Murray MacGregor – Monday 28th June 2021 – 10.10am.
A woman motorcyclist has suffered serious injuries after a collision with a car on the southbound M5.
It happened on the southbound carriageway between junctions five and six near Oddingley in Worcestershire at around 5.30pm on Friday afternoon.
An ambulance, a paramedic officer, the Midlands Air Ambulance Critical Care Car from Worcester and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Strensham were sent to the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman, said: “On arrival, ambulance staff found the middle aged woman on the carriageway with serious multiple injuries.
She was treated at the scene, before the air ambulance, which had initially landed in a field next to the motorway was repositioned onto the northbound carriageway.
“The woman was then airlifted to the major trauma centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham where medics were on standby to receive her.
Murray MacGregor – Monday 28th June 2021 – 9.00am.
A motorcyclist has died after a collision involving a motorcycle, a quad bike and a car.
It happened on Birmingham Road in West Bromwich at around 9.45pm last night (Sunday) close to the Screwfix store and not far from the West Bromwich Albion ground.
Three ambulances, a paramedic officer and the MERIT Trauma doctor and critical care paramedic were sent to the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “On arrival, ambulance staff found an off-duty A&E doctor carrying out resuscitation to the rider from the motorcycle.
Ambulance staff immediately took over and provided advanced life support but sadly, it wasn’t possible to save the man and he was confirmed dead at the scene.
A woman passenger from the car involved was also assessed but was discharged on scene with advice.
Jordan Eggington – Friday 25th June 2021 – 10.30am.
A motorcyclist has been taken to a Major Trauma Centre by the air ambulance after an RTC in Shropshire last night.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called at 6:41pm to reports of a collision involving a motorcyclist and car on Steel Road in the Tilstock area of Whitchurch. One ambulance, a paramedic officer and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Tatenhill with two critical care paramedics onboard, attended.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “On arrival, crews found the motorcyclist, a man, who’d been involved in a collision.
“He was treated for serious injuries at the scene before being conveyed via air ambulance to Royal Stoke University Hospital for further treatment.”
One person has died and four others were taken to hospital following a road traffic collision in Pelsall last night.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called at 11:54pm to reports of collision involving two cars at the junction of Norton Road and Wolverhampton Road. We sent five ambulances, two paramedic officers, a MERIT trauma doctor and a HART paramedic to the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “On arrival, crews found five patients from the two cars. One of whom, a man, was found to have suffered serious injuries in the incident. He received specialist trauma care but unfortunately, despite the best efforts of ambulance staff, nothing could be done to save him and he was confirmed dead at the scene.”
The second patient, a man, had suffered serious injuries, he was assessed and given trauma care on scene and was conveyed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham by land ambulance, on blue lights and sirens.
“A third man was treated for potentially serious injuries whilst two more were treated for injuries not believed to be serious. All three were transported to Walsall Manor Hospital for further treatment.”
Jamie Arrowsmith – Monday 21st June 2021 – 11.05am
Two patients had to be rescued from a river by the Trust’s Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) yesterday, eventually being brought to safety on a raft.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called at 4.23pm to reports of two patients who had come into difficulty in the water near to Lichfield Street, Tamworth. As well as HART, one ambulance and two paramedic officers were also deployed to the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “When ambulance staff arrive it became evident there were two patients, both male, who had become stranded on a bank on the opposite side of the river.
“Once it became apparent it was not possible to access the patients by foot, members of HART, who are specially trained in water rescue, deployed their raft and brought the patients to safety one at a time.
“One of the men was treated for injuries not believed to be serious before being taken to Good Hope Hospital, whilst the second patient was discharged at the scene.”
A man has been airlifted to hospital following an incident in Lichfield this morning.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called at 10.15am to Swinfen Hall Hotel in Lichfield. Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) paramedics, an ambulance, two paramedic officers and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Tatenhill, with two critical care paramedics on board, attended the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “Crews arrived to find a man who had reportedly fallen from a ladder and had suffered serious injuries.
“He received trauma care on scene before being airlifted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham for further treatment.”
A cyclist has tragically died following an incident with a lorry in Nuneaton this morning.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called at 6:30am to the junction of Bull Ring and Harmony Court. An ambulance, two paramedic officers, and a critical care care from The Air Ambulance Service with a paramedic doctor on board attended the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “When ambulance crews arrived they discovered the cyclist, a man, who had suffered serious injuries in the incident.
“Unfortunately, it became apparent nothing could be done to save him, and he was confirmed dead at the scene.”
A woman who suffered a cardiac arrest in the street was given the best possible chance of survival by members of the public and ambulance crews in Brierley Hill this morning.
