Issue 11 2014
New ambulance inspection pilot
Good to great
Patients “very satisfied” with NHS 111
Awards’ winners
NWAS’ Bootle baby (cover story)
Commendation for HART
Coronary on the cobbles
New vehicle to make Blackpool safer
What to do when an emergency vehicle approaches
Lifeline
Welcome from
Lifeline Editor,
Sarah Smith
Welcome to the summer edition of
Lifeline – the magazine for staff,
members, the public and partners of
North West Ambulance Service
(NWAS).
As the country has gone crazy for the
World Cup, despite our early exit,
we’ve been monitoring the demand on
our service. During the 2010
tournament, we saw huge increases in
calls on the days England played and a
34 percent increase in assaults on the
night England were knocked out of the
competition. This time, we’ve teamed
up with police forces across the region
to urge football fans to show the red
card to violence (page 5).
the new NHS number to call when
you need medical help fast, but it’s
not an emergency. Patients using
the service have rated it highly,
and you can read about this on
page 4.
You may have seen stories in the
news recently about our plans to
save money. This can only be
achieved by us working differently,
and our story on page 3, from
Chief Executive, Bob Williams,
talks about our plans to do this,
whilst making the organisation
even better.
As usual, there are plenty of
stories about our amazing staff in
Lifeline. In this edition, you can
read about our annual Going the
Extra Mile (GEM) Awards’
Ceremony, which took place in
April. There were plenty of cheers
and tears at the event and I hope
you enjoy reading about it.
There’s some great news about the
NHS 111 service in the North West. If
you don’t know much about 111, it’s
On page 13, you can read about
the stars of Coronation Street and
In the spotlight
3) What are the best bits of your
job?
Knowing you have done your best
for each and every patient and that
I may have saved some lives along
the way.
NHS 111 Call
Handler, Cyd Gibson,
takes to the hot seat
for this edition’s In
the Spotlight feature.
1) What does your job entail?
My role as a Call Handler is to provide a
safe assessment of presenting
symptoms, using a clinical software tool,
in order to signpost and refer patients
to appropriate care providers.
2) How did you get to where you are
today?
I started with NHS Direct in Feb 2007.
Having worked for an airline for 12
years as a member of cabin crew, it was
a whole new experience which took
some time to get used to. However, due
to the dedication and support from
fellow colleagues, I was able to
overcome my fear of the phone and
settle into my new role, and after all
these years I am still here!
4) What are the challenges in your
job?
For me it is dealing with third party
callers, as you cannot fully judge
how the patient is responding to
the questions posed.
5) What qualities do you need to
do your job?
Excellent communication skills, the
ability to make critical decisions
about a patient’s wellbeing whilst
under pressure, and sensitivity
while documenting often complex
information, clearly and concisely.
6) What do you want to achieve in
your role?
I was lucky enough to be
nominated as a finalist at the GEM
awards 2014 and would like to
continue my personal and
professional development within
the NWAS NHS 111 service.
how they
received
basic life
support
training from
our
Community
Resuscitation
Team –
simple skills that save lives.
This is the second edition of the
‘digital only’ version of Lifeline and
we’d like to know what you think.
Is there anything we can do to
improve the magazine? What type
of stories would you like to read
more of? Please email your
opinions and suggestions to
[email protected].
Until next time, take care.
Sarah
Sarah Smith
Assistant Director of
Communications
7) What advice would you give to
someone thinking of getting a job
like yours?
For anyone looking for a rewarding
career within a supportive network
of high calibre staff, who can
demonstrate the necessary skills, I
would advise them to be ready for a
challenging but satisfying role.
8) What are your long term career
aspirations?
I would like to continue my career
with NWAS in the future and aspire
to work my way to supervisory level.
9) What do you wish other people
knew about your job?
I wish we could better educate the
public about what the NHS 111
service can offer and its limitations. It
can frustrating for patients who want
something we cannot provide.
10) What makes you proud to work
at NWAS?
As NWAS is one of the largest
ambulance services in the country
and is highly respected by the
general public, I feel proud to be part
of its team.
Latest news from NWAS
Ca-nine, nine,
nine call
A Paramedic was called to a potentially
life threatening emergency, only to
discover that the ‘patient’ concerned
was, in fact, a dog.
Speaking of the incident, the attending
Paramedic said: “I had just been to a
cardiac arrest patient so was obviously
very shocked at this call – it was written
