Tag: Scottish Ambulance Service

Multi service exercise to train new staff to deal with road accidents

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 Scottish Ambulance Service crews now trained in distributing Naloxone

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.”

Six Nations: SAS bike squad to be deployed at Murrayfield

Scottish Ambulance Service emergency responders are to be deployed on bikes for this weekend’s Six Nations match with Italy.

Off the back of Glasgow’s COP26 in 2021, where bikes were used at the climate change conference to attend to medical incidents at the event, a team of SAS emergency responders has been recruited and trained for deployment.

The East Region cycle Response Team can be deployed through the Service’s Ambulance Control Centre (ACC).

The squad, which has 11 members and although based in the East at present, can be used anywhere in Scotland if requested. Recently, they attended the Scotland vs Ireland match at Murrayfield, and will also be out at the Scotland vs Italy game on Saturday (March 18).

Last year, they were used at The Open at St Andrews and other sporting events, while they will also be used at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe later this year for the second year running alongside normal ambulance resources.

Andrew Cook, Paramedic Team Leader and lead on the unit, said: “This great initiative has been utilised successfully at various events.

“They can respond easier to busy footfall areas and can be deployed to a range of incidents such as cardiac arrests. If appropriate, they will be backed up with additional ambulance resources depending on the call.

“The idea being that paramedics can respond quicker to emergencies in busy areas that are difficult to travel through in a car or ambulance.  

“The bikes have equipment that will enable them to respond to life-threatening emergencies and we hope that the cycle responder paramedics will be able to treat and triage patients appropriately on scene, which could potentially free up another resource for conveying patients to hospital.

“Another fundamental benefit of the cycle response unit is the reduction of carbon footprint.”

Security operatives face realistic terror scenarios in George Street nightclub exercise

The Security Industry Authority (SIA), the regulator for the private security industry, ran a safety resilience exercise at the Shanghai Club in Edinburgh’s George Street on Sunday.

The SIA organised the exercise in partnership with Police Scotland counter-terrorism officers, Scottish Ambulance Service and City of Edinburgh Council.

The training event at Shanghai Club confronted security staff with a series of real-time simulations, involving volunteer actors, of possible emergency scenarios. These included an attack with a bladed weapon, an acid attack, a suspect package and a marauding terrorist attack taking place outside the club.

Security teams from Edinburgh and the surrounding area were in attendance to observe.

Ronnie Megaughin, the SIA’s Head of Compliance and Inspections, said: “These realistic scenarios are an excellent method for training security operatives and gives them an ideal opportunity to put their training to use.

“Security operatives may be the first people on the scene in an incident. Yesterday’s staged terror incidents enabled security operatives to take part and deal with the scenario, and then receive an instant debrief from counter-terror experts.

“We know from experience that operatives, and their managers, really appreciate what they learn from these events and find them worth their while. Any of these security staff could find themselves as the first responder at a serious incident, and this exercise could literally be the difference between life and death.”

John Sandlin, SIA Senior Manager Compliance and Inspections, said: “The main aim of exercises like this is to increase public safety in the night-time economy by working with venues and security staff.

“It’s also to showcase best practice by putting the Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) security e-learning package, which we’ve been recommending to all SIA-licensed operatives, into practice. We’re really pleased with the commitment that all the security staff put into the exercise at the Shanghai Club.”

This emergency planning exercise at the Shanghai Club continues a programme of similar exercises and follows on from events in Chesterfield, London, Glasgow and Leicester.

PICTURES: Ross Parker / SNS Group

Briggs ‘deep concern’ over 83 “red flagged” addresses for ambulances across Lothian

Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP for Lothian, Miles Briggs, has expressed “deep concern” over addresses that have been “red flagged” to ambulance staff across Scotland.

The concern comes amid reports that nearly 450 addresses have been identified as being “red flagged” for ambulance staff – whereby Scottish Ambulance Staff are not allowed to enter without the presence of police.

A Freedom of Information Request submitted by the Scottish Conservatives revealed the shocking statistics.

The highest number of red flagged addresses come with Glasgow and Edinburgh postcodes, with 107 and 83 addresses identified in these areas, respectively.

