17 November
Following the
broadcast of the Tonight programme on ITV1 last night, we would
like to address some of the issues that were raised.
Firstly, we would again like
to offer our condolences to the family of Kayleigh
Macilwraith-Christie. We have always recognised that she could have
benefited from treatment by a paramedic, although there is no way
of knowing if this could have helped save her life.
As was reported on the programme, our protocol is to now always
send a paramedic to a patient who is understood to be suffering a
prolonged epileptic seizure, as well as to incidents where someone
has suffered major trauma or is in cardiac arrest.
Issues around the different
types of frontline ambulance staff nationally were also raised.In
terms of our own staffing, we currently employ 1,223 paramedics,
547 student paramedics and 1,300 emergency medical technicians
(EMT).
We are continuing to
increase the number of qualified paramedics in our workforce, both
through recruitment and additional training for some of our
EMTs.
We would stress, however, that emergency medical technicians are
already trained to deal with a range of life-threatening illnesses
and injuries, and can administer a range of drugs. Paramedics have
additional skills and can carry out invasive procedures which they
may need to perform during the most serious medical emergencies
including intubation (where a tube is entered into the windpipe to
help a patient breathe) and needle chest decompressions (inserting
a needle into the chest to release the build up of air
pressure).
The programme also discussed
emergency care assistants, which is a role that we do not have in
London.
However, we do have 257 urgent care positions, including A&E
support staff. Working together as a double crew, they respond to
patients with the least serious illnesses and injuries who do not
need an emergency response.
In common with other
ambulance services, we will send a single
responder and an ambulance crew to potentially life-threatening
calls. In London, single responders travel by car, motorcycle or
bicycle and all of these vehicles carry the vital life-saving
equipment needed in an emergency.
Find out more about who will treat you when
you dial 999.
- Ends
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Note to editors:
- For further information on the London Ambulance Service or this
news release please contact the communications department on 020
7921 5113.