all over my face. I told them that they
should have called a vet, not 999.”
Derek Cartwright, Director of Operations
at NWAS, said: “Although we
understand that losing a family pet can
be upsetting, this incident is a blatant
misuse of the emergency ambulance
service. A person with a serious or lifethreatening condition could have been
waiting longer than necessary for our
help because of this call.”
Good to Great
In the last edition of Lifeline, I told you about the Trust’s Good
to Great campaign which outlines the aspirational aims of the
organisation’s Business Plan for 2014 -2019. I believe that
the North West Ambulance Service is a good organisation but
we aspire to be great and, in order to achieve this, we have
consulted with our staff and devised a five year plan which
we would like to share with you, our members and
partners.
I have recently presented to our Board our new values and the areas I want the Trust to
focus on – ‘delivering safe care closer to home’, ‘being a great place to work’ and ‘cause
no harm’. It is these three elements that we are building our objectives upon and, over
the course of the summer, we will be commencing a Good to Great engagement
programme to help demonstrate to partners how we hope to achieve them. For example,
focussing on our objective to reduce the numbers of patients who attend emergency
departments and ensuring patients receive the right care, at the right time and in the right
place - through the initiatives of ‘Hear and Treat’, ‘See and Treat’ and ‘Treat and Convey’,
we can ensure that those patients who need alternative care pathways can be signposted
to them and those who really need to be in hospital can arrive there in a timely fashion.
New ambulance
inspection pilot
The North West has been chosen by the
Care Quality Commission (CQC) as the
place to test its new regulations for
ambulance services.
The CQC is the independent regulator of
health and adult social care in England.
Its document A Fresh Start for the
Regulation of Ambulance Services
outlines the priorities for improving how
it monitors, inspects and regulates
ambulance services.
It describes how the CQC will work with
people who use our services to deliver
these priorities.
Expert inspection teams will land on our
doorsteps in August to test this new
approach, which will look to answer five
key questions - are we safe, effective,
caring, responsive to people’s needs and
well-led?
A 999 call to the ambulance service can result in various outcomes
You may be aware of some of the recent media coverage centred upon our cost improvement measures which, no doubt, has raised questions for many of you which you would like
the Trust to respond to. These measures play a part in our five year plan and a key aim of the
Good to Great engagement programme will be to help put those into context.
North West Ambulance Service prides itself on being an open and honest organisation and
the views of all our stakeholders – staff, members and health care partners – are very important to us. As part of our engagement programme we will be meeting with MPs and visiting other stakeholder groups such as Overview & Scrutiny Committees and patient representative groups such as HealthWatch organisations across the North West. We will also be
setting-up a dedicated microsite which will act as a central online resource for all things related to the Good to Great campaign and will allow you to submit any questions or queries
you may have on the planned developments.
Look out for an update on how the Good to Great campaign is progressing in the next edition
of Lifeline.
Bob
You can read the full document here.
Bob Williams
Chief Executive
Patients “very satisfied” with NHS 111
About 111
The NHS 111 service is staffed by a team
of fully trained call advisers, supported
by experienced nurses and paramedics.
Recent patient surveys have revealed that
69 percent of patients were very satisfied
with the NHS 111 service in the North
West, currently being run by North West
Ambulance Service.
36 percent of patients would have
attended A&E or rang 999 for an
ambulance if the NHS 111 service was not
available and 85 percent of patients were
either completely better or their conditions
had improved seven days after calling NHS
111.
This is great news for the service, which we
took over from NHS Direct in 2013. Well
done to everyone involved!
Anyone who calls NHS 111 will be asked
questions to assess the patient’s
symptoms, then they will be given
healthcare advice or directed
straightaway to the local service that can
help them best. That could be A&E, an
out-of-hours doctor, an urgent care
centre or a walk-in centre, a community
nurse, an emergency dentist or a lateopening chemist.
Where possible, the NHS 111 team will
book an appointment or transfer the
patient directly to the people they need
to speak to.
If NHS 111 advisers think the patient
needs an ambulance response, they will
immediately arrange help from the
ambulance service.
When to call 111
Call 111 if:

