This Month…..
February 2015
Archbishop Visits
City Unit
— See page 3
999 Demand Returns
Treatment Unit
Scoops Award
New Non Executive
Director
NHS 111 Tender
Process
Staff Recognised at
Police Awards
Join Us on ‘Officialwmas’
Got a story?
Tell the Press Office: 01384 246 496 or 07909 528 550 or email pressoffice@wmas.nhs.uk
News…….
Demand Rises in February
After a couple of weeks where demand fell back from the record
levels over Christmas, there were signs that the health economy was
once again becoming challenged in February. Some hospital sites
caused significant difficulties for crews with repeated handover delays.
The situation became so concerning that the Trust again raised the
issue at a national level with both hospital regulators and the Care
Quality Commission on the grounds of risks to patient safety. Director of
Nursing, Quality and Clinical Commissioning Mark Docherty said: “The
situation simply cannot continue as patients are at risk. As a responsible
NHS organisation, we have been left with no choice but to raise our
concerns at the highest level. On too many occasions, it is our staff that
are left caring for the patient when they should be out attending the next
case. This puts our patients at risk which is unacceptable.”
New Non-Executive Director
The Trust has received a boost after a new
Non-Executive Director, with over 25 years
experience in the NHS, joined the Board of
Directors. Caroline Wigley has worked in
both Human Resources and general
management in a number of areas in the
health service including health authorities
and acute hospitals. She was also Chief
Executive of Birmingham Women’s Health
Care Trust for five years. She replaces Tim
Mocroft who resigned last year. Mrs Wigley,
who lives in Malvern, said: “This is a
tremendously exciting opportunity for me to
join the ambulance service.
As an
organisation, WMAS is committed to
providing staff with the opportunities to
develop themselves which in turn leads to
undoubted benefits for patients. Having
held a variety of leadership roles, and as a
qualified coach, this is an area that I am
very impressed with and will be delighted to
see the organisation continue to progress
the opportunities for staff. I also see
meeting and speaking to staff as a key role
for a non-executive so I am looking forward
to getting out and about as much as
possible over the coming months.”
City Centre Volunteers Scoop a ‘BOBS’
Volunteer
lifesavers
who
work
shoulder-to-shoulder with ambulance staff
on Birmingham’s ‘Golden Mile’ each
weekend have been recognised for their
dedication at the City’s Best of Broad
Street Awards. The BOBS awards, which
were held in January, recognise venues,
individuals and teams that work in Broad
Street. The Trust’s City Centre Treatment
Unit (CCTU) is staffed by WMAS and
supported by St John Ambulance, British Red Cross, Community First
Responders and police special constables. The CCTU volunteers
scooped the ‘Best Volunteer’ award. Paramedic Mike Duggan said: “It's
brilliant to see volunteers being recognised for their hard work and
dedication to support the CCTU. They give up their spare time to support
visitors to Birmingham who become ill or injured on a night out and their
help eases the immense work load we, as an ambulance service, face. I'd
like to thank them for the ongoing support.”
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News…….
James and Stuart Recognised at Police Awards
Two Area Support Officers from
Birmingham have been recognised
by West Midlands Police for their
support and leadership at a serious
incident last year. The Local
Policing Unit awards took place in
late January at the Tally-Ho! Police
training centre. ASO’s James
Williams and Stuart Bastock were
presented with ‘Good Citizens
Awards’. The award related to a
multiple stabbing case involving
three children early last year in
Bordesley Green which James and
Stuart attended. James said: “It
recognised our support to the
police in managing the scene,
prioritising
patients,
giving
leadership and clinical guidance to
our own staff, ensuring pre-alerts
were made correctly to the right hospitals and the police were aware of
which patient went where and the seriousness of their injuries. It was a
particularly nasty case for us all to deal with and we’re both very humbled
to be recognised by our police colleagues for the work we did that day.”
Archbishop of Canterbury’s Visit
Staff working at the Broad Street
City Centre Treatment Unit
received a surprise visitor recently
when
the
Archbishop
of
Canterbury popped by to say
hello. The Archbishop, The Most
Revd Justin Welby, had spent the
evening out with the city pastors
who regularly work closely with the
CCTU team. The visit was
captured on Midlands Today and
aired on Monday evening. Talking
about the visit, Mike Duggan, West
Midlands
Ambulance
Service
paramedic in charge of operating
the CCTU, said: “It was a great
visit.
The
Archbishop
was
extremely nice and friendly and
liked the work we do.” Archbishop Welby commented on the
importance of all the hard work carried out by the team in helping to keep
members of the public safe throughout the city.
NHS 111 Tender Process
The Trust has taken the next step in its
bid to continue providing the 111 service
in the West Midlands by formally being
invited to tender for the new contract.
