Urgent Care Service Enquiry

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Charlie Anderson

Dear North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust,

I am writing to you regarding the Urgent Care Service, I understand that this service operates ambulances which provide a urgent but not emergency patient transport with clinical intervention to patients already assessed by a HCP.
Could you please provide me answers to the following questions:

Can this patients HCP assessment be over the phone for example when CAT 4 calls are assessed by a nurse or paramedic, can an urgent care ambulance then be sent?

What level are Urgent Care Assistants trained to? e.g Advanced First Aider. Also, can they administer medications like paracetamol, and can they carry out assessments and treatments or just minor first aid during the transport?

When are Urgent Care Ambulances permitted to drive under Blue Lights and Sirens?

Who crews Urgent Care Ambulances? On your website it suggests they are crewed by two Urgent Care Assistants but other sources suggest that other staff such as Paramedics also crew the ambulances, but would that make them a Paramedic Emergency Service?

Additionally, regarding frontline ambulances.

What CAT calls are EMTs sent to and how many EMT crews would you have on duty at one time?

Yours faithfully,
Charlie Anderson

FOI Enquiries, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust

2 Attachments

[1]North West Ambulance Service - NHS Trust

 

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FOI Enquiries, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust

3 Attachments

[1]North West Ambulance Service - NHS Trust

 

FOI1603

 

Dear Charlie,

 

In response to your Freedom of Information request please find below the
answers to your questions:

 

I understand that this service operates ambulances which provide a urgent
but not emergency patient transport with clinical intervention to patients
already assessed by a HCP. Can this patient’s HCP assessment be over the
phone for example when CAT 4 calls are assessed by a nurse or paramedic,
can an urgent care ambulance then be sent? The ambulance service does not
ask if the booking HCP has seen the patient. The HCP booking takes
responsibility for the response, and the type of ambulance requested. In
the booking process the HCP is asked relevant questions to assess if an
urgent care ambulance would be appropriate.

 

What level are Urgent Care Assistants trained to? e.g Advanced First
Aider. Also, can they administer medications like paracetamol, and can
they carry out assessments and treatments or just minor first aid during
the transport?

Urgent care staff are trained to:

·         deliver intermediate life support

·         assess the unconscious patient

·         fracture management

·         control of bleeding

·         deliver oxygen and Entonox

 

When are Urgent Care Ambulances permitted to drive under Blue Lights and
Sirens? Urgent Care staff are not trained/permitted to drive under blue
light conditions. If the vehicle is being used by another grade of staff
(Paramedic, Emergency Medical Technician) who is trained, then they drive
under blue light conditions.

 

Who crews Urgent Care Ambulances? On your website it suggests they are
crewed by two Urgent Care Assistants but other sources suggest that other
staff such as Paramedics also crew the ambulances, but would that make
them a Paramedic Emergency Service? For the ambulance to be profiled as a
PES resource it must be staffed by a paramedic, and an EMT, be fitted with
blue lights, and have the appropriate equipment on board.

 

Additionally, regarding frontline ambulances - What CAT calls are EMTs
sent to and how many EMT crews would you have on duty at one time?
Attached is the a trust skill matrix that explains what types of call a
resource can attend dependent on the grade of staff.

EMT1 crews are only on duty as a last resort after all other options have
been explored to find a higher grade clinician. The number of EMT crews on
duty varies from day to day as they can be split depending on
availability, such as due to short notice sickness.

 

I hope this information is of assistance.

 

Kind regards

Caroline Turner

 

Freedom of Information

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Headquarters, Ladybridge Hall, 399 Chorley New Road, Bolton, BL1 5DD

01204 498306

[2][email address]

[3]www.nwas.nhs.uk  

 

 

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