You need medical help fast but it's
not a 999 emergency

You think you need to go to A&E or
need another NHS urgent care
service

You don't know who to call or you
don't have a GP to call

You need health information or
reassurance about what to do next

For less urgent health needs, contact
your GP or local pharmacist.
Patients’ experiences shared on film
Building on our collection of 15 patient stories, the Patient Experience Team
has been really busy filming another ten patient stories. All are based on real
life experiences; either witnessed by the team or explained to them by
patient feedback at community events, observations on ambulances, patient
surveys, compliments or complaints.
The stories celebrate what we do well and also recognise where we can
make improvements and changes so that a better patient experience is
provided in the future and, this time, two were filmed in-house by our
Communications and Patient Experience Teams.
This year’s stories include themes around Voluntary Car drivers and the
fantastic service they provide for our patients, raising awareness of the
bariatric ambulances, a story about a patient who suffers from dementia and
the difficulties this presents, along with other stories that cover themes such
as good communication, discharge processes, mapping issues for crews
locating addresses and difficulties for patients using our service who may be
deaf or experience language barriers.
William’s experience is shared on film
All the patient stories will be available on DVD for training purposes, if you
would like the opportunity to use these stories and provide feedback then
please contact the patient experience team at: [email protected].
Emergency services show abuse the red card
They may be coming home now, but when the England Football team headed to Brazil for the World Cup, we teamed up with
emergency services across the region to send strong messages to fans.
In Lancashire, “the ugly consequences of the beautiful game” campaign was launched by Lancashire Police to address traditional spikes
in crime during major football tournaments.
Whilst in Manchester, “none for the road” was launched by Greater Manchester Police to tackle the issue of drink driving, along with
the “red card” appeal which aimed to put an end to the shocking rise in domestic abuse during major tournaments.
When the England team was knocked out of the 2010 World Cup, we recorded a 34 per cent surge in the number of 999 calls for
assaults, and a 21 per cent increase in the number of 999 calls compared to the previous weekend that year.
Director of Operations at NWAS, Derek Cartwright, said: “In previous tournaments we have seen the combination of expectations,
emotions, warm weather and alcohol consumption result in an increase in 999 calls for assaults. We urge people to think first, drink
sensibly and remain aware of their actions so they can enjoy the matches in good spirit and avoid harm to themselves and other
people.”
The media launch in Lancashire at Preston North End
New Directors in
post
The Director of
Operations and
Director of
Organisational
Development
positions have
been filled by
our very own
Derek Cartwright
and Mick Forrest
respectively.
Derek’s
responsibilities
include emergency and urgent care;
comprising of the paramedic emergency
service, complementary resources, NHS
111, resilience, fleet and estates.
Mick is responsible for
the strategic
development of the
workforce; comprising
human resources and
learning and
development.
Derek Cartwright
Mick is also the lead for
annual organisational
business planning and
the Trust’s project
management office.
Mick Forrest
The role of Director of Organisational
Development does not vote at Board
level.
This appointment of Mick and Derek
now completes the
Executive Management
Team which comprises
of Bob Williams - Chief
Executive, Alan Stuttard
- Director of Finance/
Deputy Chief
Executive, Sarah
Faulkner - Director of
Quality and Kevin
Mackway-Jones
- Medical
Director.
Friends and
Family Test
#Team999
campaign results
The #Team999 campaign launched last
year to educate the public about what to
expect from us when calling 999.
Would you recommend our service to
friends and family? That’s the question
we’ve been asking patients as part of
two NHS England funded pilots.
The Friends and Family Test gives
patients the opportunity to provide
feedback on the care and treatment
they receive and to improve services.
Patients were invited to respond to the
question, "How likely are you to
recommend our service to friends and
family if they needed similar care or
treatment?” by choosing one of six
options, ranging from "extremely likely"
to "extremely unlikely".
Over 3,000 emergency calls are answered
by our Emergency Medical Dispatchers
every day, but not all calls require an
ambulance to be dispatched or a trip to
hospital; some patients may receive care
within the community and others could be
given self-care advice over the phone.
#Team999 highlights the various care
options available to patients and is made
up of seven representative members; who
ultimately determine which route of care
the patient will follow.
Roadshows, case studies, media releases,
media partnerships, live Facebook Q&As,
Twitter takeovers and short films formed
part of the campaign – highlighting what
happens behind the scenes.
Results of the campaign include:

