Archive

News archive from July 2014
Staff with patient in ambulance
Clinical focus: neck of femur fractures
With an unexpectedly high mortality rate, neck of femur (NoF) or hip fractures are a major public health issue with our ageing population.
31 July 2014
SP03 Student paramedics Melbourn
Latest student paramedics pass clinical training
The Trust’s latest group of student paramedics have passed their clinical training at Melbourn and are now moving on to the next stage on their pathway to become paramedics.
31 July 2014
HART exercise Cambridge July 14
HART scales new heights at exercise in Cambs
The Trust’s hazardous area response team (HART) joined firefighters from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service last week for an exercise which simulated a collision between two tower cranes in Cambridge.
31 July 2014
Transparent EEAST crest
Additional funding confirmed
As mentioned in Anthony Marsh’s update last week, the Trust is in line for approximately £2million in additional funding to help us deal with winter seasonal pressures.
31 July 2014
HEOC dispatcher
One day to go: Cambridgeshire is moving
Tomorrow morning (7th August) at 7am, Cambridgeshire is due to move back under the direction of Norwich EOC.
30 July 2014
Transparent EEAST crest
Terms and conditions at EEAST
The Trust’s terms and conditions handbook details how we apply NHS national terms and conditions.
29 July 2014
Beds PEPS service
Bedfordshire partnership reaches last eight for award
A Bedfordshire partnership involving Trust staff reached the last eight for a prestigious National Patient Safety Award for the end of life category.
28 July 2014
Norwich PTS vehicles
Become a PU Trainer in NES
Applications are invited from all non-emergency patient transport staff within Cambridgeshire, Essex, and Suffolk to become a trainer for the annual PU (professional update) programme.
27 July 2014
RRV with blurred paramedic
Relief staff opportunity
Senior locality managers will be contacting all relief staff to ensure they are offered sufficient shifts to earn their unsocial hours allowance.
26 July 2014
Changes to approved drugs list
Following the publication of the 2013 Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG), a review has been undertaken against the approved drug list for the Trust.
26 July 2014
Staff pic   para epaulettes
Coroner imposes regulation for staff to wear correct epaulettes
A coroner has issued a regulation 28 order, which is an action to help prevent deaths, for all staff at EEAST to wear the correct epaulettes with their skill level and the name of the Trust.
25 July 2014
Drugs
Local clinical protocol for dexamethasone
Following the review of the patient group direction for specialist paramedics, we have produced a local clinical guideline for the use of dexamethasone.
25 July 2014
Step change week OPT1
Step change success
Last week’s step change week has been hailed as a success by locality directors and the chief executive, following lots of discussions with staff across the region on how working lives can be improved.
24 July 2014
RRV with blue lights
Busiest weekend of 2014
The Trust received 6,424 emergency 999 calls on Saturday and Sunday, making it the busiest weekend of the year so far.
24 July 2014
Staff with patient on stretcher at accident and emergency
New referral staff to deal with urgent calls
A new healthcare referral team (HCRT) is about to be launched to transport lower acuity 'urgent' patients.
24 July 2014
Gail Sophie and Tara NTK award
Need to Know wins national award
The Trust’s Need to Know site, the first-of-its-kind for ambulance staff, has won a national Award of Excellence from the Institute of Internal Communications.
24 July 2014
Syringes
Shortage of minijets
Please be aware of a national shortage of minijets and subsequent advice.
24 July 2014
Yellow kit bag
Advanced cardiac care conference
The Canterbury Christ Church Student Paramedic Society is holding their inaugural conference on advanced cardiac care on 13th September.
23 July 2014
Hands typing on keyboard
Got an IT problem? Contact the service desk
If you have a fault with your IT or need to request a service from the IT team, please make sure you make your request via the service desk. This is so that jobs can be appropriately allocated and tracked to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner.
23 July 2014
Blurred ambulance
Garage or bulk? Use the right fuel
As part of our goal to reinvest funding into frontline staffing and make savings across the Trust, we would urge you to utilise bulk fuel at ambulance stations as much as possible.
22 July 2014
Transparent EEAST crest
Trust cleaning contract change
The Trust will be employing a new cleaning contractor from 1st August, with Churchill taking over from Initial.
21 July 2014
APM 4
Annual public meeting 2014
Staff are invited to attend the Trust’s annual public meeting, taking place on 30th July at Trinity Park in Ipswich from 2pm.
21 July 2014
Jeremy Hunt   credited to wwwjeremyhuntorg
'Changing culture': a message from the Secretary of State
The Secretary of State for Health talks about the latest milestones in his drive to create a more transparent culture across the NHS.
21 July 2014
Step change week OPT1
Time to make a change
Last week was ‘step change week’; when we really made a difference to support you and resolve issues, immediately, to improve your working lives and our service to patients.
21 July 2014
Staff with patient on stretcher at accident and emergency
Staff praised in Norfolk report on dementia
In a report from Norfolk Public Health on the needs of dementia patients in the county, focus groups have described their “high satisfaction with the quality of service received” from the Trust.
20 July 2014
RRV with blue lights
Sepsis – the syndrome
The clinical focus this week is on sepsis, a life-threatening condition where the body's response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs.
