Latest news with #EastofEnglandAmbulanceServiceTrust
BBC News
27-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
App on trial in Essex is first in UK for cardiac arrest witnesses
The first app of its kind in the UK has been launched to support people who have witnessed an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).The RescQ app is designed to help family, friends or bystanders cope with the emotional distress of seeing a medical is being piloted in Essex for one year before being rolled out across Norfolk and Hertfordshire. "There are currently limited resources in the UK to support those who witness an OHCA, a group we call 'forgotten patients'," said Dr Uzma Sajjad, cardiology research fellow at the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre, which is leading the trial. "This new app aims to bridge that gap by providing essential information and support by signposting to a dedicated website," she added. The website has videos featuring the real-life experiences of OHCA witnesses, as well as insights from psychologists and medical aims to tell people what to expect after seeing after such an event and give guidance on coping strategies. If more support is needed, an OHCA witness can ask to see a trained patient liaison Di Fede, sector clinical lead at EEAST, said: "Being able to offer this level of support to the people who are often forgotten about is so important."The app's partners include the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST), Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, East Anglian Air Ambulance and Sudden Cardiac Arrest land crews will use it to document incident details, including the number of witnesses present. In the first week of the trial in Essex, 18 OHCA's were reported and support was offered to 22 Mid and South Essex NHS Trust said each year in the county there are about 3,500 project cost £75,000 was funded by the NHS East of England Cardiac Network. It will run until early 2026. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Paramedic 'preyed' on 'vulnerable' young colleagues
WARNING: This story contains language that some readers may find offensive or upsetting. A "predatory" paramedic who told a junior colleague she was uptight and needed sex has been struck off. Graham Scott, while working for the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST), acted "sexually" towards three "vulnerable" female colleagues – two of whom were in their early 20s at the time. The Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) said he had left them feeling "physically scared", "uncomfortable" and "nauseated", and they dreaded going into work. Mr Scott, who also put his hands around one of the women's thighs and asked another to have a shower with him, described the investigation as a "witch hunt". "All this over what used to be called a joke," the former medical professional told the HCPTS, before admitting he had "no interest" in the outcome of the hearing. An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "The allegations raised against Mr Scott were shocking. He was immediately suspended after complaints and dismissed from the trust in July 2021 after an investigation." Mr Scott worked out of the Beccles Ambulance Station at the time of the incidents, which occurred between 2018 and 2020, before being dismissed by the EEAST in July 2021. The first incident happened at Waveney Ambulance Station and involved colleague A, to whom Mr Scott said: "You're a bit uptight. What you need is a good fuck. Anybody at work you fancy?" He also said: "It would do you some good. I'll give you my number if you like. Just message me whenever you want." When colleague A joked that "no one would want to have sex" with her, Mr Scott turned around, extended his hand and said: "My name is Graham Scott, nice to meet you." He later sent her a Facebook friend request before telling her she could message him whenever she wanted "a little something". Just over a month later, he told colleague B: "I can scrub your back for you. We can both get in the shower together." This made her feel "very anxious and uncomfortable" and as if there was a "physical threat" to her. On another occasion, he commented that the pair were returning to an empty ambulance station and they could "make mad passionate love". Mr Scott, who in 2018 had suggested to colleague B they could be friends with benefits, also asked her on more than one occasion: "When are we going to have an affair?" And, in October 2022, while in the kitchen area of Waveney Ambulance Station and in front of other staff members, he touched the thigh of colleague C, before "encircling" it. The HCPTS ruled Mr Scott's actions had been "sexually motivated", "seriously offensive", and "degrading", and removed him from the register. "He has suggested these comments were in some way in the nature of a joke or banter," the panel added. "It is unclear to the HCPC which parts are to be considered a joke, and in what era it was ever thought these sorts of comments were appropriate. "All three colleagues were vulnerable, and [Mr Scott] preyed upon their vulnerability." An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "There is no place in the ambulance service for any form of sexual harassment. We take allegations of sexual harassment and assault against our staff extremely seriously, and encourage anyone who experiences this to report it. "We have worked to encourage safe reporting of any unwanted sexual behaviour and introduced more senior involvement to manage investigations into allegations. "But we need to do more to develop allyship among staff, to ensure that all colleagues identify and call out this kind of behaviour, so that it is not only victims who are expected to step forward but all colleagues at all levels." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Paramedic laughed about patient 'moaning in pain' 'Creepy' doctor struck off for 'serious' misconduct Nurse who put patients at risk could be struck off The Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service East of England Ambulance Service Trust
BBC News
03-04-2025
- BBC News
Suffolk paramedic 'preyed' on 'vulnerable' young colleagues