101 pieces of news coverage

170% increase in website visits

33% increase in Twitter followers

148% increase in Facebook fans
The Team will be out and about over
summer. Find out where you can see them
on page 15.
Emergency Medical Dispatcher
A first point of contact, asks a set of
questions to find out what’s happened and
where, can provide instructions over the
phone.
Specialist Paramedic
Calls back patients with a non-serious
condition and triages over the phone, can
refer to appropriate service and provide
self-care advice.
Resource Dispatcher
Sends the most appropriate resource to
incidents, if needed and communicates
with other emergency services.
Ambulance Technician and Paramedic
Highly skilled practitioners who offer
emergency support for urgent issues; a
precious, finite resource.
Hazardous Area Response Team (HART)
A team of specially trained paramedics,
who use advanced equipment to respond
to challenging or hazardous incidents.
Paramedic/Rapid Response Vehicle
A paramedic in a car, placed in a strategic
location, providing care to patients in lifethreatening situations as quickly as
possible.
The 12 week pilots, which stared in
May, explored different ways in which
the question could be asked; for the
emergency service the use of a
partnership approach with two
hospitals, where patients can feedback
on both the partners and us via
feedback kiosks located inside the
hospitals, and for the patient transport
service a texting facility.
Results
Patient Transport Service
78% of patients said extremely likely
13% of patients said likely
4% of patients said neither likely nor
unlikely
2% of patients said unlikely
2% of patients said extremely unlikely.
Emergency Service
41% of patients said extremely likely
24% of patients said likely
6% of patients said neither likely nor
unlikely
6% of patients said unlikely
9% of patients said extremely unlikely.
Now that the pilots have come to an
end, we’re continuing to ask patients
the Friends and Family Test question so
that we can learn from their feedback
and provide the best possible service.
We have amazing staff at NWAS
Awards’ Winners
On Thursday 10 April, our hidden gems
were revealed at the Trust’s Going the
Extra Mile Staff Awards’ Ceremony.
The annual event celebrated the
achievements of our staff members who
have ‘gone that extra mile’ for patients,
their colleagues and the service when
carrying out their day to day jobs, with
special commendations also awarded on
the night.
The ceremony, which took place at Ribby
Hall Village in Lancashire, was funded
entirely by the generosity of sponsors;
Virgin Media Business, MIS Emergency
Systems Limited, Physio Control, Call Vision
Technologies, Dell, Conduit Global and
Truck Training UK Limited.
Almost 200 staff members and guests
attended the ceremony which was hosted
by BBC Radio Lancashire’s John Gillmore,
with awards presented by our Chairman,
Mary Whyham, and Chief Executive, Bob
Williams.
Guests enjoyed the event, presented by BBC Radio Lancashire’s John Gillmore
And the winners are...
Frontline Staff Member of the Year Emergency Service (PES)
Jessica Heardman
Frontline Staff Member of the Year Emergency Operations Centre (EOC)
David Marquis
Frontline Staff Member of the Year Patient Transport Service (PTS)
David Reid
Frontline Staff Member of the Year NWAS NHS 111 Service 2014
Phyllis Rodgers
Manager of the Year
Lesley Wells-Earp
Team of the Year
Financial Planning Team
Support Staff Member of the Year
Alison Baxendale
Student Learner of the Year
Frank Mills
Volunteer of the Year – Community
First Responder
Keith and Olwen Hansen
Volunteer of the Year - Voluntary Car Service
Eric Ruth
Staff Suggestion Award 2014
Cheshire and Merseyside South Sector
Special Commendations
- Christopher White
- Michaella Green
- Senior Paramedic Team
(Greater Manchester Central Sector)
Clinical Quality Improvement
Russell Bennett
- Stuart Beattie
- 111 Implementation Team
The Chairman’s Special Commendation was given to all those involved in our #Team999
campaign. Before the final award of the evening was presented;
the 2014 CEO Award for Care and Compassion, in honour of our
dear and former colleague, Simon Williams, was awarded to Mike
Huddart and Andy Jackson.
Congratulations to our winners! The event was a real success
