Bridging the paramedic shortage in Sunderland
The next generation of home-grown life-saving paramedics is set to be welcomed at the University of Sunderland in partnership with North East Ambulance Service.
In a bid to help address the national paramedic shortage and to invest in its staff, North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has worked with the University of Sunderland to develop a new bespoke specialist training programme.
The two year Diploma of Higher Education in Paramedic Practice has been accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and is tailored to meet local needs, with a maximum of three cohorts of 20 students per year.
Students will be employed by NEAS, allowing them to combine theoretical learning with operational shifts. They will also undertake clinical placements across a range of healthcare environments to help them gain a wider understanding of healthcare in the region.
The first group will begin the programme in September and will be the first to have access to the University’s new Living Lab facility, developed as part of a £5m investment in Science Complex Phase II, providing interactive learning facilities based on the patient journey.
Yvonne Ormston, NEAS Chief Executive, said: “Our new partnership with the University of Sunderland will allow us to grow our own paramedics through a regular intake, on top of the graduate paramedics we already accept from our successful partnership with Teesside University.
“This new course also allows us to invest in and develop our workforce by enabling them to progress their careers without the need to leave the Trust.
“In order to develop our staff, we have taken the decision to ring-fence the first cohort to our own internal applicants. Future courses will also have a number of ring-fenced places to ensure we are able to upskill our own workforce as well as welcome new faces into our Trust.
“Training to become a paramedic is intense and challenging but is also one of the most rewarding opportunities available. I look forward to welcoming the next generation of student paramedics to our organisation very soon.”
Victoria Duffy, Programme Leader and Senior Lecturer in Clinical Skills in the University’s Department of Pharmacy, Health and Well-Being, said: “The changing and dynamic role of the paramedic, together with proposals for development of an all graduate profession have been instrumental in developing the context to the programme, which we’re delighted to be delivering alongside the NEAS training and education team.
“The diploma will educate and develop students into effective practitioners able to care for patients in a range of challenging and unpredictable situations. It’s designed to reduce the gap between theory and practice, ensuring students develop the skills required for clinical practice. These enhanced clinical skills will allow them to work with a range of medicines, offering more treatments in communities alongside GPs and other health professionals.”
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Notes to editors
For more information, call Amy Watkins in the NEAS press office on 0191 430 2019 or email amy.watkins@neas.nhs.uk
North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) covers 3,200 square miles across the North East region. It employs more than 2,500 staff and serves a population of 2.7 million people by handling all NHS 111 and 999 calls for the region, operating patient transport and ambulance response services, delivering training for communities and commercial audiences and providing medical support cover at events.
In 2014/15 the service answered 1.107 million emergency 999 and NHS 111 calls, responded to 302,687 incidents that resulted in a patient being taken to hospital, treated and discharged 18,144 patients with telephone advice and treated and discharged 81,990 patients at home. In the same year, emergency care crews reached 134,745 incidents within the national target of 8 minutes.
The University of Sunderland has 20,000 students in Sunderland, London and at global institutional partnerships in 30 countries; it has invested £130m in its City Centre and St Peter’s Riverside campuses. Sunderland’s life-changing impact is the result of knowledge transfer partnerships with business and collaborations with private and public regional leaders.
The University’s research is judged as world leading in ten subjects and it generates £560m GVA to the UK economy, supporting 7,500 jobs.