The 2014 Ambulance Leadership Forum (ALF) annual conference took place at the Queen’s Hotel in Leeds on 18-19 November.
A packed agenda with keynote speakers including Shadow Secretary of State for Health, Andy Burnham MP, The Rt. Hon Earl Howe, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Quality and with the conference’s opening address, delivered by Professor Keith Willett, Director for acute episodes of care, NHS England, who spoke on how the recent Urgent & Emergency Care Review’s outputs is transforming ambulance delivery.
Andy Burnham formally opened the event welcoming the 250 plus attendees to the ALF dinner and AACE Outstanding Service Awards 2014 with an impassioned speech in which he underlined his personal commitment to “ensuring that healthcare should be delivered by an NHS with its roots still firmly grounded on the original principles of the organisation, as set out in 1948.”
The awards dinner – sponsored by Lightfoot Solutions – in which ambulance staff from across the UK were recognised for their outstanding contributions to the ambulance service and its patients, was hosted by well-known NHS broadcaster, writer and commentator Roy Lilley, who brought a wry and irreverent style to the winner’s citations as they stepped up to receive their awards. The list of all ten winners can be found below.
AACE Chairman Dr Anthony Marsh QAM set the tone for the conference by reminding attendees the extent to which the whole NHS ambulance service has been instrumental in feeding into the Keogh Review and, in the process, identifying many areas where ambulance services could play a much greater role in the future delivery of urgent care.
Delivering the closing remarks, AACE Managing Director Martin Flaherty OBE, stressed the importance of ALF as a medium for discussion and networking, observing that:
This year’s event had allowed ambulance leaders and managers “a vital opportunity to discuss new ideas and initiatives with colleagues who can bring fresh thinking and new ideas to the table, helping us to ensure our ambulance service is best placed to provide these broader services in the future.”
AACE Chairman Anthony Marsh QAM also reflected that:
This year’s Conference, now in its 12th year, has been another outstanding success. The event gets better and better every year. This year gave everyone the opportunity to hear from leading experts, political leaders and others from this country and overseas. The learning gained will support ambulance services provide even better care for patients and to be even more ambitious to be the best we can all be.”
This year’s ALF also saw a fantastic variety of projects showcased with 12 ambulance trusts and associated bodies setting out their stalls, giving visitors clear insights into the latest ambulance developments in areas ranging from welfare, equality and diversity, employment and clinical delivery management. A full list of the Trust showcases, along with abstracts, can be found below.
You can view a selection of the Speaker Presentations here.
In the past, ALF has been predominantly invite-only but this year, AACE took the bold decision to open up access to the event, making it available to a wider audience of professionals working in the pre-hospital and urgent care arenas.
This was reflected in the inclusion of prominent speakers from the USA, including Jerry Overton, Past President of the American Ambulance Association, who spoke on the American ambulance experience of addressing system change, Joe Bourgraf, President and CEO of the Ferno Group, who spoke on the future of patient transportation and Dr Attila J. Hertelendy, Assistant Professor and Director, Emergency Health Services Program at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington D.C who spoke on ‘Executive Leadership’.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Quality Earl Howe had earlier used his Conference address to state that “the Ambulance service is the service at the very heart of the NHS” and went on to recognise the “pivotal role that paramedics have to play in reducing hospital admissions.”
Other key presentations included Medical Director of LAS, Dr Fionna Moore, explaining the factors which are driving demand for ambulance and Euros Evans, Chief Technology Officer of Airwave, speaking on how new communications technology can help ambulance services cope with the changing pace of healthcare and the current system pressures facing the NHS and the ambulance service in particular.
Did you attend ALF 2014? If so please give us your feedback here.
Commenting on this year’s event, Steve Irving, Executive Officer at AACE and Event Director of ALF, said:
Despite a couple of last-minute changes this year’s conference agenda was particularly strong, arguably our best ever, and the opportunity to come together and review the impact of the Keogh Review was something that we feel will benefit all ambulance service managers and board members.”
Other event sponsors included Ferno, Excelerate, Physio Control and Airwave – and once again we thank them for their support.
AACE Outstanding Achievement Awards Winners 2014
Kieran Baker, Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Category: Information Technology (IT) and Information Management (IM) Staff Systems Innovation
Adrian South, South Western Ambulance Service
Category: Influence on Service Delivery/Change Leader
Cathy-Anne Burchett, London Ambulance Service
Category: Welfare and Wellbeing
David Freeman, South Western Ambulance Service
Category: Support Staff
Sue Skelton, South East Coast Ambulance Service
Category: Outstanding Senior Leader
April Plant, South East Coast Ambulance Service
Category: Outstanding Clinician (non-paramedic)
Phil Parr, East of England Ambulance Service
Category: Outstanding Manager
Darren Bailey, Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Category: Outstanding Mentor, Teacher or Tutor
Suzi Morris, Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Category: Outstanding Paramedic
Theresa Browring, London Ambulance Service
Category: Control Services Staff
Commenting on the Awards Winners, AACE Chairman Anthony Marsh added
The Awards represented an excellent opportunity to recognise ambulance staff from across England who all do a fantastic job everyday often in very difficult circumstances. I am very proud of them all.”
Trust Showcases at ALF 2014
EMAS Cardiac arrest survival strategy
In 2013 EMAS identified the need to deliver a more effective means of improving its success in resuscitation and have a positive impact towards the Ambulance Clinical Quality Indicator for Return of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC) and Survival to Discharge. To address this issue, EMAS developed its cardiac arrest strategy which delivered a number of dramatic benefits that enabled a 9% increase in ROSC in just 5 months.
