We are keen to increase understanding
amongst Londoners about the work that we do and how they should act
in a medical emergency.
Our public education strategy outlines how we work with people
of all ages, from primary school children to the retired. It
includes plans on how we can teach skills from how and when to
phone for an ambulance, to basic life-support skills.
We are able to attend community events and school visits and
provide basic life-support training to members
of the community. We run public education initiatives, such as
open days, at a local level with staff at our ambulance
stations. Recently, we have introduced the new role of
community involvement officer, to improve and develop our work
within local communities.
We run large-scale campaigns to raise
awareness on issues such as:
And we work on a smaller level with key groups who we feel will
benefit most from public education activity:
- children
- elderly people
- people with specific conditions
- pregnant women
- refugee groups and asylum-seekers
- businesses.
School resources
We have put together a section on our site aimed at schools. We
have created an activity pack for kids containing fun
worksheets such as wordsearches, dot-to-dot, colouring in sheets
and maze games. Our events and schools team organises special
events, including Junior Citizen schemes, crime and safety
awareness days, and school visits.
More information on our schools and events team
and children's resources
Recent projects
Some of our recent projects with people from these groups
include:
- Working with the Bangladeshi community in Tower
Hamlets
Following the Ipsos-MORI research, we started a project with the
Bangladeshi community to increase their knowledge of NHS services
and to find out ways we could work more closely with the
community.
- ‘It’s
your call’ Service Improvement Forum
Members of the public attended a forum where we explained our plans
for the future and asked for feedback and suggestions.
- Patient
Transport Service Listening Event
Users of patient transport services from across London joined
together to talk about patient transport and what improvements
could be made by all service providers.
- Older people and long-term conditions
events
People with an interest in issues surrounding the care of older
people and those with long-term conditions came together to discuss
ideas that could help to develop our future plans.
- Safe Drive Stay Alive
A stage show is produced for year 11 pupils illustrating
the risks and effects of road traffic collisions to young people
and their families. This is produced in partnership with
Transport for London, Metropolitan Police Service, London Fire
Brigade, Education Authorities, and the boroughs of Havering,
Enfield and Hounslow. In the boroughs that have already
hosted the project the numbers of young people who have been killed
or seriously injured has significantly reduced. In 2009 it is
estimated that over 7000 young Londoners will travel to a regional
theatre to view the hour long show. In 2010 it is expected that
more boroughs will be joining the project. For more information
visit the Safe Drive Stay Alive
website.
- Risk it & Lose it (organised by Transport
for London)
Young people from across London were faced with a mock coroner’s
court, quiz and presentations by police and ambulance staff which
highlighted the need for safe driving.
- Crime and safety awareness days
In
the past year we have hosted workshops at many of these awareness
days across London. They are organised by the ‘Prison me No Way
Trust’. Over the past year our staff have seen over 3000 young
people across London. To find out more about this project take a
look at the 'Prison Me No Way'
website.