North East Ambulance service thanks volunteers
North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) joined in The Big Celebration for Volunteers Week (1-12 June) this year, to say an enormous thank you to over 300 volunteers that support the service.
On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of patients who use the service every year and staff across the organisation, NEAS recognised the work of volunteers across the region at an event earlier this week.
Whether as a volunteer porter, ambulance car service driver, community first responder or Governor, volunteers invest thousands of hours in the service every year – unpaid and in their own time.
Last year 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.
Chief executive of NEAS, Yvonne Ormston said: "Hundreds of thousands of volunteers give their time to NHS organisations throughout the country, offering fantastic support to those organisations whilst also gaining skills and experience that add something to their personal and professional life.
“Our service spans the entire North East, taking health and emergency care into local communities every minute of every day. In every part of this region we have people who volunteer to support us and they make a real difference to patients and their experience of the NHS.
“For us, a volunteer’s work can be as significant as saving someone’s life - our Community First Responders take their life-saving skills into the communities where, in the event of a cardiac arrest, every second counts. But just as importantly, they can make a patient’s experience of our service a much more pleasant one. They are local people, working in their own communities, with a genuinely caring and compassionate approach to their patients.”
Nearly 50 people volunteer as porters with the service, meeting patient transport crews at hospitals to and from vehicles to their hospital appointments. Last year they helped nearly 4,000 patients at four of the region’s hospitals, saving crews nearly 250 hours so that they could be back on the road headed to their next patient and completing over 5,500 shifts – more than 27,500 hours.
Over 170 people work as volunteer Ambulance Car Service Drivers (ACS) for NEAS. At least 18 of them have volunteered for over 10 years and 1 has volunteered for over 20, totalling over 935 years of combined volunteer service alone. Ambulance Car Service Drivers (ACS) use their own vehicles to help transport patients to and from hospitals and clinics, which keeps ambulances free for emergencies and for patients too ill to travel by car. Last year the drivers volunteered over 195,000 hours, completing over 165,000 patient journeys all over the region – that’s an average of nearly 8.5 hours per day each.
The service also values the support of approximately 100 community first responders who have been recruited and trained to respond to emergency calls when dispatched by ambulance control. They will deal with a specific list of emergencies and provide the patient with support and appropriate treatment until an ambulance arrives.
They exist in towns and villages where it may be a challenge for the emergency ambulance to arrive within the crucial first few minutes. Their aim is to provide immediate care to a patient where every second counts; a patient who suffers a cardiac arrest stands a much better chance of survival if a fully trained person with a defibrillator can attend the patient in the first minutes of collapse.
Last year community first responders volunteered for nearly 1,000 hours, attending to 1,269 patients across the region.
Yvonne added: “Our volunteers come from all walks of life and choose to volunteer for different reasons. They may be retired, looking to give something back, or they could be at the beginning of their careers, looking for experience to boost their CV.
"Our celebration evening was all about celebrating their achievements and, more importantly, saying an enormous thank you for everything they do on behalf of all of our patients, their families and all of our staff.”
If you’d like to learn more skills, get more involved with your local community and improve your career options, volunteering at NEAS might be for you.
If you’re interested in volunteering with the service as an ambulance car driver, porter, governor or community first responder, visit: https://www.neas.nhs.uk/get-involved/volunteering-opportunities.aspx or email: acs@neas.nhs.uk for ambulance car drivers, porters@neas.nhs.uk for volunteer porters or firstresponder@neas.nhs.uk for community first responders.
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Notes to editors
Media contact: Sam Reed at North East Ambulance Service, Tel: 0191 4302099 or publicrelations@neas.nhs.uk
Please see below for case studies (pics supplied for each)
About North East Ambulance Service
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.
Case studies of volunteers below:
Volunteer Community First Responders
- Martin Spruce, aged 64, of Bamburgh, is a self-employed electrician, responding 24/7 when needed in his local area. In the last six years of responding, Martin has raised money for seven defibrillators for his area. He also trains people in CPR.He said, “I love doing it. I care about people and the appreciation you get is tremendous. When I walk in they are frantic but when they see me it’s the relief of having someone there. It’s down to us to do what we can until the ambulance arrives.You comfort people and do your best. It’s not always easy, especially when you’re doing CPR on someone you know, but then the family come back to you and tell you what it means to them. I did CPR on one lady for an hour and shocked her four times and she was talking to her daughter that night. When you’re able to do that, it’s really special.”
- Diane Lewis, of Gateshead, has been a community first responder for NEAS for three and a half years. She received an award following a thank you she received after attending a crash last November. She said: “When my husband got cancer I needed something to do. Sadly I lost him two years ago but he knew how much I loved it so he would be very proud if he was here. It was very humbling when I got the letter. It had been a three car smash and I was first on scene, looking after everyone until the police and ambulance service arrived. They said I was very caring and had looked after them so well. I just care about people and if I can make a difference and preserve somebody’s life until the ambulance service arrive knowing I’ve done my best that’s the best feeling.”
Volunteer porters
- Bedlington twins Megan and Jessica Thomas, aged 19, and their mum Annie, aged 51, are all volunteer porters. Megan, who wants to be a paramedic, first started volunteering in early 2015 as part of a college placement. She said: “This was a way to get rid of my anxiety towards hospitals after my dad passed away in one and also a way to gain confidence in myself and become independent. I’ve been able to say thank you to the staff that looked after my dad by using my spare time to help others in need. No two days are the same and I like learning something new. I always feel appreciated when patients and staff complement our service which makes my day even better, even if you go the extra mile for them or the tiniest things such as tying a shoe lace. Young people are often stereotyped so I feel I’m able to prove them wrong.” Megan’s enthusiasm proved infectious, spreading to both Jessica and Annie.“ Megan was coming home saying what a great day she’d had and so I thought why not sign up for this,” said Annie. “I was a full time carer for my husband so I understand their needs. I think all three of us can empathise better I think, we know that they need that little bit of extra time. I get a lot of satisfaction knowing I’m helping others.” Jessica added: “I was to be a nurse so this is great experience. I would definitely recommend it to anyone.”
Volunteer Ambulance Car Service driver
- Retired long distance lorry driver Alan Brumwell, aged 67, of Wrekenton, received an award as a result of a thank you from Rachel Owens and her 21-year-old daughter Ashleigh, who has a neurological condition. Alan, a volunteer ambulance car service driver, had driven Rachel and Ashleigh down to London for an appointment at the National Hospital.“ Ashleigh had a Friday afternoon appointment which was a bit of a worry as I wasn’t sure we would get there on time but Alan came early in the morning for us. “He was such a lovely guy, really professional and such a pleasant man to be with; he was just like an old friend. He even went out of his way to buy Ashleigh a yoghurt for her breakfast the following morning, which meant a lot to us. “I hope when we go again that he picks us up again.” Alan has volunteered for NEAS for the last two and a half years. He said: “I wanted to give something back to the community and thought that it was brilliant that people were giving up their spare time to help people like my uncle get back and forward to their hospital appointments. “It makes me feel good to know that I can help someone, make them feel comfortable and at ease. Meeting people like Rachel and Ashleigh make it all worthwhile.”