Month: March 2018

Thursday 29^th March 2018 – 1pm – Jamie Arrowsmith.

A woman and child have been treated by ambulance staff and taken to hospital with serious injuries following a collision between a lorry and pedestrians this morning.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to the junction of Lichfield Street and Princess Square in Wolverhampton at 11.02am and sent two ambulances, a paramedic officer, the Midlands Air Ambulance from Cosford and the West Midlands Care Team to the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “On arrival, crews discovered two patients, a woman and a young girl.

“The woman received specialist trauma care having suffered serious injuries in the incident. She was immobilised and given pain relief before being alerted in to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham by land ambulance.

“The girl was also treated for serious injuries before being transported to Birmingham Children’s Hospital by land ambulance.

“The driver of the lorry, a man, was treated for the effects of shock before being discharged at the scene.”

ENDS

Wednesday 28^th March 2018 – 8.35am – Jamie Arrowsmith.

A man who was trapped in his car and a van driver have both been taken to hospital after receiving treatment from ambulance staff at the scene of an RTC yesterday (Tuesday).

West Midlands Ambulance Service received a call at 5.44pm to Holly Lane in Wishaw, Sutton Coldfield, near to Moxhull Hall Hotel, and sent two ambulances, a paramedic officer, the Midlands Air Ambulance from Cosford and the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance to the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Crews arrived to find the car driver, a man in his 30s, trapped inside his vehicle because of his injuries.

“Ambulance staff immobilised him and continually assessed and monitored his condition whilst the fire service cut him free.

“He was treated for a pelvic injury and leg pain before being airlifted by the Midlands Air Ambulance from Cosford to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.

“The van had also collided with a tree in the incident. The driver, a man in his 50s, had managed to free himself and was treated for injuries to his face, as well as arm, hand and chest pain. He was given pain relief and transported to Heartlands Hospital by land hospital.”

ENDS

Monday 26^th March 2018 – 9.30am – Claire Brown.

A man’s life was saved by ambulance staff last night after he suffered a cardiac arrest in a two-car collision in Walsall.

West Midlands Ambulance Service received multiple 999 calls to the junction of Wednesbury Road and Corporation Street in Walsall at 9.45pm on Sunday. Two ambulances, a MERIT trauma doctor and a paramedic officer were sent to the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “The driver of one car, a man in his 50s, was in a serious condition when ambulance staff arrived. He was rapidly extricated from the vehicle in order for ambulance staff and the medic to stabilise his deteriorating condition. Whilst treating the man, he deteriorated further and suffered a cardiac arrest. The team worked quickly to provide advanced life support to the man and they successfully managed to restart his heart. The man was transferred by land ambulance on blue lights to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

“The driver of the second car, a woman in her 40s, sustained minor arm, back and abdominal injuries. She was taken to Walsall Manor Hospital for further assessment and treatment.”

ENDS

Monday 26^th March 2018 – 9.00am – Claire Brown.

A man has died and three other people were injured following a two car road traffic collision in Birmingham yesterday.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to reports of a serious collision on Brookvale Road, Witton at 8.15am on Sunday morning. Four ambulances, a paramedic officer, the Midlands Air Ambulance from Tatenhill and the Critical Care Car from The Air Ambulance Service with a doctor on board attended the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “When ambulance staff arrived they found two cars which had been involved in a serious collision with four patients requiring treatment. One man was in cardiac arrest and quickly received advanced life support on scene by ambulance staff and the doctor. Sadly, nothing could be done to save the man and he was confirmed dead on the scene.

“A 17-year-old boy and a 58-year-old man received advanced trauma care by ambulance staff and the medic after suffering serious injuries in the collision. Both were given pain relief and immobilised by the team before being taken by land ambulance on blue lights to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham for further emergency care.

“A 16-year-old girl was assessed and treated at the scene for less serious injuries before being taken to the same hospital.”

ENDS

Thursday 22nd April 2018 – 4.30pm – Jamie Arrowsmith.

An awards ceremony to honour members of the public from across the West Midlands who have gone beyond the call of duty to help save lives and support the work of West Midlands Ambulance Service’s 5,000 staff has taken place.

The event, sponsored by Zoll, Growers United, Cardiac Science and WEL Medical, took place at the Copthorne Hotel in Brierley Hill last Thursday (March 15^th), recognising the efforts of Community First Responders, St John Ambulance, other emergency services and other voluntary organisations, businesses and individuals.

