Soaring temperatures turn the heat up on
South Central Ambulance Service

The continuing heat wave has seen the number of 999 calls to South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) increase still further this afternoon on account of increasing demand on the service.

Between 00.01 on 19 July and 23.59 on 21 July SCAS responded to 4412 emergency calls of which 1192 were potentially life-threatening. These figures represent a significant increase in the amount of incidents that SCAS has responded to across the four counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire - 355 more emergency calls including 54 more immediately life-threatening calls when compared to an average weekend in June 2013!

This is an increase on both the previous weekend and the one before that. From 00.01 on 12 July and 23.59 on 14 July we responded to 4346 emergency calls of which 1154 were potentially life-threatening. Between 00.01 on 5 July and 23.59 on 7 July we responded to 4316 emergency calls of which 1138 were potentially life-threatening.

Please remember that misuse of the ambulance service costs lives. Only call 999 in the event of a medical emergency. Calling 999 for an ambulance when you don’t need one may result in vital resources being unavailable to respond to patients who genuinely need them – patients suffering life-threatening injury or illness.

What’s more arriving by ambulance at a hospital’s Emergency Department (A&E) doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be seen ahead of other patients who don’t. All patients are prioritised according to the severity of their condition. Those suffering from life threatening injury or illness are seen and treated first!

Sadly SCAS still receives a significant number of hoax calls – 592 between 1 January and 30 June 2013. This figure includes one received last Saturday from a child in Hampshire claiming that a41 year male was in cardiac arrest. In response we sent a Rapid Response Vehicle, a double crewed and a community responder. Supporting their colleagues in the ambulance service, several police units from Hampshire Constabulary arrived at the address but found no trace of such a man. Police now believe the hoax call was made by a 12-yearold child and the matter is being investigated further.

Another hoax call was received on 22 July claiming a 15 year old female had suffered a cardiac arrest in Reading. 2 ambulances, an officer and Thames Valley Air Ambulance were dispatched to the scene. The caller remained on the phone until SCAS advised the caller that they had arrived at the scene. The caller hung up and turned their phone off. No one at the address knew anything about the reported incident! SCAS has now reported the caller to the police.

For more information about the consequences of abusing the 999 number please go to www.999southcentral.co.uk/

In addition to the 592 hoax calls SCAS received in the first 6 months of this year, the Trust receives
many more inappropriate calls that do not require an ambulance response.
Examples of inappropriate 999 calls received by SCAS over the last few days include:
• A man who superglued his finger to his ear
• A female who’d cut her foot - when SCAS arrived on scene she was sat in a car waiting for us. The crew dressed her cut and told her to visit the walk in centre if it worsened.
• A male who’d burnt his throat on a microwave meal
• A male who had eaten an out of date ready meal and wanted to know if he’d be ok

PLEASE think before you dial 999. If it’s not a medical emergency please call 111 for help and advice on accessing the most appropriate treatment.

Many minor injuries or illnesses are best treated by Self Care – your pharmacist will be happy to offer advice on how you can treat them yourself. They’ll also be happy to advise you on purchasing a First Aid Kit for use at home in the event of minor injury or illness. Please remember 999 is a life line for those who really need it and not a default service for those who don’t!

Ambulance Service Warns ‘Stay Out and Stay Safe’

 

Following a recent spate of tragic incidents across the country, bosses at the region’s ambulance service are urging people to take extra care in and around open water during the warm weather. 

 

Every year the service is called to incidents across the county where people have attempted to cool off by swimming in rivers, reservoirs, ponds, quarries, lakes and canals and then get into difficulty and require emergency medical assistance. 

 

Traditionally these incidents occur when the warm weather sets in and when schools break up for the summer holidays as more people head to one of the region’s waterways to enjoy a day out.

 

Paul Mudd, Acting Director of Operations at the Trust, said: “The county’s many waterways are popular destinations for people during the summer months, which can make them dangerous places for those who take risks.

 

“It may be very appealing to jump into the water to cool off on a warm summer’s day but people need to be aware of how dangerous it really is. Water can look calm on the surface but contain unseen debris and, rivers in particular, can have treacherous undercurrents. Furthermore, the temperature of deep water is much colder than people would expect and, even on a hot summer’s day, rarely gets above freezing.

 

“Although it is banned, people are also often tempted to swim in reservoirs without realising that there is automatic equipment located under the surface which can operate without warning and cause dangerous hidden currents.

 

“Furthermore, the temperature of deep water is much colder than people would expect and, even on a hot summer’s day, rarely gets above freezing. This is cold enough to take your breath away, which is the body's natural reaction and cannot be controlled, possibly leading to panic and drowning. Cold can also make your arms and legs numb which means you can't control them to swim and can also lead to hypothermia - a serious reduction in body temperature - which can cause heart failure.

 

“Several lives have already been lost this year across the UK and we don’t want to see anyone else hurt or injured so the message is simple; enjoy the summer, stay out of open water and stay safe!”

Charity ball goes up by 5 Decibelles 

Popular five-piece Decibelle have been confirmed as the entertainment for this year’s Summer Ball being held on Saturday July 27 by the Cornwall Air Ambulance.

The band is one of the South West’s most loved and respected groups with members that are familiar faces on the Cornwall and Devon music scene. Fundrasing officer Tom Matthews said: “There are a few tickets left so it’s your last chance to book for what looks set to be THE event of the summer.”

