London 999 heart care doc's 50-second taster

The story of how more Londoners are saved from cardiac arrest and heart attack than ever before is to be told in a new online film.
London Ambulance Service clinicians, leading NHS cardiologists and real-life survivors will all feature in the 25-minute web series episode – Code STEMI – due to be premiered next Thursday (7 March) at the EMS Today show in Washington DC, and online. Watch the 50-second trailer which gives a flavour of what’s to come.

Background – Code STEMI
‘STEMI’ is a term used by emergency healthcare professionals indicating that a patient is experiencing a life-threatening type of heart attack, which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest.  STEMI stands for ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

STEMI patients have the best chance of survival when identified as quickly as possible by ambulance crews and taken directly to a specialist hospital where expert cardiologists can treat them immediately.
The Code STEMI web series examines high-performing regional systems of care that have demonstrated success in improving heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest patient outcomes. The London Ambulance Service story will explore how one of the busiest ambulance services in the world is improving patient outcomes by focusing on the administrators, doctors, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, trainers, dispatchers and the patients themselves – to share their stories.

Learn more about Code STEMI at: http://firstrespondersnetwork.com/codestemi/.

East of England Ambulance Services introducing 15 new vehicles
The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS), criticised in the past over response times, says it is
introducing 15 new ambulances from Monday 18th February. The announcement follows a review in response to patient and staff feedback to identify where more double staffed ambulances might be needed.

EEAS is also recruiting 75 new paramedics and 124 care assistants.

The ambulance service trust's interim chief executive Andrew Morgan said: "After reviewing the situation and listening to patient and staff feedback it became clear that getting more double staffed ambulances out there was a priority that would directly benefit patients and reduce waiting times.

"I have had many discussions about the resources we have available and we are tackling the situation in many ways by recruiting more staff, trying to better match staff availability to demand, giving more power to local managers to deliver the right service for their area, working with hospitals to reduce turnaround times and addressing productivity, efficiency and sickness issues.

"All of this work will continue and must deliver results."

EEAS said it could not say at present how much the ambulances cost.

Unison's EEAS branch Secretary Gary Applin said: "We welcome the increase in double staffed ambulances. It will make things better for patients and staff. Any increase can definitely be welcomed."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21273157

NEW LOOK AIRCRAFT FOR LONDON'S ADVANCED TRAUMA TEAM

• London’s Air Ambulance helicopter has today launched an ingenious new look - emblazoned with emergency markings and key messages
• The changing message on the tail boom details the number of critical missions attended by the medical team, currently at 28,502
• The Charity that delivers an advanced trauma team to critically injured people in London believes the helicopter is the focal point to create greater awareness of the vital life-saving interventions that are carried out by the service 24/7
• Graham Hodgkin, Chief Executive Officer of London’s Air Ambulance, said: “Despite our extraordinary lifesaving work and prestigious reputation for medical excellence throughout the world, our charity remains relatively unknown within the city in which we operate.  
• The Charity is currently fundraising for a second aircraft

BBC Inside Out Broadcast

Following last night’s broadcast off BBC1’s Inside Out investigation into the Children’s Air Ambulance operated by The Air Ambulance Service Ltd. The Association on behalf of its members wishes to reassure the public that their local air ambulances provide emergency and transfer services for children and babies.

Members of the association can be found on its Air Ambulance Coverage Map web page. Our members respond daily to emergency and transfer requests, with approximately 10% of cases involving a child or young person.  Air ambulance charities fundraise to deliver a local air ambulance and ensure the best possible care is provided in close support of the regional ambulance service.

Handover summit

 NHS directors and operational leads from across the North East met on January 5th at the North East Ambulance Service, to discuss how to improve hospital handover times in the region.

The 2012/13 winter has been one of the most challenging ever for the NHS in terms of clinical demand, due to a number of factors, including the Norovirus. Paul Liversidge, Director of Operations at NEAS, said: “We are fully aware of the handover delays at some hospitals, and understand why there is public concern.

“Today’s meeting brought everyone under one roof to discuss what changes or improvements to practise we could all make within the NHS to try and alleviate the situation.

“The meeting was extremely constructive and resulted in a number of short and long term plans for all the bodies in attendance which we hope will have an impact.

“NHS services across the North East remain among the best in the country. There is a great joint will among all of the organisations who attended today’s event, and I’m optimistic that we will see some improvement in handover times.”

Dr Relton Cummings, Chairman of the Newcastle North and East Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Handover delays are a concern to us all. There has been an overall increase in demand at hospitals recently, and we are working hard across the North East to address these concerns.

“It is something we need to solve collectively. It has been a very difficult and demanding winter, and following today’s meeting, I know that everyone else in attendance has the same ambition to make things better.”

For the North East Ambulance Service, part of the solution could be for the ambulance contact centre and front-line paramedics to divert callers/patients to alternative care settings more often (where these settings have been commissioned) and for others to do likewise.

The public can also help by only using 999 when appropriate, for genuine medical emergencies.