Addressing the audience, West Midlands Ambulance Service Chief Executive Anthony Marsh said: “Our volunteers do a great job, saving saving lives across the West Midlands every single day, and I want to say a big thank you to all of you for your efforts.

“Every single volunteer plays a key role in making West Midlands Ambulance Service the success that it is and I am immensely proud of all of you for the effort you put in.

“There is an absolute determination within the Trust to improve further, and our volunteers will play an essential role in making sure that can happen.”

High Sheriff of the West Midlands, John Hudson OBE, who helped present some of the awards on the evening, said: “It is a great honour to be here this evening and it has inspired me to want to learn first aid, at the very least!

“There is so much expertise in the room tonight, so many acts of kindness and bravery and it is very humbling.

“You are doing the things that really count in society and we’ve heard many heartwarming stories this evening about things you have achieved to help people in their hour of need. I just want to say thank you very much indeed for what you do, you are all wonderful people.”

WMAS Chairman, Sir Graham Meldrum, added: “This is a very special event that allows us to recognise some very special people.

“The time that people give in volunteering can never be underestimated, even more so as we live in a society now, where people just don’t have free time.

“Here with us tonight, we have a group of people who are prepared to give up their free time, and give it to the people in the communities in which we serve. “We can never repay you for that, but I would just like to thank you all for what you do on a daily basis, year after year, your efforts are truly appreciated.

Ends

Award Citations:

Air Ambulance Award:

Claire Howatt, Thomas Merrimen, Marc Cutler, Aidan Brown, Matthew Harris (Drayton Manor), Josh Briggs (Drayton Manor)

A 999 call was made from Drayton Manor Park employee Josh Briggs after he found his 17-year-old colleague Ben Culfe in cardiac arrest.

With excellent support from the call taker, another Drayton Manor employee – Matthew Harris – commenced CPR whilst a second colleague fetched a defibrillator. Two shocks were delivered, which together with the CPR, ensured Ben’s heart had been successfully restarted before the first ambulance crew arrived. However, Ben was still in an agitated state as more resources arrived on scene, including Ian Jones and Karen Baker on the Midlands Air Ambulance from Staffordshire, just minutes after the initial 999 call.

Karen and Ian administered sedative drugs but unfortunately the medication did not have the desired effected.

Further support arrived in the shape of Dr Paul Dias on the Midlands Air Ambulance from Cosford who anaesthetised Ben in order to stabilise his condition before he was airlifted to Royal Stoke University Hospital. Thankfully, Ben went on to make a full recovery.

Air Ambulance Award:

Charlie Braid, Maggie Setterfield, Stuart Askew

Charlie Braid was at school in Hereford in a games lesson as part of his work experience when 15-year-old Ethan Askew suddenly collapsed in a cardiac arrest. Help arrived first in the shape of receptionist Maggie Setterfield who started doing chest compressions.  At the same time Ethan’s father Stuart, who also works at the school, arrived to the sight of his son having CPR.

While Stuart helped Maggie by providing rescue breaths, he remembered the school’s new defibrillator.  It had just delivered two shocks when the ambulance arrived and the crew took over; shortly after they discovered a pulse and CPR was ceased. Ethan was moved on to the air ambulance and flown to Bristol Hospital with Stuart also travelling.  There he was reunited with Ethan’s mum Georgia, who had been taken to hospital with a police escort.

Ethan had been sedated but within 48 hours was out of his induced coma and sitting up in bed talking!  I’m thrilled to say that Ethan has gone on to make a full recovery after a rare genetic narrowing of the left coronary artery had been operated on.

St John Ambulance

Curtis Molloy, Thomas Strachan

In April last year a large fire at a care home in Tamworth led to 25 residents having to be evacuated and rehoused. Curtis Molloy and Thomas Strachan were the first two St John volunteers to step forward and they helped to assist residents from the home in being relocated. They also volunteered their time to assist in the aforementioned winter weather and are always prepared to help, even with cases that are not in their locality.

Public and Other Emergency Services:

Sarah Cooper

Partners PC Stacie Ferran and PC Stefan Wolkowicz were both off duty and out enjoying a meal with their daughter in August 2017 when they were alerted to a fellow diner who had suffered a cardiac arrest.