West Midlands Ambulance Service received a 999 call reporting a woman had collapsed and was in cardiac arrest outside a butchers in the Moor Centre, off High Street in Brierley Hill at 10.50am this morning (Thursday). Two ambulances, a non-emergency PTS ambulance, a paramedic officer and a critical care paramedic attended the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “When crews arrived they found a woman in cardiac arrest with bystanders performing excellent CPR. A community public access defibrillator was also being used to administer a shock to the woman’s heart. Ambulance staff continued resuscitation efforts at the scene and managed to restart the woman’s heart. The woman, who was in a critical condition, was quickly conveyed on blue lights to Russells Hall Hospital for further emergency care.
“Thank you to the members of the public for their quick thinking, performing excellent CPR and for assisting our crews at the scene. Their actions will have given this lady the best possible chance of survival.”
A motorcyclist sadly died in a road traffic collision in Lichfield last night despite the best efforts of everyone at the scene.
West Midlands Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 7.28pm reporting a collision involving a car and a motorcyclist at the junction of Grange Lane and Eastern Avenue, Lichfield (Wednesday). Two ambulances and a paramedic officer from nearby Lichfield hub were on scene within four minutes of the 999 call and were quickly joined by a MERIT trauma doctor and critical care paramedic as well as the Midlands Air Ambulance from Tatenhill with two further critical care paramedics on board.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “When ambulance staff arrived at the scene of the collision, they found bystanders performing excellent CPR on a man, the motorcyclist, who was in a critical condition.
“The team of ambulance staff quickly took over treatment and commenced advanced life support. Tragically, despite the very best efforts of WMAS and bystanders, they were unable to save the man’s life and he was confirmed deceased on scene a short time later.”
Jamie Arrowsmith – Monday 14th June 2021 – 8.35am.
Three people required treatment from ambulance staff before being taken to hospital after a car overturned and crashed into a bus stop last night (Sunday).
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to Woodgate Lane, Birmingham, at 8:59pm and sent three ambulances, two paramedic officers, the Trust’s Hazardous Area Response Team and a MERIT trauma doctor to the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “On arrival, crews discovered a single car that had suffered significant damage after overturning and colliding with a bus stop, resulting in three male patients, all of whom were from the car.
“Two of the patients were treated for serious injuries before being taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, on blue lights and sirens. The third patient was treated for potentially serious injuries before being taken to the same hospital.”
Jordan Eggington – Thursday 10th June 2021 – 9.30am.
A woman’s been conveyed to hospital on blue lights and sirens after a single car RTC rollover in Birmingham last night.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called at 8:51pm to reports of the incident on Harborne Park Road in the Harborne area of the city. Two ambulances, three paramedic officers and the MERIT trauma doctor and critical care paramedic attended the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “Crews arrived at the scene to find a woman, believed to be the driver of the car, trapped in the vehicle.
“Staff worked with colleagues from the fire service to safely extricate the woman so that a full assessment of the patient could be carried out.
“She was treated for potentially serious injuries at the scene before being conveyed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, with the MERIT trauma team continuing treatment on route.”
Jamie Arrowsmith – Friday 4th June 2021 – 10.50am.
A motorcyclist has suffered a serious injury following a collision with a lorry this morning.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to the junction of the A5 and Lodge Lane in Cannock at 7.21am and sent one ambulance, a paramedic officer and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Cosford, with a doctor on board, to the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Crews arrived to discover one patient, a man, who was the motorcyclist.
“He had a suffered a serious injury in the collision, not believed to be life-threatening. Following treatment at the scene, the man was transported to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, by land ambulance.
“The lorry driver, a man, was uninjured in the incident.”
A motorcyclist has died following a collision with a car overnight.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to Stratford Road, Sparkbrook, Birmingham at 12.33am and sent one ambulance, a paramedic officer and a MERIT trauma doctor to the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “On arrival we discovered one patient, a teenage male, who was the motorcyclist. He was found to have serious injuries and received specialist trauma care at the scene before being taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.
“Unfortunately, after arrival at hospital it became apparent nothing could be done to save the patient, and he was confirmed deceased.”
West Midlands Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident, or has dash-cam footage, to contact them via Live Chat at https://west-midlands.police.uk or by calling 101 and quoting log 117 from 4 June.
Murray MacGregor – Thursday 3rd June 2021 – 11.20am.
A pedestrian has suffered potentially serious injuries after a collision with a lorry.
The incident happened on Warren Lane in Branston, Staffordshire at just before 9.00am this morning, Thursday.