LAS Shockingly Easy campaign
The London Ambulance Service has launched its Shockingly Easy campaign to encourage organisations to get a defibrillator with appropriate training and become an LAS accredited defibrillator site. Whilst the latest cardiac arrest survival rate for London is now higher than ever, the data shows that people who have an out of hospital cardiac arrest at a location that has a defibrillator are more than five times as likely to survive.
NEAS Special patient notes
NEAS are currently investing in a system development to create a web tool to search and maintain a central repository of SPNs so that the organisation can ensure that information held about a patient is accurate, up to date and used appropriately. The aim is to improve data quality of SPNs, improve information management in line with legal requirements, reduce out of date SPNs to minimise the risk to patients and eradicate serious incidents caused as a result of mismanaged SPNs.
NWAS #Team999
#Team999 is a campaign which aims to educate the public about what to expect when calling 999. It brings to life the stories of the everyday heroes working behind the scenes at North West Ambulance Service in an engaging way. Through the campaign the public are introduced to the team members they could encounter following a 999 and find out how each of them contribute to patients getting the right care, at the right time, in the right place.
SCAS Innovation
Health Innovation for a mobile ambulance workforce requires fresh thinking. SCAS has successfully implemented three developments that have greatly improved patient care. Firstly a phone app that allows members of the public to locate the nearest AED to their location via GPS. Secondly a Trauma Triage Tool app that ensures that crews always take critically injured trauma patients to the right hospital, based on their condition and location. Finally Electronic Noticeboards set up in Ambulance Stations allow staff to be informed and up to date in real time.
SECAMB Critical Care Paramedics
The Critical Care Paramedics Programme has been running at SECAMB for six years and there are now around 50 CCP’s in place. Come along to the stand to find out what the future holds and how CCPs aim to define themselves and their role over the next three years.
WMAS Mental Health Collaboration
The mental health triage team that operates within Birmingham and Solihull has proven so far to be a fantastic success – embracing the ethos of parity of esteem, supporting the direction of the Mental Health Concordat and providing genuine best quality care for patients suffering from mental ill health. The scheme brings a Paramedic, Police Officer and Psychiatric Nurse who together respond to patients that are utilising the emergency services (both police and ambulance) for assessment either phone based or direct face to face via the dedicated covert car that is used. Since January 2014 in excess of 2000 patients have benefitted, realising significant reductions in s136 detentions, appropriate patient pathways followed and care provided in a dignified and respectful manner.
Scottish Ambulance Service Telehealth: A vision for the future
By 2017 SAS will upgrade and improve its current emergency ambulance technology (both software and associated hardware) to provide a better user and patient experience and a faster, more reliable communications infrastructure. Patients will be treated in the most appropriate environment and where possible this will be at, or near, their home or in a homely setting. Our Ambulance Telehealth Programme will enable us to take forward our strategic aim in line with the Scottish Government’s 2020 vision of delivering more care locally to people in their own community.
YAS: New business continuity tool / Value based recruitment
ResWebTM is a leading business continuity tool developed and hosted by Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS). ResWebTM is a secure web-based hub of resilience information which can be shared by multi-agency partners. The bespoke system provides a real-time overview of current intelligence to support the decision-making of Category 1 and 2 responders through periods of high demand. YAS showcased ResWebTM and examples of the system in action, including how it contributed to the successful resilience operation supporting the Tour de France Grand Départ 2014 in Yorkshire. YAS began using a bespoke value based recruitment process for patient-facing support roles in March 2013 with the key aim of attracting and employing patient-focused people who share its vision and values. The new process included the screening of applications using an online value based questionnaire, practical exercises and resilience assessments with a clear focus on the attitude, values and behaviours of candidates. Training attrition has reduced by 60% in comparison to the 12 months prior to the process’s implementation. To date, 490 people have been offered employment through the process and plans are in place to expand it to cover corporate and support roles.
Guernsey Flying Christine Marine Response
The St John Ambulance and Rescue Service (Guernsey) will showcase their unique Marine Ambulance, Flying Christine III. Flying Christine III is a 45-foot vessel, launched in 1994, one of the few boats in the world built to a unique design specifically for the high speed provision of medical aid at sea. Operating in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, Flying Christine III is the marine equivalent of an accident and emergency ambulance but carries additional rescue equipment which enables the crew to deal with accidents at sea or on ships, as well as responding to incidents on neighbouring islands. Crewed by Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians, together with qualified local mariners, this enables life-saving treatment to commence immediately a patient is on board and to be continued as the launch returns to Guernsey.
TASC – the name taking the ASBF charity forwards
TASC is the Ambulance Services Charity taking forward the work undertaken through the ASBF since 1986. The charity’s mission is to help ambulance services personnel and their dependants from all over the United Kingdom, Ireland, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man in times of genuine hardship or need. TASC’s aim in the 21st century is to support the Ambulance Services “Family” and be both relevant in the help it offers to ambulance services staff and their families and in the delivery of the support our people deserve.
Equality & Diversity Forum: Confronting inequality and celebrating diversity
Inequalities of access, care and outcome still exist. Every patient has different needs by delivering personalised care we can deliver high quality care for all. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and General Medical Council (GMC) research in 2010 found that BME (Black, Minority Ethnic) staff are almost twice as likely to be disciplined as white staff. People with severe mental illness die on average 20 years younger than the general population. The average age of death of a rough sleeper is 30 years earlier than the average population (47 and 43 years for men and women respectively). The stall provided an opportunity to see some of the fantastic interventions that can make a difference in providing ‘high quality care for all’ by confronting the reality of inequality.
If you attended ALF 2014, please give your feedback on the event here.
To recap the main social media activity from the event, visit our LiveBlog here.
To find out more about AACE or to reserve your place at ALF 2015, please email steve.irving@aace.org.uk
