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.”
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.
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.”
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.
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 (picturedtop) 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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
The Scottish Ambulance Service, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland held a training exercise in the Borders recently for students and new recruits to practice responding to a road traffic collision (RTC).
The Scottish Ambulance Service, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland held a training exercise in the Borders recently for students and new recruits to practice responding to a road traffic collision (RTC).
The exercise was held at Galashiels Fire Station on the 7th March and Hawick Fire Station on Tuesday the 14th March , with the aim of teaching participants from each emergency service how to deal with a collision.
The mock exercise – held on the two nights with different groups of attendees – involved a two vehicle, high-speed, head-on collision, and saw different levels of responses.
Paramedic Lee Myers, SAS’s lead for the exercise, said: “This training has been designed around student and new recruit development, as we continue to welcome new staff into the Service.
“The exercise involved dealing with a serious RTC, with Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service attending alongside the Scottish Ambulance Service.
“The participants from all the services did a fantastic job dealing with the incident which included casualties with potentially serious injuries. We also had approximately 20 Queen Margaret University student paramedics attend on the night and crews dealing with a traumatic cardiac arrest, a roof off extrication, patients being fully immobilised, and much, much more.
“The three services share an excellent working relationship and this has been a great opportunity to work on improving communication and joint agency working. I would like to say a huge thank you to all involved for making this training exercise such a success.”
Area Commander Hilary Sangster is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Local Senior Officer for Midlothian, East Lothian and Scottish Borders.
She said: “Exercises such as this are important and hugely worthwhile for our firefighters to train to protect our communities alongside emergency service colleagues in a unique and dynamic environment – and also follow several months of planning.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved and especially Station Commanders Grant Fraser and Roy Bradley, and our partners for their continued commitment to this multi-agency training.”
All active crews at the Scottish Ambulance Service have now been trained to supply life-saving Take Home Naloxone (THN) kits.
Following the completion of the two year naloxone training programme, launched in 2021, 2333 Take Home Naloxone kits (THN) have been distributed by crews.
These Naloxone kits, which reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, have been distributed by ambulance clinicians to people at risk of a non-fatal overdose or potential future overdose. They have also been provided to family, friends and service workers who may have to administer naloxone in the future, while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
The successful roll-out of the training programme to distribute the kits has been led by three Clinical Effectiveness Leads for Drug Harm Reduction, covering the North, East and West regions. They have been funded by the Drug Deaths Taskforce, an extension of the Scottish Government’s existing Naloxone Programme.
Over the last two years, SAS has increased its partnership working with health boards and drug treatment and support services, as engagement with these services is a proven protective factor in reducing drug deaths. By creating alternative pathways, patients will receive a referral to follow up after their emergency presentation, to ensure they receive further appropriate care.
A booklet for call handers in SAS’s Ambulance Control Centres has also been developed, which provides an index for common drug terms. This booklet, created in partnership with Public Health Scotland – RADAR, can help call handlers better identify the needs of the patient when taking 999 calls.
Pauline Howie, Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “We’re proud to have reached our target of training up our operational staff in being able to supply Take-Home Naloxone.
“Our crews offer a frontline service where they reach into vulnerable communities across Scotland, and this targeted distribution will ensure Naloxone will get into the hands of those who need it most.
“Over the last two years, our three Clinical Effectiveness Leads for Drug Harm Reduction have made huge strides to effect positive change within patient care, and access to treatment for those affected by their use of drugs. This is helping to meet our aims of positively improving health and wellbeing across Scotland.”
Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance said: “Scotland was the first country in the world to introduce a national Naloxone programme and increasing its provision and availability has been a key priority in our national mission to help save lives.
“We know that having naloxone available can and does save lives and maximising its availability is a key part of our work to reduce drug related deaths in Scotland.
“The extent of the use of naloxone to prevent deaths illustrates the size of the challenge but also the ambition of the response, including from crucial partners like the Scottish Ambulance Service.
“We’re focused on supporting those affected by problem substance use, delivering real change on the ground and implementing evidence-based approaches we know can help save lives. We will continue to prioritise the distribution of naloxone and to work with partners, such as the SAS, to ensure that this important work continues and that we can continue to provide support to people at a time of crisis.”
