Team WAST win big at national awards ceremony
THE WELSH Ambulance Service has won several coveted awards.
Last month, staff from the Welsh Ambulance Service attended Navigator UK, the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) premier conference held in Cardiff.
The conference, which was opened by the Trust's Chief Executive, Jason Killens provided an opportunity for ambulance services across the UK to recognise success, learn from each other, and build connections with other organisations.
At the event, the Welsh Ambulance Service won multiple awards, the first going to Kelly Hawkes, an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Call Handler who was awarded the UK Emergency Medical Dispatcher of the Year.
Kelly, who is located in North Wales was nominated for the award after she helped an unexpected teenager give birth.
She managed to talk the new Mum, and the patient’s neighbour who she had just met, through each of the steps calmly, enabling a successful delivery of the baby.
Tom Bloomfield was our next awards recipient, this time in the category of UK Clinician of the Year.
A remote Paramedic for the Clinical Support Desk in Llangunnor, Tom was nominated for clinical excellence when triaging patients in a remote clinical setting, and contributions to clinical excellence in the service through his work as a Practice Educator.
For the first time ever in the UK and only the fifth Ambulance Service internationally, the Trust's Clinical Support Desk was accredited as a Centre of Excellence for Emergency Communications Nurse System (ECNS) in remote clinical triage.
The Trust also achieved re-accreditation as a Centre of Excellence for Medical Priority Dispatch Systems (MPDS), emphasising our commitment to excellence in primary triage.
With accreditation in both areas of remote telephone assessment, the Trust is now a dual accredited organisation with the IAED.
Andy Garner, Service Manager for Operations Quality, said: “The Emergency Dispatch Quality Improvement Manager and wider team have worked closely with colleagues across EMS Coordination and Operations Quality to ensure the Trust remains an accredited centre of Excellence.
“The commitment to quality of all those involved in the reaccreditation process for MPDS has been key to achieving this and I am extremely proud of the achievements of the whole team.”
Stephen Clinton, Assistant Director of Operations for Integrated Care, said: “Thanks to the evidence of the quality of our clinical teams in the Clinical Support Desk we were able to be the first ambulance service in the UK to use ECNS in the remote telephone triage environment.
“Since its introduction in 2022 our CSD Clinicians have shown their excellence in remote clinical triage and that has been recognised here with this award.
“I am extremely proud of our team of clinicians and practice educators and their commitment to getting the right outcomes for patients and avoiding unnecessary journeys by ambulance to the emergency department.”