Stacie and Stefan acted quickly and immediately began CPR whilst another bystander went to fetch a defibrillator. Thanks to their quick-thinking, a ROSC was achieved on arrival of the ambulance crew and the patient was conveyed to hospital having been given the very best chance of survival.

Public Commendation:

Gareth Williams and Daniel Moffat

A serious RTC on the A5 in South Staffordshire saw a car set on fire, with the driver still inside. Daniel Moffat and Gareth Williams were the first two people on scene and without a fire extinguisher to help, had no choice but to force the door open with any tools they could find and their bare hands, to drag the unresponsive woman out. Once clear of the car they quickly moved her as far away as possible before the arrival of ambulance staff, by which time the car was well ablaze. The Merit Doctor who attended the scene was clear that Daniel and Gareth’s actions saved the woman’s life that day, so we now ask them to step forward to be presented with their commendations.

Public Commendation:

Craig Nicholls and Mandy Banham

Robert Whissel and his wife Sheila were walking home from the newsagents in Barnt Green last March when Robert unexpectedly collapsed and fell to the pavement. With no previous cardiac history, this was obviously an alarming situation which later turned out to be caused by a complete heart blockage.

Luckily for Robert, bystanders Craig Nicholas and Mandy Banham were nearby and acted quickly to deliver vital first aid and CPR. Robert has now gone on to make a full recovery.

Community First Responders

Martin Hill, Bridgnorth CFR

Martin Hill has served Bridgnorth district as a CFR for 12 years. Throughout that time his incredible time commitment and clinical ability has meant that when a CFR is sent to a 999 call in the Bridgnorth District, it will usually be answered by him first. He has attended multiple cardiac arrests where his efforts to speed up the chain of survival have resulted in many ROSCs.

Martin provides fantastic assistance and service to WMAS and the community would be much worse off without his support and education he provides as a CFR. As a retired firefighter, Martin has dedicated his entire life to helping others,

Community First Responders

Fay Cooper, Rugeley and District CFRs

Fay Cooper is the founding member of Rugeley and District CFRs having actively recruited volunteers and set the group up as a charity.

Over the years, Fay has provided a constant level of responding hours, arranged fund-raising events, actively engaged the group within the community and helped to raise its profile – even during maternity leave!

Without Fay’s initial hard work and continued efforts behind the scenes, the group would not be in the strong position it finds itself in today, so please step forward to receive an award in recognition of your efforts.

CFR Volunteer of the Year

Ben East, FastAid CFR (pictured on press release)

CFR Ben East has shown a truly exceptional dedication to his Community, to West Midlands Ambulance Service and to his charity – FastAid. Last year, Ben spent over 1,500 hours booked on call and attended 236 emergency calls.

In addition, he is an Area Co-Ordinator for FastAid which involves mentoring, encouraging and supporting six team members. As a result of this, FastAid provided over 2,500 hours of on call cover for WMAS in 2017, attending more than 350 emergency calls. Ben is an extremely proactive member of the group and also supports his Community Response Manager by providing HeartStart courses in and around the region. Whenever the group acquires new transport, Ben has the skills to modify, equip and complete the necessary adaptations to the highest standard whilst also attending training sessions when there is a new intake of students.

Photographs of the above are available for download from http://www.flickr.com/photos/officialwmas/sets/

To download:

• Left-click on the appropriate gallery (defined by geographical area)
• Left-click on the appropriate thumbnail to reveal a full-size picture.
• Left-click on the download icon (downward pointing arrow to horizontal line) if present .From the resultant list of picture file sizes, select “original”. Select “Save” or “Save As”.
• If there is no download icon, right-click on the picture and select “Save Picture As”
• Please credit Emagica/WMAS

Thursday 22^nd March 2018 – 8.55am – Murray MacGregor.

A pedestrian has been taken on blue lights by ambulance to a major trauma centre after he was involved in a collision with a car.

The incident happened outside Farmfoods on Hazelwell Street in Birmingham at just after 6.30am this morning (Thursday).

A non-emergency Patient Transport Service ambulance crew came across the scene shortly after it had happened; they started to provide care and immobilised the man until the emergency ambulance arrived shortly afterwards.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “The car had suffered damage to the windscreen and also the ‘A’ pillar.

