Together Towards Success Awards
Thursday, 10 September, 2009
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) recently took home two awards at
Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service's annual
awards ceremony. The Together Towards Success Awards pay tribute to the people who have gone the extra mile in the interests of public safety.
Winning the award for 'operational excellence' was the emergency services
in Keswick, which included Paramedics
Phil Harrison and Christine Riley for
their involvement in a multi-agency rescue
in which a woman and her husband were wedged under a 70ft tree in Borrowdale,
Keswick.
The couple had been out walking when the tree they were sitting on collapsed and pinned them to the ground. Some 20 minutes later the woman's husband managed to free himself and ran to get help for his wife. The incident was exceptionally demanding, both physically and mentally, on the paramedics, firefighters, mountain
rescue team, police and RAF involved
with the patient being rescued and taken
to hospital within two hours.
NWAS were also frontrunners in the most effective / imaginative partnership category. Carl Whittaker, Patient Transport Service Manager for Morecambe Bay, picked up the award on behalf of NWAS
for their home safety scheme which runs in
conjunction with Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service. Non-emergency ambulance staff have referred approximately 80 patients
they deem to be 'at risk' since the scheme rolled out across Cumbria in
July last year. These patients were told
about the scheme and referred to community
officers from the fire service for their free home safety check. The home safety check includes a home inspection from the community officer, a fire plan designed
for each individual home and the fitting of a smoke detector.
NWAS's Director of Emergency Services
Derek Cartwright said: "It is fantastic
that our staff have been recognised by the together towards success awards. Both awards demonstrate the success of partnership working amongst the emergency services in Cumbria. I am very proud of all those involved."
A panel of judges from Cumbria County Council and Cumbria Fire & Rescue
Service chose the winners.
