NHS Resolution in collaboration with Weightmans and Hill Dickinson hosted a safety and learning event specifically for ambulance trusts. The purpose of the event was to focus on the safety and support of frontline ambulance staff including paramedics, technicians and call centre staff.
There were a variety of expert health and legal speakers from NHS Resolution, Weightmans, NHS England, NHS Improvement, NHS Employers, Unison, London Ambulance Service, North East Ambulance Service, East Midlands Ambulance Service and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.
The topics presented and discussed included:
- Themes of assault and stress claims in ambulance trusts, support from the Safety and Learning team at NHS Resolution and utilising the scorecards effectively.
- The law and the new Bill progressing through Parliament that will increase the penalty for assaulting emergency workers, including NHS staff.
- Issues, such as assaults; moving and handling; equipment; bullying cultures; assessing and managing risk; staff safety and support.
- A paramedic and a technician will share their experiences of being assaulted whilst executing their duties.
- Collaborative partnerships to reduce violence and aggression against ambulance staff.
- The mental impact of the pressure of working as a first responder and how organisations can support staff.
- The work undertaken by NHS England and NHS Improvement as directed by the Department of Health and Social Care.
- An interactive panel debate.
- Workshops of smaller delegate groups will generate conversations of sharing good practices, such as Trauma Risk Management (TRiM); implementing a just culture and NHS Employer’s online ambulance specific resource to support ambulance staff: Head First.
- Feedback from an ambulance trust who have recently completed a pilot of using body worn cameras to mitigate the risk of violence and aggression towards ambulance frontline staff and reduce the incidence of assault.
- The importance of having a good incident reporting culture and how one ambulance trust overcame the issues around ambulance crews reporting incidents ‘on the road’.
Around 60 delegates attended the event and all ten ambulance trusts in England were represented from a managerial, risk, security, human resources and frontline perspective.