“The man, who was in his 50s, had head and leg injuries.  He was immobilised and had a pelvic binder put in place before he was taken on blue lights to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

“The car driver wasn’t injured.”

Ends

 

Wednesday 22^nd March 2018 – 4.30pm – Jamie Arrowsmith.

Heroic acts, incredible bravery and life-saving moments were all celebrated at West Midlands Ambulance Service’s Long Service and Excellence Awards last week.

The Trust’s annual ceremony, sponsored by University of Wolverhampton, J. Tomlinsons, OH Vehicle Conversions, Health Education England, University of Worcester, Coventry University, Staffordshire University, Dragonfly, Prometheus Medical LTD and G4S took place at the Copthorne Hotel in Brierely Hill on Thursday, 15^th March and saw a range of awards handed out including Long Service Medals and Chief Officer Commendations.

This year, 19 operational members of staff became eligible for their 20-year Long Service and Good Conduct Medal which were presented by the Vice Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands, Dr Beverley Lindsay OBE.

In addition, 15 staff were commended for 25 years service; 14 received certificates for 30 years service; three members of staff were honoured for 35 years in the Trust; whilst one member of staff was commended 40 years of service.

Trust Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh, said: “This ceremony allows myself and the Trust to say a really big thank you to our staff for everything they do to make West Midlands Ambulance Service the best ambulance service in the country.

“I fully recognise it is one big team effort from our 5,000 staff and 1,000 volunteers who respond to 4,000 999 calls every day, saving lives across the West Midlands. They all do a fantastic job and I am really proud of all of them.”

Vice Lord-Lieutenant, Dr Beverley Lindsay, added: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of those ambulance staff who have been honoured here today.

“Rewarding staff for their long service is a privilege for me. In a world where employees now move to new jobs and careers on average every five years, it is becoming increasingly rare to dedicate themselves to over 20 years of public service. We should be immensely proud of these people and the work that they do.”

Sir Graham Meldrum, Trust Chairman, added: “Every year is a year of scrutiny for the ambulance service, but the last 12 months it has been the case even more so, as the Trust has received so much fantastic television coverage.

“Throughout the programmes we have been involved with, there has been one constant theme – the care and compassion shown by our staff who give their best every single time they care for people in the community.

“Well done to all of our award winners and everyone within the service for once again making sure we have provided the very best level of patient care possible during the past 12 months.”

Awards:

Chief Officer’s Commendation:

Tom Cheal – Clinical Team Mentor, Erdington; Jas Nar – Paramedic, Aston;  Christopher Helm – Technician, Aston; Simon Wheatley – Student Paramedic, Erdington

If trekking in the Himalayas is your sort of thing, it is fair to assume that fitness sits quite high on your agenda. That is very much the case for John Simpson, who just a week after returning from his hiking adventure, was on an exercise bike at home, when he began to feel unwell. John managed to call 999 where Pam Hall was waiting to take his call. Pam offered advice and assistance on the line, at which the situation changed dramatically as John suffered a cardiac arrest. Two ambulances arrived at the scene and immediately began CPR as well as delivering a defibrillator shock. That shock proved enough to restart John’s heart.

He was rapidly transported to Heartlands hospital with crews continuing emergency treatment en-route. Once arrived he was passed over to the hospital staff and has gone on to make a full recovery.

Chief Officer’s Commendation:

Charles Grover – Student Paramedic, Coventry

Student Paramedic Charles Grover was out shopping with his family in Coventry when he heard a commotion. Looking up, he saw a mother calling for help and immediately ran over to assist. That is when he discovered a two-year-old child in cardiac arrest. Charles immediately began CPR whilst sending the security guard to fetch the defibrillator. Resus attempts continued until the defibrillator was brought to the scene. At this point, Charles delivered a shock and was then joined on the scene by arriving ambulance staff. Treatment continued en-route to hospital with a ROSC being achieved before arrival.

Chief Officer’s Commendation:

Helen Murphy – Patient Transport Service, Cheshire; Adam Ford – Patient Transport Service, Cheshire.

