The GoodSAM instant on-scene video technology is being implemented within the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation
Trust (SWASfT). Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has been chosen as a pilot site, to help shape its implementation within a critical care environment. This will assist in the remote decision making for critical care teams.

The technology is already in use within other areas of SWASfT for the remote assessment of 999 callers and by other air ambulances and emergency services within the UK and around the world. It allows a live video stream from the scene of an incident to be seen by our team at airbase, by remotely accessing the smartphone camera of the 999 caller with their permission. This is then shared and used to gather more information about the emergency, while also confirming the exact location of the caller. The system works on any smartphone and any network. Its use is entirely voluntary and all data is securely transmitted with end-to-end encryption and no video is recorded, so members of the public can be absolutely confident that their information is safe.

We plan to use the technology to enhance the clinical support we give to our colleagues and also facilitate our dispatch process. When our dispatchers in ambulance control are screening emergency calls and they feel further evaluation is needed, they will be able to call our critical care team who are able to make contact with the 999 caller. Using the video link, we can look at the scene of an emergency and make an early judgment on whether our team will be of benefit at the earliest time possible. The video link can also be shared between clinicians at the scene of an incident and our critical care team, allowing more precise clinical discussions to take place. We hope that the use of this technology will enhance communications and our dispatch process as a result.

We look forward to sharing more information with you on this exciting project in due course.