It’s now just six months to go until London
hosts the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games – the biggest event we
have ever planned for and a sporting event of unprecedented
scale.
Find out more about:
Our role during the Games
Our role will be to ensure that there is
emergency medical aid on hand for spectators, officials and
athletes in and around sporting venues, whilst maintaining a normal
service to the rest of London.
Our planning
We started our planning in 2006 – a lesson we
learned from other cities who have hosted the Games is that you can
never start planning early enough.
What we’ve done so far
- We’ve spoken to those who
have held Games before to see what can be learned
- We were involved in
consultation on aspects of design for the Olympic Park venues and
village, transport plans and security
- We’ve been working out how
many staff and vehicles we might need to cover the Games period, as
well as what shift patterns might look like
- We’ve already appointed some
of the staff who will work at the event venues
- We’ve developed a training
programme for staff who will be working during the Games
- We’ve been coordinating the
national ambulance service response to the 2012 Games, as not all
events are being held in the capital.
The main challenges of the Games
It’s the biggest sporting event in the world
so it will be an enormous test, with a huge influx of
spectators, athletes, officials and media into London. The
challenge is not just providing medical care at and around the
venues, but also ensuring that we maintain our normal day-to-day
emergency service.
Staffing the Games
A number of our existing frontline staff have
already applied and been appointed to work during the Games.
Managers have also been appointed to work as venue commanders
during sporting events. Ambulance services across the country are
also providing frontline staff to work with us during the
Games.
What training are we giving our staff?
As part of our preparations for the London
2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, our frontline staff are being
given special training. This ranges from a general introduction to
the Games and our role within it, to treating patients with a range
of disabilities.
Find out more about our staff training and see
pictures of the training sessions