STAFF AMBASSADORS LAUNCH WMAS Equality and Diversity Ambassadors

Transcription

1 This Month.. August 2013 STAFF AMBASSADORS LAUNCH WMAS Equality and Diversity Ambassadors - Page 2 Staff Numbers Increase Mid Staffs Changes New Aircrew for MAA Tweeting Success Cardiac Survival Figures increase Join Us on Officialwmas Got a story? Tell the Press Office: or or pressoffice@wmas.nhs.uk

2 Increases in Staff Numbers Continue The number of staff within the Trust is being increased significantly this year. The Trust is continuing to move towards its aim of having a 70% paramedic skill mix which will ensure all patients are dealt with by a paramedic in the Emergency Operations Centre, on a rapid response vehicle or an ambulance. The extra staff will also mean that the Trust no longer requires support from St John Ambulance who will finish on 1 st October Trust Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh, said: As a significant number of new staff will be operational over the next few weeks, I am sure you will join me in ensuring that we help them all to fit into the organisation. In addition to the new staff, many more staff are continuing to develop themselves. I was delight to hear that all 16 technician to paramedic students from the September 2012 intake on the Coventry University course have passed and the results ratified. Congratulations to each of them. This year has been one of real challenges for everyone, but I am confident that these additional staff and the up-skilling of existing staff will ensure the Trust continues to move forward. Launch of Staff Equality Ambassadors The Trust has unveiled its Staff Equality Ambassadors at a launch organised in Brierley Hill. WMAS remains committed to developing an organisation free of all forms of discrimination be it gender or racial, while actively promoting equality of opportunity and celebrating diversity and inclusion. The support of over twenty staff ambassadors will further enhance the Trust s equality and diversity ambitions. Speaking about the scheme, WMAS Chairman, Sir Graham Meldrum, said, The Ambassadors represent a significant step forward in providing a focus through which the Trust can actively promote and develop an understanding of equality, diversity and multiculturalism, both within and outside our organisation. The event was attended by Dr Habib Naqvi, Senior Equality Manager, NHS England and Yvonne Coghill Inclusion Lead NHS Leadership Academy, pictured above with Sir Graham. Stations For Sale A number of former ambulance stations have been advertised For Sale The traditional ambulance stations are to be replaced by a new network of Community Ambulance Stations as part of the Make Ready programme. Redditch, Kidderminster, Henrietta Street in Birmingham and Warwick have all been featured in the local media and property press. Cardiac Arrest Figures New figures presented to the Trust Board show that the care provided by ambulance staff to cardiac arrest patients has led to some very encouraging results. The figures for May show that crews managed to get a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) at hospital in just under 58% of cases where the cardiac arrest was witnessed and CPR was undertaken by the crew in attendance. Better still, the number of patients who survived to discharge in that group reached just over 30%, one of the highest figures achieved in recent months. Medical Director, Dr Andy Carson, said: These figures are really good news for patients and their families. The fact that we were able to record such high scores is down to some excellent work by staff. Continued Success of the Trauma Network Since the Regional Trauma Network went live in the West Midlands at the end of March 2012, many patients have benefitted from this system. The partnership between WMAS staff, trauma doctors, voluntary medic schemes, Midlands Air Ambulance, as well as the Emergency Operations Centre air, trauma and incident command desks and secondary care colleagues has greatly improved outcomes and recovery for trauma patients. A recent review by the National Clinical Director for Trauma said that everyone involved should be congratulated on developing a superb system for managing major trauma and stating the organisation of pre-hospital care with the West Midlands Ambulance Service is exemplar. Medical Director, Dr Andy Carson, said: Whilst we should all be proud of what we have achieved we must remain vigilant that we ensure each patient gets taken to the appropriate hospital for their condition.

