Names:
Kelly Nock and Dean Evans
Job Title:
Kelly – Emergency Medical Technician
Dean – Emergency Care Assistant
Base:
Dudley Ambulance Hub, Burton Road, Dudley
Length of service
10 years
Role within WMAS:
Working as an ambulance crew, we respond to 999 calls. Our job is to assess the patient, to work out the best course of action and then give appropriate care and treatment. We will make decisions about where patients should receive further treatment. This could be in A&E, at a Walk-in Centre, Urgent Care Centre, a visit by a nurse or GP or at home with some simple self-care advice. Every time we treat a patient, we record everything we’ve found out about the patient during our assessments on a confidential patient report form (PRF). If the patient is taken to hospital the PRF is handed into hospital staff. The PRF is a concise log of what the ambulance crew have established what’s wrong with the patient and the treatment given. Our main aim is to ultimately maintain life. We also try to make patients smile and comfort family members.
Christmas day plans:
Kelly – It’s my first Christmas off in four years and I am very excited. If I’ve been a good girl I’ll be opening lots of presents and then enjoying some quality family time, over indulging on nice food and helping my nephews play with their new toys.
Dean – I worked Christmas last year and have managed to get this year off. I’m going to the inlaws for Christmas Day. It’ll be nice to watch the children open their presents, enjoy a home cooked Christmas dinner and have a few beers.
Top tip for winter: Avoid spreading Norovirus
The last thing anyone wants to do is give a loved one a present that they are unlikely to thank them for; the gift of Norovirus. Sometimes known as the winter vomiting, it is the most common stomach bug and affects people of all ages. Each year, it spreads through hospitals leading to visiting being stopped. However, what the public often don’t realise is that it is them who have spread it. Only last year, one hospital in the region stopped a visitor in the nick of time as they promptly threw up over the floor of reception. If you have the bug, don’t visit friends or relatives in hospitals or residential care as you could put vulnerable people at risk. The virus can survive for lengthy periods. The most effective way to tackle it is good hand-hygiene, especially after using the toilet. The symptoms last for 12 to 60 hours and most people make a full recovery within 1-2 days. It is important to drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids to prevent dehydration but there are no long-term effects. We often see people dialing 999 with the condition but sadly there is nothing that we can do to help other than provide advice; equally, don’t visit your GP or local A&E Unit unless absolutely necessary.