Red Cross prepares with emergency exercise

One of the largest emergency exercises in the UK begins today (May 21) – and Red Cross volunteers and staff in Lincolnshire will be playing their part.

The simulated train crash and chemical spill near Lincoln, called Exercise Georgiana, will test the plans of the British Red Cross, emergency services, public sector bodies and other voluntary organisations. The exercise, which takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday, will see Red Cross volunteers at three different locations in Lincolnshire, practising their skills and working with partners including the fire service, NHS, councils and ambulance service.

Joy Clift-Hill, British Red Cross operations director for Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire, will be in ‘gold command’ alongside senior staff from other organisations at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service’s headquarters – the multi-agency command and control base. Sir Charles Allen, British Red Cross chairman, will visit each of the locations to meet those taking part in the exercise and see first-hand the response to a large-scale incident.

At a survivors’ reception centre near the staged crash site, Red Cross volunteers will respond to the needs of people affected by the derailment. This involves bringing them to the centre, giving emotional and practical support, working with emergency service staff and dealing with minor first aid incidents.

In the Grantham Red Cross office, teams will test out equipment, the accuracy of data, and how strategic decisions are officially recorded.

 

EMBRACING DIVERSITY

As one of the country's most ethnically diverse regions, it is only right that West Midlands Ambulance Service embraces that diversity and celebrates the rich cultures that abound.

As part of that, the Trust is participating in the NHS Equality, Diversity & Human Rights week, (Monday 13th - Friday 17th May) which is coordinated by NHS Employers.

After consulting with local communities and staff, the Trust wanted to ensure that staff are equipped with the knowledge and know how about local cultures and religions within the West Midlands.

A series of snap shot articles on Buddhism, Human Rights, Hinduism, Christianity, African Caribbean communities have been distributed and displayed at every Ambulance Station to build awareness about local diverse communities. The articles are based on key facts, such as some of the religions and cultures, dietary requirements, cultural differences in dress, how to communicate with respect and dignity and key information on dealing with incidents of death.

A series of other articles have also been written to raise awareness about patients with autism and learning disabilities, as well as bespoke training delivered to staff on deaf awareness.  The final article on Homophobia, which will be distributed on Friday 17th ties in with International Day Against Homophobia.

Trust Chairman, Sir Graham Meldrum, and Chief Executive Anthony Marsh recently signed up as a champion of the NHS employers 'Personal, Fair and Diverse campaign'. The aim of the campaign is to take action and drive forward the commitment to, building a personal, fair and diverse NHS.

Sir Graham said: "We know that the needs of the different communities in the West Midlands differ considerably so it is vital that we ensure that we are able to meet those needs.

"It is vital that we provide our staff with information about our local community needs and how as individuals we can play a part in delivering a service which values dignity, respect and fairness for all.

"As part of our commitment to learning, the Trust will also receive a presentation from a local charity organisation based in Wolverhampton called 'Gender Matters', who will be sharing their knowledge of experiences faced by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities using NHS services.

"It is only by talking and, more importantly, listening to these communities that we will be able to learn more about how often very simple changes can make a massive difference to the patients we treat."

Sharing experiences will improve access to service

Action Deafness working with EMAS

Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people are to share their experiences and ideas with East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) to help improve its services.

Frontline ambulance staff and an emergency ambulance vehicle will be at the engagement event, to be held at the Leicester Peepul Centre on 23 May 2013, and mini-health checks will be available.

EMAS community engagement officer Gulnaz Katchi said: “Action Deafness visited our service last week to tour our Emergency Operations Centre (control) and talk with a frontline and control member of staff. Their suggestions and views will be added to those we receive at our engagement event next week in Leicester.

“This direct engagement helps us better understand the difficulties deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people have when they need to access the emergency services.

“Equally, we can talk about the challenges we face when we need to provide instructions to the caller to help the patient while the ambulance travels to the scene. The event also allows us to help those attending to be more aware about when and how to access 999, particularly using the emergency text service.”

Guests will have the opportunity to tour one of our new emergency ambulance vehicles. Introduced to the fleet last year, they include a loop system for patients with hearing difficulties – a direct result of patient involvement in the design of our new vehicles.

Action Deafness Manager Jaz Mann said: “We have been working with EMAS for a while now, and have developed a strong and productive relationship. We are impressed by their desire to improve their services, identifying ways in which they can be made more accessible to those with a hearing loss – their commitment to change is clearly evident.

“The partnership is going from strength to strength, and hopefully this joint event will give deaf people an important role in improving access for the future.” 

Norfolk cycling paramedics set for charity challenge

Three Norwich-based ambulance trust staff are gearing up for a gruelling charity 600 mile tower to tower bike ride from Blackpool to Paris.

Nine riders from the East of England Ambulance Service, based in Norfolk and Essex, will complete the marathon ride across six days to raise money for the Ambulance Service Benevolent Fund (ASBF), and so far have raised more than £7,000.

The team will begin their ride on Saturday, May 25, from Blackpool Tower, stopping at Buxton, Kettering, Dartford, and Amiens, before reaching the Eiffel Tower on Thursday, May 30.

Matt Broad, ambulance service general manager in Norfolk, who is riding and helping to organise the event, said they were also encouraging staff from other ambulance trusts to join them along the route through England. I have always wanted to do a big challenge like this and jumped at the chance to join the ‘Pedalling Paramedics T2T’ ride, I get a real buzz from cycling miles and miles, especially for such a good cause.

“We have a great team of motivated riders and I am sure after hearing the stories from their last ride, we will be having a real laugh along the way as well. We’re all part of the ambulance family and the ASBF do great work in supporting those staff that have dedicated their working life to helping others. It can be a stressful job with a lot of demanding situations,” he said.

The route takes them through the Peak District, London, and Northern France.

Mr Broad will be joined by Norfolk colleagues Brett Norton and Chris Barnes, who are both duty operations managers in the Norwich ambulance control room at Hellesdon.

To sponsor them, visit www.justgiving.com/Pedaling-Paramedics