3 More Resources into Providing Ambulances The Trust Board has heard how the Service is maximising the number of ambulance hours. The Patient Quality Report highlighted that the length of time it takes to back up rapid response vehicles remained fairly stable through the summer months. Director of Service Delivery, Barry Thurston, said: We will continue to ensure all Community Paramedic schemes are maintained. The figures presented to the Board show that there is some variation, though that is largely down to the geography of the areas. Mr Thurston further added: The summer has been challenging and I would like to thank staff for their considerable efforts to keep operating at a high level despite the extreme temperatures that we have experienced. Staff Conversations Report WMAS organised five Staff Conversations that took place earlier this year. In total, almost 80 staff took part in the five events. Participants discussed their experience of the current culture in WMAS in relation to three areas of the Johnson and Scholes Cultural Web model Stories; Routines; and Symbols and Rituals. Those attending outlined how they would like the culture of the organisation to be in the future and what could be done to achieve that. The main themes highlighted were: teamwork; ownership and openness; development and reward; resources; and communication. The recent Trust Board meeting accepted the report and is determining how best to lead and model the actions that will deliver the desired culture. Thank You After Fire Ambulance staff have been thanked after their actions during a fire in the A&E Department at Stafford Hospital last month. Ambulance crews had to be diverted away after a blaze in an extractor fan in the roof. The fire was quickly brought under control but the department had to be evacuated. Five crews were at the hospital at the time. Doctors from the hospital assessed the patients on the back of the ambulances with three taken straight to wards, but two had to be transferred to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire (UHNS). During the day, a further seven crews had to be diverted to UHNS, two were taken to Walsall Manor with another diverted to New Cross in Wolverhampton. Chris Holt, Chief Operating Officer at the Mid Staffordshire Trust, said: We are very grateful to our own staff and those of West Midlands Ambulance Service who worked hard to make this possible so quickly. Thanks also to our neighbouring hospitals who helped care for our patients during this time. WMAS Covers V-Festival 2013 WMAS staff were among over 300 medics and volunteers for the annual pilgrimage to the V Festival at Weston Park in Staffordshire in August. An estimated 85,000 people attended the event each day to see headline acts such as Kings of Leon, Beyonce and Eddie Izzard. With the typical British Summertime weather continuing in its erratic ways, the Trust urged festival goers to arrive prepared for everything from wellies to sun cream! Over 1,300 people were treated by WMAS staff and volunteer staff including doctors, nurses, paramedics, technicians, managers, first aiders, control room staff and logistics staff. A command and control centre was set up on site with call takers and dispatchers co-ordinating the care. The Trust was also prepared for all weather conditions with a number specialist vehicles and medical equipment. WMAS once again worked in partnership with Venture Event Medical Management and St. John Ambulance.

4 WMAS Views Changes to Mid Staffs An initial review of the proposed changes to Mid Staffordshire Hospitals shows that some patients may have to be taken to alternative hospitals if plans put forward are accepted. The Administrators, who are looking at the future of the Acute Trust, are consulting on plans which would see Stafford Hospital become part of University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Stoke, with New Cross taking over Cannock Hospital. They say around 90% of patients will still attend the two hospitals and that the A&E Department at Stafford will continue to operate between 8.00am and 10.00pm each day. WMAS Clinical Head of Cardiac and Stroke, Matt Ward, said: On first examination it seems likely that some patients will need to be transported by ambulance to a different hospital than is the currently the case. However, given the experience that we have in dealing with the overnight closure at Stafford, with the right funding, there should not be an issue with maintaining the high standards of clinical care. We will continue to work closely with the Administrators and Commissioners as the process is taken forward. Welcome to our New Call Assessors The latest group of call assessors have successfully passed their NHS Pathways Call Handler course. Trainers Adrian Stanley and Liz Deverall commented on how proud they were of the group's commitment and hard work, both individually and during team work, as was evidenced by their outstanding assessment scores. Liz said: We look forward to welcoming the group into the live environment after completing their training. Call Assessor, Rachael Cooke, said: The course was really thorough, I learnt a lot and it was very enjoyable. In fact I d go as far to say that it s the best course I ve been on so far. The group pictured left to right are Adrian Stanley (Pathways Clinical Trainer), Sam Shenton, Liz Deverall (Pathways Trainer), Elaine Devey, Rachael Cooke, Vicky Murfitt, Aimee Evans, John Whitehouse (Clinician) and Lee Carter (EOC Commander). Broad Agreement on Up-skilling Paramedics A review of emergency medicine in the West Midlands involving the majority of health organisations has given broad backing to proposals to up-skill paramedic staff. The 46 organisations, which represented Acute Trusts, Commissioners and Mental Health organisations, all attended a recent summit. They were asked to rate a range of options designed to reduce pressure on the emergency care system. Almost three quarters believe getting paramedics to provide more primary care would be helpful for patients and the system as a whole. Many delegates believed that training to such a level would allow paramedics to provide more see-and-treat services and make more use of alternative care pathways. Some of the more radical suggestions included supporting paramedics with Skype or live video access to a GP from the scene. Other proposals included developing a greater level of experience in trauma, paediatrics, mental health and treatment providers. Trust Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh, said: This builds on the work to introduce community paramedics across the region. Health Education West Midlands will now look to develop the proposals into a firm proposition.