In the EH postcode area, the freedom of information request revealed that 83 warnings had been identified.

Mr. Briggs has highlighted concerns over the figures and has expressed doubt of how police and ambulance staff may link up, given that, under the SNP, police officer numbers in Scotland are at their lowest level for 15 years.

Mr. Briggs says that one attack on an emergency service worker in Lothian is one too many and more action must be taken to keep them safe.

Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Miles Briggs said: “These figures are deeply concerning.

“This is a significant number of addresses that have been red-flagged in Lothian for our dedicated ambulance staff who are putting themselves at risk for others on a daily basis.

“One attack on any ambulance worker in Lothian is one too many.

“This is a direct result of the SNP slashing local budgets and gutting the police service across the country.

“With police officer numbers at their lowest number since 2008 across Scotland, I am also concerned that they may not be able to easily link up with ambulance crews when called upon at a particular address.

“It is clear from the number of addresses that have been red-flagged in Lothian that more needs to be done to keep our ambulance staff safe, which includes handing out hefty punishments to those found to have assaulted them while they are on duty.

“At the very least, frontline staff in Lothian should be reassured that they can go about their work without serious risk of injury from members of the public.”

2022-FOI-1768-Response-Letter-Download

Nearly 50% of 999 calls being managed outwith Emergency Departments

The Scottish Ambulance Service is managing nearly 50% of the 999 calls it receives without the need to take patients to Emergency Departments across Scotland

The Scottish Ambulance Service is managing nearly 50% of the 999 calls it receives without the need to take patients to Emergency Departments across Scotland.

Latest figures for the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) in October 2022 show that the proportion of patients being cared for out with Emergency Departments was 49.1%. 

This was made up of 24.9% of patients who were managed at the point of call and a further 24.2% whose care was managed by SAS clinicians on scene.

These results have been  achieved through a range of initiatives, including working closely with partners to increase the range of alternative clinical pathways in communities which support the Service to deliver care closer to home, accessing  Health Board Flow Navigation Centres, expanding our Mental Health pathway access, and utilising highly-trained staff in remote clinical consultation and assessment.

The Service’s central Pathway Navigation Hub also continues to increase the volume of calls it manages, connecting patients with services and communicating pathway information to SAS clinicians.

The figures are released as the Service launches its Integrated Clinical Hub, co-ordinated through the SAS Ambulance Control Centres in the west, north and east of Scotland.

Health secretary Humza Yousaf visited the Service’s East ACC base n South Queensferry yesterday to meet SAS Chief Executive Pauline Howie and Chair Tom Steele, along with key staff involved in the Integrated Clinical Hub. The Health Secretary also thanked staff for their dedication over the past year.

Using a multi-disciplinary network of skilled clinical staff across Scotland, 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 will operate 24 hours a day, to ensure patients receive the best possible response to their need when they dial 999.

SAS Chief Executive Pauline Howie said: “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 work together with our health board and community colleagues to find ways of delivering the right care for individuals and easing pressure on Emergency Departments.

“We are focussed on continuing to develop our clinical care model to support more patients in communities where it is safe to do so and to ensure patients get the right care, at the right time.

“The clinical decision-making roles within our Integrated Clinical Hub all have a role to play in understanding patients’ need at point of call, and that they receive the most appropriate care and support to ensure there is a positive impact across the whole system.

“If the patient’s symptoms are not immediately life-threatening, they can then benefit from a clinical assessment with a senior experienced clinician to agree how help can be best provided. Frontline emergency clinicians can also be supported by more senior clinical staff via telephone and video, aiming to enable the patient to access the most appropriate pathway or care provision to address their need. This can help reduce pressure within Scotland’s Emergency Departments.

“To help our staff, we also would like to remind people that 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.”

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: ““We are facing a challenging winter ahead for the NHS and it’s initiatives such as the integrated clinical hub that can help ensure patients receive appropriate care at home or in the community and alleviate pressures on our already busy A&E departments.

“There are a range of pathways of care and not every call to 999 needs an ambulance or a trip to A&E as demonstrated by stats out today.  Experienced clinical staff are on hand to triage calls and get patients the right care at the right place.

