they had been stabbed, only for the crew to arrive and find no sign of any patient.
Earlier this year, a woman was also fined £210 for making hoax calls to SAS, after calling ambulances when she did not require them.
Michael Dickson, SAS Chief Executive, said: “Anyone who calls 999 without a genuine need is putting lives at risk by diverting crews that could be needed to respond to a life-threatening incident.
“We work with the police to report malicious, or nuisance callers and encourage the public to help us. Hoax calls are no joke.”
The Greater Glasgow and Clyde area experienced the highest number of hoax calls (87), responsible for almost 40% of calls and 40 hours lost that are needed to respond to the public in need.
The Lothian region had the second highest number of calls at 37 and 24 hours wasted, while Lanarkshire had 22, wasting 13 hours.
| Health Board* | Total number of calls | Total resource service time (minutes) | Avg. resource service time |
| Ayrshire & Arran | 18 | 594:03 | 33:00 |
| Borders | 4 | 87:48 | 21:57 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 3 | 137:23 | 45:48 |
| Fife | 6 | 179:33 | 29:56 |
| Forth Valley | 6 | 242:00 | 40:20 |
| Grampian | 14 | 390:12 | 27:52 |
| Greater Glasgow and Clyde | 87 | 2431:53 | 27:57 |
| Highland | 15 | 449:16 | 29:57 |
| Lanarkshire | 22 | 817:53 | 37:11 |
| Lothian | 37 | 1457:10 | 39:23 |
| Tayside | 20 | 864:52 | 43:15 |
| Western Isles | 1 | 11:52 | 11:52 |
*Health boards with no data have not been included.
Parents of two young boys injured in car crash donate £5,000 to SAS
A family whose young boys were seriously injured in a road traffic accident have visited the Scottish Ambulance Service’s Scottish Specialist Transfer and Retrieval (ScotSTAR) base in Glasgow to see a live demonstration of the new training mannequins their donation has helped fund.
Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity provided a further grant of £15,000 to fully fund the highly specialised mannequins, which help ScotSTAR’s team prepare for the unique challenges of retrieving small children, which cannot be fully replicated in adult-sized mannequins.
The ScotSTAR service provides emergency medical retrieval services (EMRS), neonatal and paediatric transport services, and the air ambulance for the whole of Scotland.
In January 2021, the two Kelly boys – Carson (9) and Calvin (6) – were seriously injured when the car they were travelling in skidded on ice and flipped twice on a day out in Glenshee, Inverness-shire. Both boys suffered head injuries and needed to be airlifted to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.
Dr Michael Gillespie and Dr Kathryn Bennett, EMRS Consultants, tended to them at the scene and put them into medically induced comas to ensure they were safe to travel to hospital for treatment.
Carson stayed in hospital for six weeks, whilst Calvin was in hospital for three weeks. They are both now back at school part-time.
Mum, Sheree, praised the care her two boys received from the crew who attended: “The boys were kept side by side all throughout their treatment from the air ambulance to their hospital stay.
“Dr Gillespie dropped by to the hospital a few times during their treatment and was actually there the first time they both woke up. He has always kept in touch with the boys.
“The boys have met Michael and Kat a few times now and have thoroughly enjoyed visiting the ScotSTAR team at their base to see the training mannequins in use.”
Inspired by the great care their boys received, Sheree and her husband Andy wanted to give something back and have raised £5,000 to date for ScotSTAR with future plans to raise even more.
Michael Dickson, Chief Executive, SAS, said: “We are so pleased that Carson and Calvin have recovered so well after such a traumatic incident.
“Our ScotSTAR team are an essential part of the Scottish Ambulance Service, providing the very best care to patients, often in the most challenging of circumstances.
“Many thanks to the Kelly family and Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity for their kind donation and support of our ScotSTAR team.”
Kirsten Watson, CEO, Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, added: “It’s incredible to see how this young family harnessed a traumatic situation into fundraising that could potentially save lives through effective training.
“Their exceptional fundraising supports an awe-inspiring team over at ScotSTAR, whom the charity is delighted to continue supporting.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”