An ambulance, a paramedic officer and two air ambulances (Midlands Air Ambulance from Staffordshire and the Derbyshire Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance) were sent to the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Initial reports suggested that the pedestrian was in a serious condition.
“The man was quickly taken on board the ambulance where he was fully assessed by the ambulance staff on scene.
“After treatment, he was taken by road ambulance to the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham, a major trauma centre, with the doctor and critical care paramedic from the DLRAA aircraft travelling on board.
“The man driving the lorry was shaken but otherwise unhurt.”
A van driver has sadly died and two other people have been injured in a road traffic collision in Herefordshire this morning.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called at 11.09am earlier today to the junction of the B4203 and B4204, Upper Sapey to reports of a collision involving a car and a van. Two ambulances, a community first responder, a paramedic officer and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Strensham with a MERIT trauma doctor and critical care paramedic on board attended the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “When ambulance crews arrived at the scene, they found a van on it’s side with two occupants trapped inside. The driver of the van, a man, was being given CPR by police colleagues and bystanders. Ambulance crews quickly took over resuscitation efforts but sadly, despite the best efforts of everyone, nothing could be done to save the man and he was confirmed dead on scene a short time later.
“The passenger in the van, a man, sustained non-serious injuries. Ambulance crews had assistance from the fire service to extricate him safely from the vehicle. Once released, the man was conveyed to Worcestershire Royal Hospital for further checks.
“The driver of the car, a woman, was out of the vehicle and upon assessment was found to have sustained injuries not thought to be serious. She was given treatment on scene before being conveyed to the same hospital for further care.”
Murray MacGregor – Wednesday 2nd June 2021 – 6.00am.
West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) is to roll out body cameras for all frontline emergency staff after over 1,100 were assaulted last year.
In total, 1,162 physical attacks were recorded on WMAS staff last year (2020-21), with a further 2,181 cases of verbal abuse.
The shocking figures are made even worse by the rate of increase in attacks over the last five years. Physical attacks have risen by over 60% in that period while verbal assaults have more than doubled.
Funding of almost a million pounds from NHS England has allowed the Trust to purchase 1,288 cameras which will be sufficient for each frontline ambulance crew member to wear one.
WMAS ran a pilot using 30 cameras in the autumn of 2019 which fed into the decision by NHS England to roll the cameras out across the country. In over 36,000 hours of use, there were only three activations by staff, and only one of those related to violence.
Trust Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh, said: “The safety of my staff is of paramount importance to me. If they are injured, they are not available to respond to patients.
“The cameras will allow staff to record incidents where they feel at risk with any recordings being able to be given in evidence should an actual assault occur.
“Hopefully, they will never have to be used, but if they are, the evidence will hopefully increase the rate of successful prosecutions and subsequent sentencing. All too often my staff feel let down by the judicial system and this important step will help to redress that situation.”
All ambulance staff will be able to wear the cameras while they are on shift. They do not record all of the time and are instead switched on by the member of staff if patients or the public became aggressive or abusive. Once the device is recording, it will display red lights to show that it is recording.
In 2017, Paramedic Neil Vann from Coventry was knocked unconscious by a patient who he was trying to help. The man was subsequently jailed for six months, but Neil says having the camaras might have made the situation very different: “The cameras are there to protect us in case things turn nasty. I hope I never have to switch it on, but given what happened to me, it is nice to know that I have the chance to record what happened so that a court can see.
“The vast majority of people probably won’t know they are even there – they won’t be switched on in 99.9% of occasions, but they are there just in case. I feel sure that had I had a camera when I was assaulted, my assailant might have thought twice about attacking me.”
Bee Knight who is based at Shrewsbury Hub, added: “When I was attacked in May last year, I suffered a wrist injury that left me in plaster for 10 days and a brace for five weeks. That was seven weeks that I wasn’t able to help patients during the COVID-19 pandemic when we needed every member of staff available.
“Having been through that, having a camera that I could switch on would make me feel much safer. It would allow a court to see the actions of the offender and judge for themselves what happened.”
Senior Operations Manager, Graeme Jones, ran the Trust’s pilot project in 2019. He said: “The staff involved in the initial trial reported that the cameras made them feel safer and were useful in de-escalating situations where a patient or member of the public started to become aggressive; just saying that they were going to turn on the camera often calmed situations down very rapidly.
“The fact that after hundreds of shifts we hadn’t caught any footage is probably the best result we could have hoped for; clearly it is much better for people not to be hurt than for us to have to use footage as part of a prosecution.”
Prerana Isaar, Chief People Officer for the NHS, said: “Every member of our dedicated and hardworking NHS staff has the fundamental right to be safe at work and it is our priority to eliminate violence and abuse, which we will not tolerate.