“Once again, I would like to thank Scottish Ambulance Service staff for their tremendous work and dedication.”

Joint working to reduce violence against workers under the National Assault Pledge

Emergency services, prosecutors and health colleagues are among those supporting a National Assault Pledge underlining a joint commitment to reduce violence and abuse against workers.

The National Assault Pledge builds upon Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone’s Assault Pledge, developed in response to a concerning increase in violence and abuse against Police Scotland officers and staff. The Chief Constable’s Assault Pledge was published in August 2020 with the support of the then Lord Advocate and Cabinet Secretary for Justice.

Since then, local pledges have been developed by services in Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.

The national partnership group includes British Transport Police, NHS Scotland, Scottish Prison Service, Scottish Ambulance Service and others. The group will share best practice, develop preventative measures and use consistent messaging in their workplace to support and encourage staff to report incidents.

The National Assault Pledge was agreed by signatories at an event at Police Scotland Headquarters, Tulliallan, on Tuesday, 15 November.

Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor QPM has been leading Police Scotland’s drive to reduce the impact violence and abuse has on officers and staff and introduce measures to improve their safety.

DCC Taylor said: “Being the victim of an assault can have a long lasting impact both physically and mentally. It’s not simply part of the job.

“Working in partnership with a number of key organisations highlights our collective approach and united pledge to reduce assaults at work.

“I want our officers and staff to feel supported and this partnership adds to work already ongoing in this area.”

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC said: “Assaults on front line workers will not be tolerated and Scotland’s prosecutors will help protect their safety through robust action.

“The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service work closely with police to ensure the effective investigation and prosecution of crime.

“Any criminal behaviour that threatens public safety and the safety of front line workers will be taken very seriously.”

In 2021/22, there were 7,858 common assaults against emergency workers – an increase of 12 per cent compared to the previous year. Over 7,000 of these were against police officers and staff.

Improved operational safety training, a Taser uplift programme and partnership with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to introduce impact statements are some of the work that has been driven within Police Scotland to support officer and staff safety.

Woman reunited with SAS emergency responder who saved her life

A woman who had a cardiac arrest in the Botanic Gardens has been reunited with one of the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) staff members who saved her life.

Jeanne Reilly, of Berkshire, recently returned to Edinburgh with family and friends to attend the unveiling of a new defibrillator installed at the same location where she collapsed on July 30 last year.

Her friend Jane Wood, who was with Jeanne when she went into arrest, instigated the efforts to have the defibrillator installed, and raised £2086 through family and friends.

A retired GP and an off duty doctor performed CPR immediately and used a nearby defib while an emergency call was placed with the Scottish Ambulance Service, which was received by Lindsey Brady, of West Ambulance Control Centre (ACC) in Glasgow.

Aidan Colliar and Audrey Michie, of the East ACC in Edinburgh, then dispatched Nickie Crowe, on a Paramedic Response Unit, and ambulance crew Ian Harwood and Ricky Moffat, of Dalkeith Station.

They arrived within two minutes of the call being received and Jeanne was transported to hospital and “kept alive” in the ambulance on the way to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Jeanne said: “I was very pleased to see the newly installed defibrillator at the Terrace Café and it was a privilege to meet ambulance crew member Ian in person.

“We have all since spoken so fondly of the opportunity to meet together. Shiona Mackie, the retired GP, met us all again shortly after and gave us a tour of the Botanics in her capacity as a volunteer tour guide – that was special too. 

“I was thrilled that Ian had driven so quickly from the Botanics to the Hospital. Putting names to faces and filling in some gaps in my experience has given me a sense of peace.”

Speaking of the cardiac arrest, she said she was given CPR and a defibrillator was used prior to the crew arriving. She added: “They arrived very quickly and then took me to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, giving me another shock in the ambulance.

“I spent 12 days in hospital, have a stent and ICD fitted and I am on the mend to lead a normal life again. I owe my life to all involved. I have been able to thank others personally, and my family and myself send thanks and more to the crew.”

She said it was vital for people to learn CPR skills for this year’s Restart a Heart Day on Sunday.