5 End of an Era for Cliff As the North Staffordshire Patient Transport Services (PTS) contract came to a close, Supervisor Cliff Allanson decided to step down from his role. Cliff, who has worked for the Service for 23 years, began in post as a care assistant in Cheadle in He is now looking forward to spending more time fishing and riding his motorbike. On his last day, Cliff said: It's a very emotional day. The opportunity arose for me to take my pension, and with the PTS takeover and the service moving depots, it just felt like a good time to me. This is definitely the best job I've had. That's why I stayed for so long. I've loved working here. The best thing about it was the camaraderie of the team. The staff have been amazing and I've made some very good friends. It's certainly had its stressful moments, but the whole experience has been a very positive one. The Trust would like to wish Cliff a very happy retirement and thank all of his colleagues who are transferring to NSL, the new PTS supplier, for their hard work and dedication. (Picture courtesy of The Sentinel.) WMAS Trained Staff Save Holidaymaker A man who died in Wolverhampton in March has been reunited with the train station staff that saved his life. Husband and wife, Norman and Jean Brotherton, were on their way to Yorkshire for a holiday, but instead of boarding a train, a replacement bus service had been arranged due to a delay. Moments before the bus departed, Norman stopped breathing. Fortunately, four staff from the train station who were helping passengers board the bus knew exactly what to do. They had been trained by WMAS and Station Manager, Dave Whitehouse and his three colleagues Stuart Vickers, Steve Wade and Kim Weaver-Davis jumped to the rescue. Dave and Stuart started CPR, Kim reassured Jean whilst Steve raced to the train station to collect their defibrillator. Dave said: We did CPR for about 7-8 minutes, shocking him once with the defibrillator which restarted his heart. It doesn t seem like a long time now but, that day, it felt like an eternity. Norman spent 20 days in New Cross Hospital and said: I don t know anything at all about that day or for the two days after. All I know is that I was sitting on a bus and I died. The staff at the train station are wonderful people and I owe them my life. New Apprentices Join WMAS Four new business administration apprentices have recently joined WMAS. Pictured below from left to right are Karen Hollyoake who will be working with the clinical safeguarding team, Lauren Hadley from the patient experience team, Leah Parker is working in the Press Office and Pascal Barnet is assigned to Human Resources. Diane Pittom, WMAS Organisational Development Officer, said: The Trust is in the process of recruiting new apprentices over the coming months. The first four have already started and I am sure everyone would like to welcome them to WMAS. Over the 12 month programme they will develop their skills alongside our staff with the aim of obtaining a professional qualification. Work Experience for Teenagers A group of teenagers have been finding out about life in the ambulance service by taking part in the Trust s work experience programme. Seven teenagers from schools across the Region participated in the programme based at the Dudley Hub. Diane Pittom, WMAS Organisational Development Officer, said: All the students thoroughly enjoyed the week; they certainly see us now as more than just a 999 service. One of the parents commented that the week had reinforced their desire to become a paramedic, every evening he had more interesting facts to the service and the all the staff involved were helpful and dedicated.

