As part of a series of information we’re putting out about 2015/16 facts and figures, we’ve been taking a look at the amount of feedback we receive and what it means for us.

Please ensure all vehicles are attached to the shoreline system when available, to make sure all the medical devices on board are charging.

A public education event has been hailed as a “huge success” after dozens of villagers learnt life-saving skills in Cambridgeshire.

As the planning for this year’s Trust awards gets underway, a quick tally of years served by staff eligible for their long service awards comes in at more than 1,900 years so far!

As we try to increase and improve our wellbeing service for everyone in the Trust, we are working with the charity Mind to get the best support we can.

Staff, community first responders (CFRs), and graduate paramedics have been thanked after attending two annual blood pressure events in Felixstowe and Hadleigh which saw more than 360 blood pressures measured.

In just over a month, the claxon will be sounded for Volunteers’ Week 2016.

This week’s HR e-zine, with the latest job vacancies, expressions of interest and transfer opportunities, has been published.

This year’s National Ambulance Strokeplay is being played at The Hearsall Golf Club on Monday, 6th June, and our aspiring golfers are invited!

We know that high quality chest compressions hold the key to success in cardiac arrest.

Staff have been highly commended in EEAST’s latest survey which has included comments such as: ‘very professional’, ‘absolutely brilliant’, and ‘amazing’.

Software that will allow you to submit audits for medicines management online is being trialled next month.

Are you interested in taking part in an online research study into whether paramedics are able to identify cardiac arrhythmias?

This week we’re going ‘behind the scenes’ with Lizzie Martin, a call handler based in Norwich EOC.

We are pleased to announce that, whilst we continue our recruitment process for a permanent appointment, Dr Tom Davis has taken up the role of Acting Medical Director.

The latest batch of replacement BM meters has arrived and will be rolled out by area in the coming months.

Following a highly competitive tender process, we were informed yesterday (19th April) that we are the successful bidder for the provision of patient transport services (PTS) in Cambridgeshire.

I want to start by congratulating our EOC teams this week, as in March we had the third lowest 999 call connection delays in the country. Given that last month we were battling an exceptional surge in demand, and following on from the implementation of a new CAD, this really is to be applauded.

At the end of March, Duty Manager Calvin Scott celebrated a staggering 30 years in the ambulance service.

Planning on writing your first-year reflective essay? Why not get feedback on your draft version?

We are hoping to do a write up after the big event and would love to hear from you!

A man who collapsed and went into cardiac arrest in a golf centre car park has thanked crews from EEAST and golf centre staff after a happy reunion this week (Monday, 18th April).

Would you like to be part of the new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion sub-group?

This week’s HR e-zine, with the latest job vacancies, expressions of interest and transfer opportunities, is now available to view online.

As you’ll no doubt be aware, there is a 48-hour junior doctor strike starting next Tuesday (26th April) at 8am.

Our intelligent conveyance scheme, designed to help manage pressure at acute hospitals, will no longer be continuing as the pilot has not been extended into the new financial year.

Monitoring a patient’s blood pressure is a ‘staple’ when we care for patients – and the patient-facing among us will take a blood pressure almost every day.

Since I joined EEAST it has been very clear to me that we have a big capacity gap. Basically, this means that we do not have enough funding to recruit the staff we need to meet patient demand.

Patient-facing colleagues are asked to familiarise themselves with the Medicines management policy which has been updated with a few minor changes.

The emergency services will usually be the first to arrive at the scene of a major incident.

Starting this week, we’ll be upgrading our Corpuls defibrillators. Amongst other benefits, the upgrade will improve the ECG function and include a 3G modem.

April is bowel cancer awareness month which this year is focusing on the need for better screening.

Our new cultural survey will be landing on door mats in the next few weeks!

The Trust has a detailed policy that covers what you can do when it comes to social media, both in and out of work.

The number of people living with diabetes has almost quadrupled since 1980 to 422 million adults, with most living in developing countries.

You may be aware that some local elections are taking place on 5th May both in councils and for Police Crime Commissioner posts.