The Summer Ball will once again be held air side, in the hanger, at the charities headquarters and in addition to live entertainment the Summer Ball will feature a fun casino, raffle and a fundraising auction.

“There are some amazing lots for the auction,” added Matthews “including the chance to bid for a holiday on the Trinity House vessel, the Galatea, which literally is a chance of a lifetime.”

Sam Blackmore, lead singer for Decibelle said: “The Cornwall Air Ambulance is a real life saver for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly so to be asked to perform for their Summer Ball is a real honour.

The Cornwall Air Ambulance was the first air ambulance in the UK and has flown over 23,000 missions across the county over the last 26 years.

Tickets for this years Summers Ball are available by clicking here or by calling 01637 889926

LAS Busy Weekend

Busy weekend for the ambulance service despite a dip in calls during the Wimbledon final

The London Ambulance Service took over 11,000 emergency calls this weekend as temperatures in the capital reached up to 29 degrees.

However, there was a significant drop in calls between 3pm and 5pm yesterday during the Wimbledon final. Between 4pm and 5pm the control room answered 199 calls compared to 325 on Saturday.


Staff in the control room answered 6,102 emergency calls on Saturday (6 July) and 5,364 yesterday (Sunday 7 July) an increase of 27.6 per cent compared to two weekends ago before the hot weather started.


The top three reasons patients called for an ambulance over the weekend was for fainting, breathing problems and chest pain.


Deputy Medical Director, Fenella Wrigley, said: “The warm weather is expected to continue for the next few days and I would urge anyone who is travelling around London this week and commuting to work on public transport to make sure they carry a bottle of water with them.


“We always see rise in 999 calls during hot weather; in particular people forgetting to keep hydrated and fainting and the heat making pre-existing conditions like asthma worse.


“It is important to remember to keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water and have any medication that you might need with you at all times.”


Top tips for keeping well in the heat:

• The heat affects everyone, but the young and elderly are particularly at risk. Check up on friends, relatives and neighbours who may be less able to look after themselves
• Avoiding the sun at the hottest part of the day, usually between 11am and 3pm Keeping as cool as possible – wear a hat when sitting or working outside and use plenty of sun cream.
• Carrying prescribed medicines for chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma and bronchitis
• Drinking plenty of water and avoid drinking alcohol in the sun
• Consider other healthcare providers in the community such as your local pharmacy or walk in centre for less serious illnesses and injuries. In an emergency always dial 999 for an ambulance.

Black Sheep Ripon Triathlon

Black Sheep Ripon Triathlon set to boost Yorkshire Air Ambulance

YORKSHIRE Air Ambulance will be the main beneficiary of the proceeds from this year’s Black Sheep Ripon Triathlon this year. The event is staged annually by the NYP Triathlon club, and will take place at Ripon Racecourse on Saturday, July 13.

It is the UK’s largest club-run Olympic distance triathlon and is expected to attract more than 700 competitors to the region.“We’re delighted to be supporting Yorkshire Air Ambulance,” said event co-ordinator Mark Rees.“We’re expecting one of the two Yorkshire Air Ambulance helicopters to make an appearance during the day.”

 John Kerr, the bike race director, added: “We hope that local residents will support this event, which brings much needed tourism to the area, and supports an excellent cause.”

Ripon racecourse will be open from 9am. Kerr added: “The triathlon is free to watch. There’ll be lots of things to do for the whole family.”

Camping, a barbecue, childrens’ entertainment, a live band and fully licensed bar are available during the event weekend. New this year is a demonstration event by the NYP TriStar junior triathletes, and a fun run.
The competition proper starts at 2pm, with the first stage, the 1,500-metre swim. The cycle ride takes place over 25-mile circuit around the Ripon and Boroughbridge area, with the final ten-kilometre run around the racecourse site and neighbouring Littlethorpe.

All three stages are usually completed by each competitor, but included in this event is a relay category, where entrants can team up to complete the course without having to do all three stages themselves.
Anyone wishing to take part, spectate or help with marshalling, can get further information at www.nyptri.freeuk.com Competitors can enter online at www.trihard.co.uk, with further information available by emailing nypripontriathlon@sky.com

Middlesbrough schoolchildren take part in 24-hour basketball challenge for charity

By Chris Webber, Reporter with The Northern Echo

MORE than 200 children and teenagers kept a ball bouncing for 24 hours in a charity event at the weekend.
Each of the youngsters from Unity City Academy in Middlesbrough paid £5 to take part and also raised sponsorship money for Asthma UK and the Great North Air Ambulance Service.

Pupils aged from 11 to 16, along with staff, kept an Olympic golden basketball bouncing for 24 hours, starting at 12 noon on Friday, June 28.

The basketball was donated by the national basketball team and basketball players from the Newcastle Eagles attended the event.

As well as the relay basketball challenge there was an Atlantic rowing challenge, long-distance cycling and floodlit football. For the slightly less active, there was a 20 hour cinema marathon, a 24 hour snack-bar and a beauty salon.

Howard Leighton, UCA’s sports co-ordinator, helped to organise the activities. He said: “This 24 hour challenge was the idea of our students who wanted to raise funds for their chosen charities. In addition, it is the culmination of our Olympic legacy activities after we had the great honour of attending London 2012. All of the activities have been set up by our students and it’s also fantastic to have the support of our local community.”

A spokeswoman for the school explained younger students and some children from nearby primary schools did go home for a good night’s sleep, but added: “There were some teachers and youngsters there the whole 24 hours and they were just little bit tired, but everyone was happy.”