Having already submitt ed a
pre-qualification questionnaire, the Trust
has now received an Invitation to
Tender from commissioners which
outlines the criteria for the bid. The bid,
which has to be submitted no later than
noon on March 20th, is being worked on
by a strong team from within WMAS who
are committed to winning the contract in
order to build on the tremendous work
that has been carried out since
November 2013, when the Trust stepped
in as interim providers. NHS 111 Director
Mark Gough said: “We are pleased to
have reached the next stage of the
process and a lot of hard work is now
taking place in order to ensure we
submit the strongest bid we can. A lot of
hard work has returned impressive
results in the time we have been running
the service and we are confident we can
deliver a range of innovations and strong
service delivery to continue benefitting
patients and the wider health economy
as the service moves forward.”
New Roles at NHS 111
NHS 111 General Manager and Call Centre
Manager have been filled. Liz Parker,
previously Quality, Service and
Improvement Manager, takes on the
position of General Manager whilst Matt
Bennett moves up from Assistant Call
Centre Manager. Speaking about their
appointments, NHS 111 Director Mark
Gough said: “First of all I would like to offer
my congratulations to Liz and Matt on
securing their new positions. They have
both played an enormous part in making
111 the success it has become since
WMAS stepped in to take over from NHS
Direct as providers in November 2013. I
look forward to working with them to
provide the best service we possibly can,
ensuring the best level of care is secured
for the patients.”
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News…….
Black Country Huw Goes to CQC
An Area Support Officer in the Black
Country is leaving the delights of Dudley to
embark on a two-year secondment at the
Care Quality Commission. Huw Jones will
be working as a Compliance Inspector with
the CQC. His new role, which is a
secondment until February 2017, will see
him inspecting acute and private hospitals,
private ambulance services and diagnostic
facilities mainly in Shropshire and
Staffordshire. Huw said: "I'm excited about taking on my new role and
the challenges it will bring. The emotion of leaving my colleagues
behind has thankfully been eased because I’ll still be keeping in touch
with WMAS by doing a shift or two a month during my secondment.
Thank you for everyone’s support.” Nick Henry, Black Country General
Manager, said: “I wish Huw all the best and am sure he will bring
valuable learning and experience back to the Trust. Huw is a great
asset in my team and will be missed but we’re glad he’s going to
support the division from time to time during his secondment.”
Gearing Up for New
Contract
The Trust is gearing up for the new
Coventry and Warwickshire Patient
Transport Service contract which will
commence in April. The ‘go live’ project
plan is in full swing with the team working
flat out to ensure that a number of
technological advances are in place,
including personal issue handheld devices
and kiosks for patients, alongside the
introduction of a new fleet. The contract will
see an increased number of Patient
Transport staff covering a 50 mile radius
conveying an estimated 200,000 patients
every year.
126 Compliments in January
During January the Trust received no fewer than 126 compliments
thanking staff for their hard work in helping patients. Trust Chief
Executive Anthony Marsh said: “When you consider the extraordinary
pressure that we as a Trust were under, to receive so many letters is
testament to the amazing staff that work for this Trust. Thank you to
you all.”
Contribution to International Committee for Resuscitation
Mike Smyth, WMAS paramedic and Clinical Doctoral Research
Fellow at Warwick Medical School was invited to contribute to the
International Liaison Committee for Resuscitation Consensus on
science and treatment recommendation meeting in Dallas
recently. The Committee is responsible for reviewing the evidence
which is used to develop global CPR guidelines. Mike who is
pictured in the centre of the group said: “The Consensus on Science
and Treatment Recommendations is published at the same time
they issue new resuscitation guidelines. It is probably the world’s
most comprehensive evidence-based practice document and is used
by resuscitation councils worldwide to draft the Basic Life
Support and Advanced Life Support guidelines we follow in clinical
practice. To be invited to contribute to this work was a huge opportunity and I was fortunate to meet and work
with a number of the world’s leading resuscitation scientists and researchers. I was also very pleasantly
surprised to discover that I wasn't the only paramedic there. I met other paramedics from Canada and South
Africa, suggesting that paramedics can play an important role in shaping the future of resuscitation practice.”
Whilst at the committee, Mike had the privilege of meeting Guy Knickerbocker (second from right), one of the
original inventors of CPR.
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News…….
Mending Broken Hearts Campaign
Staff and volunteers will know better
than most just how important CPR
and early defibrillation are in saving
the life of a patient in cardiac arrest.