A patient transport vehicle running out of Warrington Hub was completing a regular transfer for a routine medical appointment when the situation escalated at a rapid rate. During the journey, PTS worker Helen Murphy noticed the patient had become unwell and upon immediate closer examination, discovered she had stopped breathing. Adam Ford, who was driving, immediately pulled over and jumped in the back to take over CPR from Helen, who began preparing the requisite equipment to administer emergency oxygen. Thanks to the quick and effective CPR, the patient soon began to breathe again. Both Helen and Adam worked to maintain the patient’s airway whilst waiting for the ambulance to arrive, during which time the patient soon became responsive and her breathing grew even stronger. Helen and Adam stayed calm and professional throughout and their actions undoubtedly played a hugely significant part in saving a life.

Chief Officer’s Commendation:

Rob Moore – Paramedic, Erdington.

With all of the difficulties ambulance staff face in their day-to-day working life, particularly with a continued increase in attacks and violence against emergency workers, Rob Moore felt it was time to try and shift the balance of the negative news always being reported. One night at home, he decided to try and get ambulance staff to tell the world about the nice things that happen too, at which, the ‘#bluelighthappy’ campaign began! The campaign received an incredible response, not only in the West Midlands, but nationwide as hundreds of good news stories started coming out, and the hashtag is still going strong today.

It led to Rob appearing on television three times, conducting multiple radio interviews and even receiving a message from the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt.

Chief Officer’s Commendation:

Kevin Armstrong – Paramedic, Stoke; Lisa Darby – Paramedic, Stoke; Tom Castle – Paramedic, Stoke; Simon Price – Operations Manager, Stoke.

To find one patient in cardiac arrest at a job must be an incredibly stressful station, so to turn up at a flat fire and find three patients not breathing, does not bare thinking about. But that it was happened to staff in Stoke when attending a flat fire, and to make the situation even more distressing, a small child and a baby were amongst the two patients. What followed was an incredible job from everyone at the scene, but also from EOC to make sure they got the required number of resources there as quickly as possible. Thanks to the professionalism of everyone involved, following emergency treatment at the scene, a ROSC was achieved on all three patients.

Chief Officer’s Commendation:

Rebecca Jones – Paramedic, Hollymoor; Louise Redding – Technician, Hollymoor; Aidan Brown – Paramedic, Erdington; James Williams – Operations Manager, Erdington; Dean Jenkins – Senior Operations Manager, Erdington; Danielle Byng – EOC, Brierley Hill; Jo Selman – EOC, Brierely Hill.

Shortly before Christmas, a hugely significant RTC in Birmingham City Centre led to multiple fatalities and numerous other patients having to be transported to hospital, some in a critical condition. Unsurprisingly, details are very sketchy in the early moments of calls of this nature and for the crews dispatched to the scene first, it was very difficult to picture what they were about to attend.

The first crew in attendance had no idea what a challenging scene they were to be faced with, but managed to complete a quick scene survey, noted seriously injured patients and gave a report back into control despite being under significant pressure. The information provided allowed EOC to escalate the response and attach numerous other ambulances and specialist resources to the case. At the scene, all staff involved, no matter of clinical grade or capability, did a fantastic job in attempting to preserve life along with making some difficult decisions regarding triage and treatment of severely Injured patients.

Outstanding Achievement:

Mark Hayes – Operations Manager, Lichfield

In a career spanning 22 years with the Trust, our Outstanding Achievement award winner has become a cult hero on television, undertaken endless amounts of charity work and become a very popular figure on the streets of Birmingham having worked there as a motorcycle paramedic for 16 years. Mark Hayes’ days on the motorbike not only saw him respond to calls within the confines of Birmingham City Centre on a daily basis, he also attended civic events, school road safety events and still to this day, attends Service Funerals as a motorcycle outrider. One of the biggest charity events Mark takes part in is Bike4Life in Shropshire, an event that this year alone raised more than £70,000 for Midlands Air Ambulance. He also supports Jumbo UK – an organisation that takes disabled children out for the day, with the mode of transport being trikes or motorbikes with sidecars. Mark now spends his days responding on four wheels as he has been successful in securing the position of Operations Manager at Lichfield. This has provided him with a whole new set of challenges, but despite that, he has managed to continue his charity fund-raising as well as giving educational talks to the public wherever possible.

