Tag: Scottish Ambulance Service

Scottish Ambulance Service prepares for Winter

The Scottish Ambulance Service is bringing in a range of extra initiatives this winter, including new frontline staff, ambulances and enhancements to 999 call centre operations.

The initiatives will come into place in the coming weeks to help SAS meet the increased demands on their services at a time which is traditionally the busiest for the NHS.

Recruitment is already well underway to support SAS’s dedicated frontline workforce with 317 new paramedics, technicians and advanced practice practitioners joining the Service by the end of March 2024.

Additional clinicians are also being introduced in the Service’s Integrated Clinical Hub. The Hub triages less seriously ill patients who don’t need to go to A&E to receive care and provides alternative routes for treatment, freeing up ambulances and reducing pressure on A&Es.

Michael Dickson OBE, Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “We know that winter will be an extremely challenging period for the NHS which is why we’ve introduced a range of initiatives to help our patients and support our staff this winter.  

“Our patients are our priority, we will do everything we can to ensure patients are cared for and get the service they need quickly and efficiently.

“Not every call to 999 needs an ambulance or a trip to A&E and we are completely focussed on supporting patients to get care at home or close to home where it is safe to do so, ensuring patients get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

“The SAS workforce is essential as they carry out their roles often in extremely difficult circumstances and we will continue to support them during this high-pressure time.

“We urge the public to help our staff by remembering that 999 and A&E is for emergencies, if you need urgent care, but it’s not life-threatening, you can call NHS 24 on 111, day or night, or your GP during opening hours.”

Extra initiatives being brought in this winter include:

  • New staff, including Advanced Practitioners into each region and 52 new vehicles such as Rapid Response Vehicles to help respond in a more flexible manner throughout the winter period.
  • Maximising the use of trained volunteers such as Community First Responders, Cardiac Responders and BASICS, where appropriate.
  • Utilising dedicated Patient Transport Service (PTS) resources for low acuity patients, freeing up ambulances to get help to very seriously unwell patients as quickly as possible.
  • Connecting patients with local services and communicating pathway information to SAS clinicians.
  • Daily meetings with health boards to respond to the challenges relating to hospital handover delays so that our highly-trained ambulance crews can be back out responding to the next patient in the community who needs our help.
  • Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officers (HALOs) will work with senior hospital site managers and the Service, improving the hospital admission and discharge process.
  • Ensuring the wellbeing of our crews, working with Health Board partners to provide refreshments for crews at hospitals in periods of high pressure and demand
  • Piloting new processes to help staff finish on time to protect their wellbeing and having a wide range of health and wellbeing services available for them to access should they need them.

PICTURES: (L to r) Newly Qualified Paramedic, Ellie Brown and Laura Robb, Paramedic, recently qualified NQP

Picture TOP: Stewart Ramsay, Paramedic, and Toni Boyd, Technician, both Glasgow East Station

Extra support for NHS this winter

£50 million to build Scottish Ambulance Service capacity

A £50 million funding boost for Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) recruitment and up to £12 million to expand Hospital at Home are among measures to support the health and care system this winter.

The Scottish Government and COSLA’s joint Winter Plan, published today, identifies new funding for SAS to support work already underway to recruit a further 317 frontline staff to help increase capacity to emergency response. It will also see 18 additional clinicians working in the call centre hub who, through additional triage, can offer patients alternative treatment routes in cases which are not time-critical, reducing the number of hospital admissions.

The expansion of Hospital at Home, which enables people to be treated at home rather than on a ward, is intended to deliver at least 380 additional beds this winter – significantly increasing the total service capacity.

The Scottish Government has been working closely with COSLA, Health and Social Care Partnerships, and NHS Boards on a number of further measures to ensure they are prepared for the winter period. This includes a Delayed Discharge Action Plan and improvements to the reporting of data to better identify specific areas for further support or escalation.

Health Secretary Michael Matheson said: “Our highly skilled and committed workforce are the cornerstone of our response every winter, both in health and social care. I am extremely grateful for their continued hard work and dedication in the face of sustained pressure. As we approach the Winter period their efforts will be vital in ensuring we deliver high quality care for the public.

“We are in no doubt that this winter will be extremely challenging for our health and social care system. Our Winter plan builds on the lessons we have learned from previous years and preparations have been on-going since spring. Our whole system approach is based on ensuring people can access the care that is right for them – at the right time and in the right place.

“Our additional investment of up to £12 million to expand the Hospital at Home service will allow people, especially elderly patients, patients with respiratory conditions and children, to receive treatments in the comfort of their own home and will crucially help reduce pressure on our A&E departments this winter.

“As a result our significant investment of over £15 million, an additional 1,000 nurses, midwives and Allied Health Professional from overseas have joined NHS Scotland in the last two years to bolster our existing workforce this winter.

“Our £50 million funding boost for the Scottish Ambulance Service will also help tackle increased demand and support on-going recruitment to drive up capacity for emergency response. This investment will also help reduce the need for people to go to hospital which is a key part of our approach this winter.”

Cllr Paul Kelly, COSLA’s Health and Social Care Spokesperson said: “As key partners in ensuring people and communities are safe and cared for over the winter period, and indeed throughout the year, local authorities have a vital role in enabling people to continue to safely access the care and support they need when they need it.

“We expect the winter to be a very challenging period across the whole health and social care system at a time when the system is already experiencing significant demand pressures and challenges with recruitment and retention.

“That is why COSLA have worked closely with Scottish Government in producing this plan, recognising the importance of the integration of health and social care, and the clear leadership role of Local Government in doing everything we can to maximise capacity across health, social care, and social work, and ensure people get safe and timely access to services during peak winter pressures.”

The Scottish Ambulance Service has welcomed the announcement of £50 million funding by Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care.

Michael Dickson OBE, Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “This funding will allow us to invest in frontline staff, ambulances, vehicles and our 999 call centre operations. We know that winter will be challenging but the Service, and our committed staff, are working hard to meet those challenges.

“We have a whole range of initiatives which will come into place over winter to help us meet the increased demands on our services, including work to ensure we provide the quickest possible response to our most critically ill patients and we continue to support, where appropriate, less seriously ill patients to be managed at home or in the community, avoiding unnecessary A&E visits.

“Our patients and our staff are our most important priorities, and this investment will ensure we can continue to deliver the very best to our patients whilst supporting our staff who play such a critical role in their care.”

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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.”

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“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 callsTotal resource service time (minutes)Avg. resource service time
Ayrshire & Arran18594:0333:00
Borders487:4821:57
Dumfries and Galloway3137:2345:48
Fife6179:3329:56
Forth Valley6242:0040:20
Grampian14390:1227:52
Greater Glasgow and Clyde872431:5327:57
Highland15449:1629:57
Lanarkshire22817:5337:11
Lothian371457:1039:23
Tayside20864:5243:15
Western Isles111:5211:52

*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.”