and we would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone
who made the event possible.
Bob Williams, Trust Chief Executive said: “The evening was a great
success and I was delighted to present the awards. Some of the
actions of our staff are truly heroic and heart-warming and it
really is a privilege to be leading an organisation which has so
many dedicated and hard-working individuals.”
Turn the page for more images from the awards’ do!
Guests arrive in style on the red carpet!
Thank you to:
Long service awards
Long serving members of staff in Greater Manchester have been awarded with certificates and plaques in celebration of their dedication to
the service. Those with 20 years’ long service and good conduct, such as Tim Fenten (pictured above) have been awarded with a special
medal from The Queen. Tim’s proud partner posted the photo on our Facebook page and we couldn’t resit sharing it with you!
Congratulations and thank you
to our long serving staff!
Baby born at
Bootle station
returns for
cuddles with
Colin
In the early hours of a spring morning
in April, staff at Bootle ambulance
station in Liverpool heard the frantic
sounding of a car horn outside their
gates.
After rushing to see what was
happening, they were met by a
panicked gentleman in need of urgent
help, as his heavily pregnant daughter
was about to give birth!
Advanced Paramedic, Colin Whiley,
rushed the expectant mum and her
family into the station and set up a
makeshift delivery room in the office.
Within 30 minutes, a baby boy was
delivered, healthy and well.
Advanced Paramedic, Colin with the happy family!
Chief constable’s commendation for
Hazardous Area Response Team
Five members of our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) have been formally
recognised by the Chief Superintendent of Merseyside Police, in
acknowledgement for being part of the supportive team that helped with an
incident that took place in October 2012.
Ciaran Martin, Peta Watts, Steve Hodgson, Derek Welch and Brandon Newman
were presented with their official letter of thanks at the Merseyside Police Wirral
Reward and Recognition Ceremony at the Leverhulme Hotel in Port Sunlight,
Wirral.
Special thanks were also given to Tim Pugh, Steve English, Mal Pike and Brian
Simpson for their involvement in the incident. Well done to all involved!
Colin and his colleague Judith Ramsey
attended to the new mum, Katie, whilst
the crew members took the baby into
the mess room and decided to wet the
head with the new Dad and Granddad
with a cup of Yorkshire Tea! Katie was
then wheeled to a waiting ambulance
and taken to the hospital cradling her
new baby boy, Alfie.
Katie returned to the station a few
weeks later with baby Alfie and her
daughter Daisy, to thank the staff that
helped safely deliver her son, bearing
gifts for all.
Well done to Colin and Judith, with
special thanks to Ged Davies, Steven
Cusack, Frank Gower and Mark Brooks
who were also present and helped with
the birth.
To thank our staff, go to: http://
www.nwas.nhs.uk/talking-to-us/
thanking-our-staff/#.U6GxNlP-J6Y.
Take care this summer
HEALTH & WELLBEING
As the weather heats up and schools are
set to close, we’re urging the public to
take extra care.
During periods of hot weather, we
expect to receive an increase in 999 calls
for people experiencing respiratory
problems. We need your help in making
sure that our ambulance crews are free
to respond to such emergencies by
avoiding dangerous situations.
Director of Operations, Derek Cartwright
explains: “We all want to enjoy the
warm weather and no-one wants to
spend an evening in an accident and
emergency department. During the
summer, we traditionally see a rise in
the number of cases such as assaults and
falls due to the influence of alcohol,
accidents with barbecues and children
who go swimming in lakes and rivers, so
we would urge people to think carefully
about what they are doing.
“Our services are urgently needed by
those who are seriously ill, or have lifethreatening conditions, and the public
can help us by taking care of themselves
and others.”
Top tips

If you are thinking of doing a spot
of gardening at the weekend,
check your tools are in good
working order and take care
when using power tools or
climbing ladders.