So it seemed only fitting that the
Trust unveiled its latest campaign,
‘Mending broken Hearts’ just in time
for Valentine’s Day. In the West
Midlands there are over 2,400
defibrillators that the service is aware of. They are housed in a whole
range of locations from sports facilities, schools, businesses, to religious
sites, tourist attractions and even a disused red phone box! Literally
thousands of members of the public logged onto the videos produced by
the WMAS Press Office. Press Officer, Claire Brown, said: “As we speak
to staff so regularly, we know just how important it is for the public to
know how to do CPR. However, when you speak to a man whose life has
been saved because someone knew what to do, it really brings it home to
you. With so many people interested in the videos, our campaign could
literally be a lifesaver.”
You can view the videos at:
www.officialwmas.wordpress.com.
WMAS Visits EMAS Falls Team
Directory of Services Lead for Birmingham,
Paul Musticone, visited neighbouring East
Midlands Ambulance Service to learn more
about their Falls Rapid Response Team.
Paul, together with colleagues from
Birmingham Public Health, met the team
and other managers at EMAS to learn more
about how their Falls Model makes sure the
patient accesses ‘Right Care’ as required.
Paul said: “The team respond mainly to
falls cases in a specialised non-conveyance vehicle which is equipped
with lifting and handling equipment. The aim of the team is to treat
patients at home and avoid a visit to the Emergency Department. It was
a really useful visit and gave us food for thought.”
Filming for ‘The Ambulance
Service Charity’
The Trust has agreed to take part in The
Ambulance Service Charity (TASC)
corporate video to promote the charities
work. Formerly known as the Ambulance
Service Benevolent Fund (ASBF), TASC
endeavors to help both serving and
retired ambulance personnel and their
immediate dependents in times of
exceptional hardship or personal need.
They hope to re-launch the charity in the
next few months which will include a
corporate video. A variety of staff from the
Trust have agreed to take part in the
filming which has seen them undertake a
short interview about their role and their
understanding of TASC. Kim Nurse,
Director of Workforce and Organisational
Development, said: “This is an important
charity for not only our ambulance
service, for ambulance services nationally
and we’re proud to help support them
with producing the corporate video.
Thank you to the many staff who have
agreed to be featured in the
video.”
(Picture: Lonnie Brown, ECA
from Dudley Hub being interviewed.)
New Vehicle for CFR Scheme
In February the Cheddleton and Wetley Rocks Community First Responders took delivery of
their new response vehicle thanks to a generous donation from John Pointon and Sons in
Cheddleton. The brand new Skoda replaces their current ten-year-old car. Sheila Pointon,
wife of the late John who founded the company, handed over the keys to the CFRs. Shelia
said: “A vehicle of this type is important because they are frequently called upon to respond
to emergencies within our local community across all kinds of terrain and in all weather
conditions and this will bring them closer to their aim of providing 24/7, 365 days a year
service.” In 2014, the group responded to 1,046 incidents. Jane Matthews, CFR co-ordinator, said: “Thank you so
much to John Pointon and Sons directors for their continued support, without which it would be difficult to continue
this much needed service in the Cheddleton and Wetley Rocks villages.”
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News…….
Ladies Group See Behind The Scenes At Coventry Hub
A local ladies group based in Nuneaton visited the Coventry ambulance hub
to see exactly what happens in a modern ambulance service. The visit,
arranged by Yvonne Knowles, saw the group of 17 take a tour of the hub,
learn about the systems used and new equipment that paramedics now have
at their disposal and also the chance to ask questions. In a thank you letter
received by WMAS, The Nuneaton Tangent Social secretary, Kate Jarvis,
wrote: “Thank you for the eye-opening tour of the Coventry ambulance hub.
We are hugely grateful to Yvonne and also Dan who answered all our
questions and gave an amazing insight into the world of the ambulance
service, paramedics and its crucial lifesaving role in the community. There
was tales of such wonderful work, such an example of teamwork, dedication and skill. Thank you from all the
group to allow us to learn and peep into the paramedic world.”
Trust Board Meetings
WMAS Trust Board meetings will be arranged on a monthly basis in 2015. The meetings will be scheduled at
locations around the region, including our Millennium Point headquarters. To find out more about our Trust Board
meetings, please view our website on: www.wmas.nhs.uk/about_us/whoarewe/the_trust_board.aspx. Or contact
Kay Cullen on 01384 246 411
Performance
January 2015
Red 1 75% 8 mins
Red 2 75% 8 mins
WMAS
75.3%
73.9%
Birmingham
82.0%
77.1%
Black Country
81.7%
74.9%
Arden
70.6%
70.9%
Herefordshire
70.6%
73.8%
Shropshire
71.1%
72.7%
Worcestershire
69.4%
75.3%
Staffordshire
69.0%
71.0%
Red 1 - life-threatening conditions where speed of response may be critical in saving life or improving the outcome
for the patient, for example - heart attack, trauma, serious bleeding
Red 2 - patients are serious but less immediately time critical and cover conditions such as stroke and fits.
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