Our Engagement: Northwest Ambulance Service
Last month, our Senior Engagement Officer, Sue, took part in a tour of the Northwest Ambulance Service Emergency Operations Call Centre (EOC) in Preston. Sue was able to listen in to calls with both Patient Transport and 999 calls, and was able to see how everything comes together from initial call through to an ambulance/vehicle on scene in order to get the patient where they need to be.
It was a busy day at the call centre with calls coming through at a fast pace, and the call handlers were dealing with a variety of issues from a last-minute appointment needing patient transport to a potential cardiology emergency.
By around 11 am, the Patient Transport team had taken nearly 500 phone calls from across the northwest, arranging transport for people who are unable to travel to and from appointments by public transport and who have no family or friends able to take them. Seeing the complex logistics of organising transport across Lancashire and the surrounding counties was a real eye-opener!
On the day of the visit, the call centre staff were in ‘Dress Down Days’ rather than their usual uniforms as they were raising money during the Mental Health Awareness Week.
The tour was organised by the Northwest Ambulance Service Patient and Public Panel (PPP). The PPP is the patient voice and ensures that the patient voice is heard. Healthwatch Lancashire sits on the patient panel allowing for us to share what you tell us about the ambulance service and helps work towards an accessible service which meets the needs of local people.
The visit has allowed for Healthwatch Lancashire to have a much clearer understanding of how Northwest Ambulance Services operates, and was very timely as we are currently looking at transport and accessibility to and from healthcare services for people living in Lancashire with a disability; you can complete our survey here.
Healthwatch Lancashire would like to thank all of the Northwest Ambulance staff who took the time to organise the visit and share their valuable time to talk about what they do.