Alternate alcoholic drinks with
water or soft drinks – in the heat
you will become dehydrated and
alcohol makes that worse.

Wear appropriate sun protection
to avoid sunburn and sunstroke –
remember to wear hats and
cover up children as much as
possible.

Don’t swim in lakes, rivers, canals
or reservoirs – some have unseen
currents which can pull you under
and the water is a lot colder than
you would expect.

Keep your children safe when
they are playing on scooters and
bikes – provide them with safety
headwear to avoid a head injury
should they fall.
Our Emergency Operations Centres answer over 3,000 emergency calls every day

Barbecues and alcohol do not mix!
Never use an accelerant to light the
barbecue and remember the coals
are hot for a long time after they
have gone out.
Derek adds: “The advice may seem
straightforward but these are the types of
avoidable accidents we see every day
during the hot weather.
“By keeping safe, we can all enjoy the
Summer, however brief it may be, and we
can ensure that those who really need our
help get a timely response.”
If you need medical help fast, but it’s not
an emergency, call NHS 111.
For health advice, visit www.nhs.uk.
Working with local communities
A message from
your Governors
In recent months, members of the Council
of Governors have had opportunities to
participate in events and campaigns that
demonstrate the dedication of staff in all
areas of the service. Visits to the
Middlebrook site in Bolton brought a wider
understanding and appreciation of the NHS
111 service, and involvement with
awareness raising campaigns to support
#Team999 across the region have enabled
Governors to talk to members and service
users.
Governors also had the opportunity to
celebrate the successes of staff and
volunteers at the Going the Extra Mile
Awards in April 2014, which included an
award to PTS Staff Governor, David Reid.
The citations for the various awards gave us
a real appreciation of the incredible work
that is being done across a range of service
areas.
With further community engagement
events planned over the summer months
(see page 15 for details), members are
encouraged to come along and introduce
yourselves as we would be most interested
to meet you and hear your views on the
service.
Sue Murrin-Bailey
Public Governor
(Lancashire)
Chair of
Membership
& Communications
Sub-Group
Find out which Governor represents your
views: https://www.nwas.nhs.uk/gettinginvolved/council-of-governors/meet-thegovernors/#.U6GiFFP-J6Y.
Coronary on the cobbles
Anyone suffering from cardiac arrest on the
cobbles of the country’s most deadly street
- Coronation Street, will be given a fighting
chance thanks to our community
resuscitation team.
Since the nation’s favourite soap began,
there have been 160 deaths on Coronation
Street. Hopefully the ratio of three deaths
per year will reduce now the street has
received two Automated External
Defibrillators (AEDs) and basic life support
training from our team.
“Crew and cast members, including those
who play popular characters such as
Tyrone, Tracey, Eileen, Maria and Jason,
took part in the training which covers how
to recognise a cardiac arrest, what to do
in the most extreme emergency and how
to save lives.”
The team has also put ITV in touch with
other ambulance services so it can get
AEDs for its sites throughout the country.
Do we know about your defib?
Over 60 people at the Corrie set received
training by Community Resuscitation
Manager, David McNally. In addition, a
further two AEDs were placed within ITV
studios by David’s team, with another 50
production staff trained in how to save a
life.
For a person suffering a cardiac arrest,
every minute lost can reduce their chance
of survival by 10%. If you have a
defibrillator, why not let us know? It could
make the difference between life and
death in the event of a sudden cardiac
arrest.
David said: “We had extremely good
relationships with ITV when they were at
the Quay Street site and this has continued
now it has moved to Media City.
To let us know about your defib, go to
www.cardiacsmart.nwas.nhs.uk.
New vehicle to
make Blackpool
safer
Blackpool has a new Night Safe Haven