The Peter Murtagh Inspirational Award:

James Williams – Operations Manager, Erdington

James Williams is someone who has a vast array of qualities, possibly the best of which is that of being a team player – something which will become very evident throughout the next couple of minutes. An experienced Operations Manager, James is always available to provide valuable experience, expertise and insight to colleagues and staff. He leads by example and maintains high standards in whatever he is required to do. He boasts excellent communication skills and is always approachable and honest. As and when required, he has acted up to Assistant Operations Manager level, something which has enabled him to demonstrate his leadership and management skills.

His skills and leadership qualities were never demonstrated better than at the tragic RTC in Birmingham just before Christmas. Managers who attended the scene reported how he controlled a very difficult set of circumstances professionally and ensured patients were being prioritised and treated appropriately.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

Pictured: 20-Year Long Service Medal recipient Christopher Costin with Vice Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands, Dr Beverley Linday OBE, and WMAS Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Marsh.

Photographs of the above are available for download from http://www.flickr.com/photos/officialwmas/sets/

To download:

• Left-click on the appropriate gallery (defined by geographical area)
• Left-click on the appropriate thumbnail to reveal a full-size picture.
• Left-click on the download icon (downward pointing arrow to horizontal line) if present .From the resultant list of picture file sizes, select “original”. Select “Save” or “Save As”.
• If there is no download icon, right-click on the picture and select “Save Picture As”
• Please credit Emagica Photography/WMAS

 

Friday 16^th March 2018 – 2.10pm – Jamie Arrowsmith.

Two people have been taken to hospital, one of them by air ambulance, following a collision involving a lorry, a coach and a car this morning.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to the northbound A38 in Barton under Needwood, near Burton-on-Trent, shortly before 11.35am and sent two ambulances, a paramedic officer and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Staffordshire to the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Crews arrived to find three vehicles that had been in collision, all of which contained a single occupant.

“The most seriously injured patient was the coach driver, who was trapped inside as a result of the collision.

“Ambulance crews carefully monitored and assessed the man, believed to be in his 30s, whilst he was cut free by the fire service.

“He was treated for suspected leg and pelvic injuries, immobilised and airlifted to Royal Stoke University Hospital.

“The car driver, a man thought to be in his 50s, managed to get himself out and was treated for a chest injury before being taken to Queens Hospital, Burton.

“The lorry driver, a man, was uninjured in the incident.”

Ends

Notes to Editors: If used, please credit the images to West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Friday 16^th March 2018 – 12pm – Jamie Arrowsmith.

A man has died and a woman has been taken to hospital following a two-car road traffic collision this morning.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to the A422 between Kington and Inkberrow in Worcestershire, shortly after 7.35am. Two ambulances, a paramedic officer, the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance Critical Care Car and the Great Western Air Ambulance attended the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “On arrival, crews discovered two patients, one in each vehicle.

“A man in cardiac arrest was still inside one of the cars, with CPR having been commenced by off-duty medics.

“Ambulance staff helped move the man out of the car, continuing emergency treatment throughout. CPR continued as well as advanced life support being administered.

“However, sadly it became apparent nothing could be done to save the man and he was confirmed deceased.

“From the second car, crews treated a woman, believed to be in her 40s, for chest and back pain. She was immobilised and given pain relief before being transported to Worcester Royal Hospital by land ambulance.”

Ends

Wednesday 14^th March 2018 – 5.30pm – Claire Brown.

A boy received trauma care by ambulance staff before being airlifted to hospital following a collision with a car in Birmingham this afternoon.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to reports of a pedestrian who had been involved in an RTC with a car near to the junction of Ragnall Avenue and The Radleys, Sheldon shortly after 3.30pm (Wednesday). Two ambulances, a paramedic officer and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Cosford with a MERIT trauma doctor on board attended the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “Crews arrived to find a boy who had sustained serious head and leg injuries. He was given trauma care at the scene by the team of ambulance staff before being airlifted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital for further specialist care.”

ENDS

Friday 9^th March 2018 – 11.20am – Claire Brown.

A woman received trauma care at the scene of a two car RTC in Bewdley last night.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to the junction of the A456 and the B4194, Ribbesford, Bewdley at around 5.15pm (Thursday). An ambulance, a paramedic officer and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Cosford with a MERIT trauma doctor on board attended the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “Crews arrived to find two cars which had been involved in a serious RTC. The driver of one car, a woman, had been pulled from the wreckage prior to the emergency services arrival by passers-by.