Last week we completed the formal inspection phase of the CQC inspection process. This follows previous stages including the submission of a portfolio of evidence (some 19,506 pages), regional focus groups, and stakeholder engagement.

Want to improve your knowledge of ECGs?

Last week, we extended a warm welcome to our latest Board member Lindsey Stafford Scott who has joined us as the new Director of People and Culture.

When losing someone close to you, having extra support can be greatly needed at what is a very difficult time.

A new addition to Datix has been added, which will allow users and investigators to identify which panels contain data on records.

Colleagues in Essex have been thanked for their work in preparing the ‘go live’, for the new Southend ambulance station.

Can you spare a couple of hours to provide blood pressure checks and promote EEAST in your patch?

New figures have revealed the scale of the demand we’re facing following a 21% increase in emergency calls.

This week’s HR e-zine, with the latest job vacancies, expressions of interest and transfer opportunities, is now available to view online.

Suffolk community responders have received a big helping hand in the form of a £2,500 donation.

I’ve been pleased to have the chance to meet and speak to Lord Prior, along with our Trust Chair Sarah Boulton, at our Longwater depot; Lord Prior is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department of Health and he was interested in particular in what we’re doing to build on our positive NHS staff survey results.

As part of the corporate re-branding process to include our visions and values, we are asking all staff to visit East24 and download our new email signature template.

Our ambulance quality indicators (AQIs) and national clinical performance indicators (NCPI) identify key clinical areas of practice and assist us to identify where we can look to further improve the care we give to our patients.

Thanks to a handy new system, you can now view and download the user manuals for those medical devices online.

Have you ever suffered abuse from a patient in the line of duty, or know someone who has?

A west Norfolk man will feature on a new television programme next week after ambulance and air ambulance crews saved his life.

We have been working to develop a cultural audit to look at the best way to improve our culture.

The Trust is ‘delighted’ that its new patient transport services (PTS) contract launched in north Essex on Friday (1st April).

This week we’re going ‘behind the scenes’ with Stuart Woolley, Specialist Practitioner in primary care. Stuart has worked with the ambulance service for 13 years, two of those with EEAST.

With no new class of antibiotic developed in the last 30 years, and a continued rise in their prescription, it’s of little surprise that antimicrobial resistance has started to grab the nation’s headlines.

When we deal with medicines every day, it’s our responsibility to make sure we keep them in the right place, and more importantly, ensure they’re secure.

Confidentiality and security of medical records is vital, whether paper or electronic formats; we’re dealing with people’s personal data, and it’s important we safeguard it in the right way.

With one of the most modern emergency and non-emergency ambulance fleets in the country, our fleet team does a lot to make sure our vehicles are well looked after, including making sure they are regularly serviced.

We all know that medical devices must be serviced and ‘in date’ to be safe.

As a reminder, GlucaGen medication is stored outside of refrigeration within the ambulance trust.

This week’s HR e-zine, with the latest job vacancies, expressions of interest and transfer opportunities, is now available.

Are you available for a couple of hours to provide BP checks and health promotion in your patch?

Scarlet fever is a disease spread through close contact with people carrying the organism (often in the throat)...

Ensuring appropriate safety netting for patients that we don’t convey is vital, and an important part of discharging your duty of care.

This week in our ‘behind the scenes’ hot seat is Steve Chivers, who is a Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officer (HALO), seconded to Broomfield Hospital.

Entries to take part in this year’s national ambulance football tournament are now open.

Essex crews including paramedics Tracey and Kevin have been reunited with a woman after saving her life.

A big thanks has gone out to Essex staff for their contribution to a busy careers fair earlier this month.

Another special edition of Clinical Quality Matters, looking at how we learn from serious incidents (SIs) and complaints, has been published today (1st April).

With immediate effect from the 1st of April ‘Corpulsweb’ will no longer be available.

The Trust’s patient and public involvement (PPI) team regularly meet with the public at events and shopping centres in the region, offering free blood pressure checks and healthcare advice

A funeral home worker has thanked the ambulance staff who helped save his life.