vehicle to help prevent unnecessary
hospital admissions.
The new purpose-built ambulance
boasts facilities such as a private
treatment and recovery area, disabled
access, external CCTV and a large
screen to show prevention and safety
messaging.
Night Safe Haven, originally launched in
2008, helps to support vulnerable people
who are in distress in the town centre at
night from a variety of causes ranging
from physical violence, excessive alcohol
consumption, drug taking, separation
from friends and family or people who
are lost.
It is staffed by the North West
Ambulance Service, Lancashire Police,
Blackpool Council, St John’s Ambulance
and NHS community nurses as well as
workers from the Renaissance project,
part of Drugline, Lancashire and is
situated on the apron outside
Blackpool’s Town Hall between 9pm4am every Saturday night.
Every year, the Night Safe Haven helps
to prevent almost 1000 avoidable
hospital admissions, providing major
relief to Blackpool Victoria Hospital’s
Accident and Emergency department
and the ambulance services.
Fylde Sector Manager, David Rigby, said
“Night Safe Heaven is something I am
immensely proud to be involved with. I
hope we can continue to provide this
service well into the future; looking
after Blackpool’s night time dwellers,
keeping them safe and ensuring that
Blackpool is a safe town for people
come and enjoy themselves.”
What to do when an emergency vehicle approaches
You’re going about your day when suddenly you hear sirens and see blue flashing lights behind you. What do you do? We’ve teamed up with
the Highways Agency to bring you some tips...
You should look and listen for ambulances, fire engines, police, doctors or other emergency vehicles using flashing blue,
red or green lights and sirens or flashing headlights, or Highways Agency Traffic Officer and Incident Support vehicles
using flashing amber lights.
When one approaches do not panic. Consider the route of such a vehicle and take appropriate action to let
it pass, while complying with all traffic signs.
If necessary, pull to the side of the road and stop, but try to avoid stopping before the brow of a
hill, a bend or narrow section of road.
Do not endanger yourself, other road users or pedestrians and avoid mounting the kerb.
Do not brake harshly on approach to a junction or roundabout, as a following vehicle
may not have the same view as you.
Go to our Facebook page to check out a handy video with hints and tips on how to
react when an emergency vehicle is behind you!
Summer’s
hottest events
We’ll be taking the opportunity to meet
as many of you as we can at community
events throughout the summer months.
Representatives from the Trust will be
out and about, helping to educate the
public about the different roles within
the service, when to call 999 and what
to expect when they do.
We’ll take a range of interactive
activities on the road, including
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
demonstrations, the opportunity to
explore emergency vehicles and put
questions directly to #Team999.
You’ll find us here:
Friday 27 June
Healthy Liverpool Extravaganza
World Museum, Liverpool
Saturday 28 June
Lancashire Science Festival: Family Day
University of Central Lancashire,
Preston
Saturday 28 June
Community Resuscitation Day
Barnoldswick Market Square
PandaMedic to the rescue! Custard the Cow took a turn for the worse at Walby Farm
Park’s Emergency Services’ Day in Carlisle in May. We’re pleased to say he made a full
recovery and was ‘udderly’ impressed with the service!
Contact us
This is your magazine, so please let us know what you think of it or send any news
stories to us at [email protected].
Don’t forget you can also keep in touch with the latest news on our website
www.nwas.nhs.uk and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
/nwasofficial
You can also
find us on
@NWAmbulance
/northwestambulance
Saturday 05 July
Spirit of Bolton Festival
Victoria Square, Bolton
Sunday 13 July
Disability Awareness Day
Walton Hall and Gardens, Warrington
Saturday 02 August
Liverpool PRIDE
Thursday 07 August
Emergency Services Open Day
Trafford Centre, Manchester
Saturday, Sunday & Monday
23 – 25 August
Manchester PRIDE