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Advanced Paramedic Practitioners

Our Advanced Paramedic Practitioners (APPs) undergo additional education, have further skills and carry additional medicines to help us give patients the best care for their needs.

We have two types of APP – Advanced Paramedics in Critical Care and Advanced Paramedics in Urgent Care.

A split photo of an Advanced Paramedic (Critical Care) and a Advanced Paramedic (Urgent Care) treating a patient.

Advanced Paramedics in Critical Care

Our Advanced Paramedic Practitioners in Critical Care (APP-CC) treat the most seriously ill and injured patients. This includes including patients in cardiac arrest, those with serious traumatic injuries, heart rhythm problems, severe pain, severe asthma, patients experiencing seizures, maternity and complex deliveries or acute mental health emergencies.

They have additional post-graduate education and carry extra medicines and equipment.

The APP-CC function allows for 24 hour a day cover and they respond across the entirety of the Service’s geographical area.

An APP-CC in the 999 control room will monitor incoming 999 calls to see where the skills of their fellow advanced paramedics could be required and will dispatch the APPs-CC who are in response cars to patients.

They can also speak to callers to provide clinical advice and to learn more about the patient’s condition to make a judgement on whether an APP-CC should be dispatched.

Junaid explains what role Advanced Paramedics in Critical Care have in London.

Advanced Paramedics in Urgent Care

Our Advanced Paramedic Practitioners in Urgent Care (APP-UC) respond to a variety of different patients with various illnesses and injuries. This included patients with multiple health conditions, those who are frail or elderly, those near the end of their life or in need of pain management, and those with learning disabilities or people with autism.

Like APPs in Critical Care, they have an advanced level of clinical practice in terms of assessment, clinical decision making, diagnosis and treatment.

APPs-UC  in our 999 control room can also speak to callers to provide clinical advice and to learn more about the patient’s condition to make a judgement on whether an APP-UC should be dispatched.

Another part of their role is to give advice and remote support to other LAS clinicians working across the capital.

On scene, our APPs-UC conduct a thorough assessment of the patient’s condition and provide the right treatment for the diagnosis.

They aim to treat and keep the patient home or within their community as much as possible.

As well as this, they work closely with other healthcare providers in the capital, rotating across different clinical settings outside of the ambulance service, such as General Practice, Urgent Care Centres and Minor injury units.

This means that the APP-UC is able to apply what they learn in one area to another, benefiting all the patients they see across London.

Saul explains what role Advanced Paramedics in Urgent Care have in London.

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