“As well as reducing the number of incidents towards our staff, these cameras are a vital step towards ensuring our people feel safe too.”
Statistics showing the rise in violence against staff:
A cyclist received trauma care from ambulance staff following a collision with a car this morning in Stoke-on-Trent.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to the junction of Campbell Road and the A500 at 6.06am today (Tuesday). Two ambulances, a paramedic officer and a BASICS emergency doctor attended the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “When ambulance crews arrived at the scene they found a cyclist, a man, in a serious condition following a collision with a car. The man was given trauma care on scene to help stabilise his condition before he was taken on blue lights to Royal Stoke University Hospital for further emergency care.”
A teenage boy has sadly died following a stabbing in Birmingham last night.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to College Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham at 7.35pm (Monday). Two ambulances, a paramedic officer and a MERIT Trauma doctor and critical care paramedic attended the scene and arrived within five minutes of the 999 call.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “Crews arrived to find a teenage boy in a critical condition following a stabbing. The team of ambulance staff worked together to administer advanced life support at the scene. Tragically, despite their best efforts, nothing could be done to save the boy and he was confirmed dead at the scene a short time later.
“West Midlands Police have launched a murder investigation and are appealing for anyone who can help with the investigation to contact them urgently via Live Chat on www.west-midlands.police.uk or by calling 101 quoting log 3313 of 31/5. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
Jordan Eggington – Tuesday 1st June 2021 – 9.00am.
“The past 12 months have been extraordinarily challenging, but it has been the strength, dedication and resilience of our volunteers and staff that has ensured we have continued to deliver the best patient care, in the safest possible way.”
Anthony Marsh, Trust Chief Executive
During an exceptionally difficult year, people from all walks of life around the region have taken the time to volunteer and in doing so, have made a huge difference to those within their communities. We want to take the time to pay tribute to them this National Volunteers Week.
Anthony Marsh, Trust Chief Executive, said: “On behalf of everyone at West Midlands Ambulance Service, I want to firstly thank those of you who have given up your spare time to help the Trust. Hundreds have stepped forward and continued to assist WMAS during what has been the toughest year for the NHS. From our Community First Responders (CFRs) to the volunteer 4×4 response drivers and PTS volunteers, all of your efforts have been extremely appreciated and have not gone unnoticed. The past 12 months have been extraordinarily challenging, but it has been the strength, dedication and resilience of our volunteers and staff that has ensured we have continued to deliver the best patient care, in the safest possible way. I would also like to pay tribute to the work of our Trust Governors, volunteer medics and volunteer car drivers who have all continued to support us throughout the pandemic.”
The Trust recently recruited 195 new CFRs who are currently undertaking training and ‘buddy shifts’ to get them ready to head out on the road. After this mass recruitment drive, the Trust is very lucky to have 373 Community First Responders willing to volunteer their free time in order to assist operational frontline staff and patients, in the event of a life-threatening emergency.
Ben East – Sutton Coldfield CFR
Another area within the Trust where volunteers generously give up their time, is within the Patient Transport Service (PTS). Within the West Midlands region, we currently have eight volunteers who are used to transport walking patients to and from hospitals; these tend to be renal and oncology patients. Within the Cheshire PTS area, 14 volunteers assist the Trust in this capacity.
There are external volunteers groups which WMAS also works alongside of, including the British Association for Immediate Care (BASIC) schemes and St John Ambulance. Another group of volunteers who have proved absolutely invaluable during the pandemic year have been the 4×4 response teams, such as Midland Rover Owners Club 4×4 Response Group and West Midlands 4×4 Response Group, who assisted in getting staff to and from work during the heavy snow in January. They also helped transport PPE and essential equipment around the region when demand was high.
Ian Antill, from MROC 4×4 Response Group, said: “Us delivery drivers generally had a few cardboard boxes as well as cages with PPE and cleaning materials which we collected from Stores in Aldridge. We also delivered (and collected) general post to locations visited, and occasionally the life-saving machines the paramedics use called Zolls. These and some of the more important paperwork e.g. ID cards, required a signature from the site boss or deputy. Uniforms were another frequent item for delivery or return. All the WMAS staff I encountered were invariably friendly and helpful. One ambulance man noticed my LR hat and we got into a (distanced) chat – he was on his 13th LR of all varieties – a real enthusiast. He was very appreciative of our 4×4 Response Group and our volunteering efforts.”
This National Volunteers Week, we encourage you to thank and sing the praises of the volunteers in your area by using the hashtag #VolunteersWeek.