“Ambulance staff assessed the woman who was found to have sustained a suspected head injury and was in a serious condition. She was given advanced pain relief to help stabilise her condition before being immobilised and transferred by land ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham for further emergency treatment.”

ENDS

 

Thursday 8^th March 2018 – 11.10am – Jamie Arrowsmith.

A family of eight have been treated at the scene of a house fire and taken to hospital this morning, but fortunately they all appear to have escaped serious injury.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to Madison Street in Tunstall at 7.05am this morning and sent three ambulances and a paramedic officer to the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Crews arrived to find two patients already out of the property with a further six being assisted out by the fire service.

“Ambulance staff assessed four women, two men and a boy and a girl who had all suffered smoke inhalation.

“Following treatment at the scene, they were all transported to Royal Stoke University Hospital for further assessment.”

Ends

Tuesday 6^th March 2018 – 11.45am – Murray MacGregor.

West Midlands Ambulance Service has experienced its busiest day ever.

Yesterday, demand spiked to a new high with emergency call numbers topping out at 5,001; this is the first time it has ever reached the 5,000 mark.  As you can see in the graph above demand was higher than what would have been expected from 7 o’clock in the morning onwards.

To put this into context, the next busiest day, 1^st January 2017 only saw 4,628 calls, some 373 calls less.  New Years Day is traditionally the busiest day of the year.

However, what is also of concern is that Sunday 4^th March was the third busiest day ever, with 4,451 emergency calls received.

Trust Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh, said: “These are unprecedented call numbers; astonishingly, demand was almost 20% higher than we would have expected.

“It is a huge concern that so many people have seemingly ignored other NHS services and felt the need to dial 999.

“An increase in cases due to the snow was expected but the fact that call numbers have spiked upwards so sharply since that period is very worrying.

“We will be looking into the cases to try and work out whether there are any patterns or reasons behind such rises.

“Due to the snow, we had already put considerably more resources on duty than we would normally have done at this time, yet this was still not enough to deal with all of the cases in a timely manner.  For this I am sorry.

“Although we were able to resource all of the most serious incidents, unfortunately, some patients with less serious conditions did wait much longer than we would have wanted.

“I would like to place on record my thanks to the staff who have worked tirelessly over recent days, regularly going above and beyond what could reasonably have been expected to ensure patients got the care they needed.  Many staff volunteered to do additional overtime shifts, while others stayed late or started earlier to help out.

“Whether it is staff in our control rooms, on the frontline, maintaining and servicing the vehicles, ensuring consumables got through to hubs despite the weather; each member of my staff has done everything possible to ensure patient care was maintained at the highest level.

“I would also like to thank the many volunteers such as our community first responders, 4×4 organisations and members of the public who have helped us over recent days.  The sense of community has been extraordinary; seeing such generosity shows just how ‘Great’, Britain really is.”

Ends

Monday 5^th March 2018 – 12.15pm – Jamie Arrowsmith.

A man has died despite the best efforts of ambulance staff and bystanders following a collision between a car and a lorry this morning.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to the A4103 in Storridge, Herefordshire, near to Millbank Garage, just before 7.55am. One ambulance, a paramedic officer and two MARS doctors attended the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Crews arrived to find the car driver, a man, in cardiac arrest.

“Bystanders had already commenced CPR which ambulance staff continued as well as administering advanced life support.

“However, sadly it became apparent that nothing could be done to save him and he was confirmed dead at the scene.

“The driver of the lorry, a man, was uninjured in the incident and was discharged at the scene following assessment from ambulance staff.”

Ends

(MARS is the Mercia Accident Rescue Service, a charitable organisation)

(Library picture)

With it being really cold with lots of snow and ice, please consider whether you really need to go out and about.  If you do, there are a few things you can do to stay safe and avoid having to call 999:

• Make sure that you’re well prepared by wearing plenty of clothes; wear lots of layers as this will be more effective at keeping you warm, rather than one big coat.
• Put on gloves, a warm hat or put your hood up as we lose lots of heat through our head.
• Wear sensible shoes with a good grip on the sole – surfaces will bee slippery and the last thing you want is to fall and hurt yourself
• Could you help an elderly neighbour or relative so that they don’t need to go out in this weather – they are at a much higher risk of falling and hurting themselves badly

We’re expecting to be really busy, so please, help us to help you by keeping yourself warm and safe.