Ambulance clinicians benefit from donation

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust has received funding for a state-of-the-art simulation manikin from the Surrey Heart and Stroke Network.

The £31,000 3G simulation mannikin, which will be delivered to the Trust in October, will enable paramedics and technicians to practice a variety of clinical skills including the delivery
of clot-busting drugs for heart attack patients.

SECAmb has been working closely with the network, which supports the provision of high quality cardiac services across Surrey, as well as local primary care trusts, to exceed national target times to deliver thrombolytic therapy to patients who have suffered a heart attack.

The 3G mannikin, supplied by Laerdal Medical, will improve access to training and assist the Trust in its drive to remain ahead of the English national target of 68 per cent delivery rate to
deliver clot-busting drugs to patients within 60 minutes.

Senior education manager at SECAmb, Clive Butler, was delighted with the funding. "The mannikin will support the training and refresher training for paramedics and technicians in their treatment of heart attack patients. It will enable them to deliver effective prehospital care as well as ensure patients receive quicker treatment on arrival at hospital," he said.
"This device can also support a multitude of other conditions which present themselves in a pre-hospital setting, such as trauma and chest conditions. It will improve the confidence of
clinicians in delivering clotbusting drugs earlier and also facilitate fast-tracking of patients to a hospital unit where the block can be removed surgically."