Once a person is recognised to be severely injured or very ill, the health system needs to activate critical care resources in a timely and accurate fashion. We have a key role in helping to improve this tasking activity, as the potential to substantially improve patient care is significant.

Our critical care team continue to develop the extremely important domain of decision support, how we are tasked and the advice they provide to their colleagues, both internally and externally. Last year, they provided decision making support for South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASfT) ambulance crews by phone or by radio communications for 54 incidents. Two of our team also staff the SWASfT trauma and cardiac arrest support telephone line.

Further progress is being made with regards to the GoodSAM instant on-scene video technology. Over the past few months our clinicians have been familiarising themselves with the process, as have the dispatch team who work on the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) desk.

Recent surveys on the use of GoodSAM are being used to streamline the process, in preparation for an increase in demand during our busier months. More collaborative work to improve the accuracy and breadth of our tasking is being planned.

Find out more about how our services are deployed here.