WARNING: This story contains language that some readers may find offensive or upsetting. A "predatory" paramedic who told a junior colleague she was uptight and needed sex has been struck Scott, while working for the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST), acted "sexually" towards three "vulnerable" female colleagues – two of whom were in their early 20s at the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) said he had left them feeling "physically scared", "uncomfortable" and "nauseated", and they dreaded going into Scott, who also put his hands around one of the women's thighs and asked another to have a shower with him, described the investigation as a "witch hunt". "All this over what used to be called a joke," the former medical professional told the HCPTS, before admitting he had "no interest" in the outcome of the East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "The allegations raised against Mr Scott were shocking. He was immediately suspended after complaints and dismissed from the trust in July 2021 after an investigation." Mr Scott worked out of the Beccles Ambulance Station at the time of the incidents, which occurred between 2018 and 2020, before being dismissed by the EEAST in July first incident happened at Waveney Ambulance Station and involved colleague A, to whom Mr Scott said: "You're a bit uptight. What you need is a good fuck. Anybody at work you fancy?"He also said: "It would do you some good. I'll give you my number if you like. Just message me whenever you want."When colleague A joked that "no one would want to have sex" with her, Mr Scott turned around, extended his hand and said: "My name is Graham Scott, nice to meet you." He later sent her a Facebook friend request before telling her she could message him whenever she wanted "a little something". 'When are we going to have an affair?' Just over a month later, he told colleague B: "I can scrub your back for you. We can both get in the shower together."This made her feel "very anxious and uncomfortable" and as if there was a "physical threat" to another occasion, he commented that the pair were returning to an empty ambulance station and they could "make mad passionate love".Mr Scott, who in 2018 had suggested to colleague B they could be friends with benefits, also asked her on more than one occasion: "When are we going to have an affair?"And, in October 2022, while in the kitchen area of Waveney Ambulance Station and in front of other staff members, he touched the thigh of colleague C, before "encircling" it. 'Degrading' The HCPTS ruled Mr Scott's actions had been "sexually motivated", "seriously offensive", and "degrading", and removed him from the register."He has suggested these comments were in some way in the nature of a joke or banter," the panel added."It is unclear to the HCPC which parts are to be considered a joke, and in what era it was ever thought these sorts of comments were appropriate."All three colleagues were vulnerable, and [Mr Scott] preyed upon their vulnerability."An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "There is no place in the ambulance service for any form of sexual harassment. We take allegations of sexual harassment and assault against our staff extremely seriously, and encourage anyone who experiences this to report it. "We have worked to encourage safe reporting of any unwanted sexual behaviour and introduced more senior involvement to manage investigations into allegations."But we need to do more to develop allyship among staff, to ensure that all colleagues identify and call out this kind of behaviour, so that it is not only victims who are expected to step forward but all colleagues at all levels." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
28-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
East of England Ambulance Service to boost jobs in three counties
An ambulance trust which covers the East of England says it is adding another 99 frontline staff. The East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) financial and operational plans for the next 12 months were agreed by health commissioners this week. The trust said the extra roles would be created in its emergency operations centres in Bedford, Chelmsford and Norwich. A spokesperson for the trust said: "This will help us answer 999 calls faster, and improve response times." In a report to health commissioners, the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board said EEAST would need the posts if it was to meet its "category two" call-out targets, which require an ambulance to arrive within 30 current average is 34 ambulance trust, which has 5,000 staff, said the extra roles created would include call handlers to answer 999 calls and staff for its Clinical Advice Service. The advice service would support patients over the phone, freeing up ambulances to respond to more urgent calls.A warning notice was served to EEAST by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) earlier this month. It was issued the notice due to multiple failures in several areas, including staffing levels and call wait emergency service was rated as "requires improvement" after its last inspection in the time of the notice being served, on 15 March, EEAST said it had made "rapid improvements". Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Warning notice served on NHS ambulance service
A warning notice has been served on the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST). The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued the notice for multiple failures in several areas, including staffing levels and call wait times. The emergency service was rated as "requires improvement" after its last inspection in 2022. The EEAST said it had made "rapid improvements". The ambulance service covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. When EEAST was last inspected, it was rated as "requires improvement" in four out of the five areas the inspectors considered. Its only "good" rating within those five was in relation to whether the trust provided services that were "caring". The CQC found the trust did not always: Have enough staff to keep people safe Keep mandatory training up to date Manage clinical waste well Meet agreed response times Ensure staff felt respected and valued Figures showed the response time for category one calls had deteriorated by almost 20% during the year, and only 21% of ambulances on category four calls were arriving within three hours. The CQC has now issued a warning notice under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 for "failing to meet requirements relating to staff training, staffing levels, investigation of controlled drug incidents, call wait times, the culture of the service and acting on information from staff to develop and improve the service". The CQC said its powers when a warning notice is issued included imposing conditions on the trust, or suspending or cancelling its registration. Failure to comply with the steps required by the CQC could constitute a criminal offence. The chief executive of the EEAST, Neill Moloney, said: "Our patients expect and deserve good quality care from us. I am sorry that the trust has not always met this expectation. "Following the CQC warning notice, we have made rapid improvements in the areas they identified, and we are determined to continue to improve our service to patients." He said the steps already taken included redesigning mandatory training requirements to be more effective, and strengthening control drug handling processes. The trust said it would continue working to improve the culture of the service. Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk. Change at the top for ambulance service New campaign helps ambulance staff tackle attacks Ambulance service declares highest alert level Ban lifted on ambulance trust's apprentice schemes Care Quality Commission East of England Ambulance Service
