EMAS pledges new ambulances and more call handlers to cope with winter period, plus Northamptonshire specific projects

The ambulance provider for Northamptonshire is pledging new ambulances and more call handlers to help cope with the pressures of the busy winter period.

East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) says the winter months are traditionally one of the busiest times of year for the NHS due to increases in flu cases and cold weather-related illnesses such as trips and falls.

To alleviate this, EMAS has plans in place for new, high spec ambulances, more call handlers, steps to improve staff wellbeing and triage hubs.

Mick Jones divisional director for Northamptonshire said: “This winter it is more important than ever that we work with our NHS system partners to ensure we are able to provide the best care possible to the patients who really need us, as well as looking after our staff during this period of increased demand.

“In Northamptonshire, we are already working closely with senior EMAS clinicians and healthcare colleagues as part of our Specialist Practitioner Triage Hub so that only patients who genuinely need an ambulance receive one, and patients who would benefit from receiving care from a different and more appropriate service are supported to do so.”

“We also continue to work daily with our NHS system partners to reduce hospital handover delays so our highly-skilled ambulance crews can be back out in the community as quickly as possible to attend the next patient needing emergency help.”

According to EMAS, key Northamptonshire-specific projects this winter include:

-Specialist Practitioner (SP) Triage Hub, which enables SPs trained in telephone triage to call back, assess and appropriately manage calls as they come to the ambulance service from either 999 or 111, directing the patient to an alternative pathway where appropriate.

-Providing two welfare vehicles for our staff

Across EMAS, the measure put in place to prepare for the busy winter months include:

-110 brand new ambulances to replace older vehicles being retired from service

-Newly recruited and trained frontline ambulance crews including Newly Qualified Paramedics, Newly Qualified Technicians and Ambulance Support Crews to maximise the number of ambulance crews available to respond to patients in the community

-Recruitment of additional 999 call handlers

-Additional Specialist Practitioners continue to be recruited to EMAS to support with senior clinical triage of patients both in person and over the phone, to help patients access the right care at the right time.

From early December, staff welfare vehicles will be stationed at hospital emergency departments in the region to help ensure the wellbeing of our ambulance crews. They will offer our staff hot drinks and a safe place to have a quick break during their shift.

In addition, EMAS says it is piloting new processes to help staff finish on time to protect their wellbeing.

EMAS says the public can help by practising self-care and utilising their local pharmacies, GP surgery, NHS111 online or Urgent Treatment Centres when they have a medical issue, and only calling us in genuinely life-threatening emergencies, so that we can be there for people when they really do need them.