6 New Aircrew for MAA Eight members of staff have now completed their HEMS aircrew course. The new recruits were selected from an initial 65 applicants and began their three year secondments on 1st August. Becky Tinsley, Air Operations Manager, said: I am looking forward to the new staff being part of the Midlands Air Ambulance team and working with them during their time with air ops. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the staff who are coming to the end of their secondments for their hard work and dedication. I would also like to thank all the aircrew, paramedics and doctors who helped to assist throughout the duration of the selection process and subsequent training course. (Pictured L-R top row: Rob Davies, Tom Davies, Oliver Ayles, Jason Newman. Bottom row: Kat Ellis, Stuart Evans, Candice Mansell. Giles Griffiths will also be joining the team.) Cardiac Arrest Victim Back on his Bike A former professional cyclist who suffered a cardiac arrest has been reunited with the ambulance crews who helped save his life. Ged Dennis (61) from Blymhill near Weston-under- Lizard had cycled to a friend s house in Sherrifhales for a bike ride together when he collapsed. First to attend was paramedic Charlie Cambidge who was driving past the town at the time of the call, followed by paramedic crew Donna Malcolm and Mick Harvey. Just 37 minutes after the call, Ged was admitted to Princess Royal Hospital in Telford where he spent ten days. He was soon back on his bike and only three months after his cardiac arrest he took part in the MAMIL (Middle Aged Men In Lycra) cycle event on the Shropshire Hills. Ged is pictured at his home with cycling friend Adrian Martin and paramedics Charlie, Donna and Mick. Social Media Success The importance of social media to the Trust has been highlighted by the achievement of three significant milestones. The Trust smashed through the 10,000 follower mark on Twitter and issued our 5,000 th Tweet. On Facebook and the Trust is now liked by over 2,000 people. Communications Director, Murray MacGregor, said: We are the second most followed Ambulance Trust in the country after London. Social media gives us an opportunity that we have never had before. Previously we had to issue messages via the media; now we are able to have a conversation with the public directly. Follow us on or search for us on facebook - officialwmas to see all the latest news. Newly Appointed Assistant Managers for NEOC The Non-Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) has recently welcomed two newly appointed assistant managers. Jennie Morgan and April Gainford were appointed into post and began in their new roles based at PTS operations centre in Tollgate in August. Jenny, who was a Controller for the Coventry and Warwickshire contract has worked for the Trust for 9 years, whilst April was formerly working in a Liaison role at Heart of England Foundation Trust and has been with the Trust for seven years. The duo will now be responsible for the day to day running of the NEOC, including PTS bookings and controlling for all contracts across the region. Lesley Nixon, Head of PTS, said: I would personally like to congratulate both Jennie and April on their promotion and I am looking forward to be working closely with them both.

7 All Steamed Up Saving Lives A leading boiler manufacturer is helping to ease 999 pressures thanks to a generous donation to volunteer life savers in the Black Country. Baxi Commercial, based in Birmingham, has a very unique employee who sells boilers by day and responds to 999 calls to save lives by night. Mark Gibbons, Baxi Commercial Northern Regional Sales Manager, gives up his spare time to be a Community First Responder (CFR) for FastAid Black Country. Impressed by Mark s dedication to the cause, Baxi Commercial has decided to support Fastaid Black Country with a 3,000 donation. Mark, who has been a CFR for 2½ years said: This is fantastic news for Fastaid and will help us with the purchase of a dedicated response car and telephony for the CFRs. We re extremely grateful to Baxi Commercial for this generous donation, thank you. Emma Wilkins, the Trust s Black Country Community Response Manager said: It s great to see a large organisation such as Baxi Commercial striking up a supportive relationships with such a valuable community charity. Not only does it help to further boost public awareness about the role of Fastaid CFRs, it also gives the charity the security to keep their invaluable life-saving work going. (Picture: Baxi s Finance and Sales Directors, CFRs Carol Waite, Julie Enbury and Mark Gibbons and Emma Wilkins.) AGM and Members Meeting WMAS will be holding its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Annual Members meeting from 6.30pm on Wednesday 11 th September 2013, in the McGregor Suite, Villa Park, Birmingham B6 6HE. The meeting is open to the public. Anyone wishing to attend should kay.cullen@wmas.nhs.uk to reserve a seat as space at the venue is limited. All members of our trust are welcome to attend, as well as stakeholders and any interested members of the public. The event will provide an excellent opportunity to meet the Board of Directors and Governors, view presentations and hear about WMAS. The meeting will also include a presentation of the Trust s activities over the past year, and present the Trust s annual report , including Quality Accounts and financial statements which will be available on the Trust s website following the meeting. Performance July 2013 Red (999 life threatening calls) (Target: 75% within an 8 minute response) WMAS 72.5% Birmingham 72.8% Black Country 72.7% Coventry & Warwickshire 69.2% West Mercia 73.8% Staffordshire 73.0%