“Had it not been for the quick thinking of everyone, I would not be back to enjoying life. The expertise of the ambulance paramedics kept me alive while I made the journey to the Edinburgh Infirmary. The medical team in ICU took over from there.

“I hope that more people are educated about where to find a defibrillator and how to use one, so that the percentage of those who survive a cardiac arrest out of hospital can increase.”

To find out more about CPR, visit the Save a Life for Scotland website at www.savealife.scot

Scottish Ambulance Service launches use of life-saving app to alert those with CPR knowledge

To coincide with Restart a Heart Day 2022, the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) has rolled out the use of a life-saving app to the whole of Scotland, which can alert those with CPR knowledge to attend a nearby cardiac arrest.

Every year about 3,200 people in Scotland are treated by the Ambulance Service after having a cardiac arrest. Every second counts when someone has had a cardiac arrest and by equipping bystanders with the tools to help, through dialling 999, starting CPR and using a defibrillator, those suffering a cardiac arrest have a greater chance of survival. 

The GoodSAM smartphone app is a mechanism that allows the ambulance service to alert responders in the community to the location of someone suffering a cardiac arrest. Once alerted, and the alert is accepted, it instantly shares the location of a 999 call, to notify those who are registered with the app and are within 1000m of the incident, so that they can quickly respond to provide potentially lifesaving cardio-pulmonary life support (CPR).

SAS first began using the app in 2020 to alert off-duty ambulance service staff to a nearby out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The app has also been successfully trialled with Community Cardiac Responders in the Grampian region since 2021, and now it will be used by SAS across Scotland.

GoodSAM has been adopted by other ambulance services around the world, including ambulance services in the UK and in Australia.  There are currently 1,500,000 users worldwide and since the app was launched there have been over 3,000,000 alerts globally.

The use of the GoodSAM app is supported by The Save a Life for Scotland campaign, to help everyone living in Scotland learn how they can help save a life when someone suffers an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). They can do this by recognising there is a problem, calling 999 and starting CPR with the support of an ambulance service call handler.

Programme Lead for Out-of-Hospital-Cardiac Arrest, Steven Short, who is leading the campaign, says: “With this roll-out of the GoodSAM app, anyone who has CPR knowledge can be a life-saver. When someone is in cardiac-arrest, immediate bystander action can mean the difference between life and death.

“By alerting those who are closest, they can begin CPR while waiting for help from the ambulance service to arrive. This may mean that people from all walks of life will turn up to an incident, and with their knowledge, they can begin the CPR, vital in keeping someone alive until help arrives.”

The GoodSAM app can be downloaded from a smartphone app store by anyone with CPR knowledge, and once registered and validated, the user will be sent alert if there has been a 999 call to a cardiac arrest within 1000 metres.

Ian Hendry is a SAS Wildcat Cardiac Responder, who uses the GoodSAM app to respond to emergency calls across North East Scotland.

Ian says: “Providing the immediate care required for patients is vital should an out-of-hospital-cardiac arrest occur, and being able to arrive quickly and commence CPR is essential. Upon arrival, the technicians and paramedics will assume the lead, and we’ll focus on supporting the family or loved ones, and 2that aspect is also very rewarding.

“As a responder, it can at times be challenging depending on the situation we are faced with but we receive regular training, have the opportunity to meet other responders where we can share different scenarios and experiences, and we also have great support from the team at the Scottish Ambulance Service.

“It is humbling to witness the amazing care the SAS staff deliver to patients on a daily basis and to be able to support them in a small way is very rewarding.”

Lisa MacInnes, Director of the Save a Life for Scotland campaign said: “Our aim is to equip everyone living in Scotland with CPR and skills and help them be CPR ready, because when someone has a cardiac arrest, every second counts.

“When someone has a cardiac arrest, they need urgent help and with the launch of the GoodSAM app in Scotland, you could be that help.

“We’re asking anyone in Scotland who knows CPR to sign-up and make themselves available to this life saving service. When the minutes are so important you could be the difference in helping a stranger in need who’s just around the corner or a neighbour who needs your help.”

To find out more about the GoodSAM app rollout, refresh your CPR skill and sign up to the app, please visit the Save a Life for Scotland GoodSAM pages at savealife.scot/goodsam