20 July 2014
Syringes
Increase in sharps injuries
In the past month there has been a marked increase in the number of sharps injuries reported, with incidents occurring due to drug ampoules shattering upon opening (with different drugs) and disposing of contaminated sharps.
19 July 2014
Bedford call handlers July 14
New call handlers for Bedford!
Congratulations to our five new Bedford EOC call handlers who joined the EEAST team this month.
19 July 2014
Staff with patient in ambulance
Patients 100% satisfied with your care
Patients were 100% satisfied with the care we gave them in April, according to the latest survey figures.
18 July 2014
Clinical   kit pic
Congratulations to our Chelmsford student paras
Huge congratulations to our Chelmsford student paramedic course, who all passed the first part of their training today!
18 July 2014
Transparent EEAST crest
Sickness on the up
The Trust’s sickness figures rose considerably in the last week of June, with 70% of staff who were on sick leave suffering with cold and flu symptoms or diarrhoea and vomiting.
18 July 2014
Chief Executive Dr Anthony Marsh
Update from Anthony Marsh - 17th July 2014
Your weekly message from the Trust Chief Executive.
17 July 2014
Chief Executive Dr Anthony Marsh
Heatwave hits and temperatures soar to 30+˚C
The region is set to sizzle this week with temperatures of 30˚C expected tomorrow – the highest seen so far this year.
17 July 2014
Graduate assessment day 11th July
Six grads go through after assessment day
Chief Executive Anthony Marsh introduced graduate paramedics to the Trust on Friday (11th July), as part of their assessment to join the service.
17 July 2014
Channel 202 launch
Star launches Channel 202
One of Hollywood's best-known British exports is helping to ensure staff know which way to turn when they think their patient needs critical care support.
17 July 2014
Transparent EEAST crest
New Trust appointments
The Trust is pleased to announce two new appointments.
17 July 2014
NHS computer
Electronic record system installed at Harlow Hospital
On Friday (18th July) a new electronic patient record system is being fitted at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex.
17 July 2014
First day of student paramedic course Norwich April 2014
Trust offers clinical mentor qualification for staff
The Trust is looking for clinical staff to become qualified mentors to help guide and support our new student paramedics.
17 July 2014
Staff pic   para epaulettes
Punishment handed out for assault on paramedic
A man has been given a 12-month conditional discharge, fine and £100 compensation order after assaulting a paramedic in Bedfordshire.
17 July 2014
RRV with blurred paramedic
Call for abstracts
The College of Paramedics is inviting research abstracts until 1st August, as they make original research across paramedic practice the focus of their first ever national conference.
16 July 2014
Chief Executive Dr Anthony Marsh
Update from Anthony Marsh - 24th July 2014
Your weekly message from the Trust Chief Executive.
15 July 2014
HART decontamination officer
Kitchen chemistry and forensics: get involved
Have you ever wondered why we’re seeing an increase in the use of homemade explosives in the UK, or why the police need to gather forensics immediately at the scene of a crime?
15 July 2014
JESIP
New JESIP newsletter released
The latest edition of the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP) newsletter has just been released and is available to view on the JESIP website.
14 July 2014
NHS medicine store
Managing medicines safely
Medicines Management is a big topic and something that involves us all, it’s important for everyone that we do it safely.
14 July 2014
Clinical manual books
Clinical focus: a look at Addison’s disease
Addison’s disease is a disease where the adrenal gland is damaged and so cannot respond to crisis situations where an increase in adrenaline or the steroid cortisol is required.
13 July 2014
Transparent EEAST crest
Fire alarms and staff safety
Please make sure that, if the fire alarm goes off in your station or office, you follow the correct procedures and evacuate the building.
13 July 2014
Ambulance and fire services
Series of FBU strikes
A series of strikes by the Fire Brigade Union are scheduled every day next week.
12 July 2014
HEOC call handler
Patients praise staff in hear and treat survey
A survey carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on the ‘hear and treat’ service of ambulance trusts in England has found that patients rated EEAST as 10/10 for the clarity of the instructions given for what to do if their situation changed.
12 July 2014
SP06 student paramedics   Cambourne
Busy times for training team
It has been a week of starts and finishes for the Trust’s students and training team.
11 July 2014
Staff with patient in ambulance
Professional updates begin following successful training events
This year’s professional update (PU) has begun, after more than 65 staff were trained to deliver the two-day clinical programme.
11 July 2014
Chief Executive Dr Anthony Marsh
Update from Dr Anthony Marsh: 'it's time to make it happen'
Your weekly message from the Chief Executive
10 July 2014
RRV with blue lights
Terms and conditions update on mileage
New revised national mileage allowances contained within section 17 of the National Terms and Conditions came into force on 1st July.
10 July 2014
CRU all together at Tour De France Cambridge
Cycle team supports Tour De France in Cambridge
The Trust’s cycle response unit (CRU) treated 15 patients in Cambridge during stage three of the Tour De France on Monday (7th July), as the world’s largest annual sporting event weaved its way through our region.
10 July 2014
Andreas with new radio
New radio rollout ahead of schedule
New Airwave radios are being rolled out in Essex ahead of schedule, with operational staff in the rest of the region all now using the new handsets.
09 July 2014
Advanced trauma team
NHS saves lives of hundreds more trauma victims just two years after changes to care
NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens has this week applauded “a major NHS success story” as new figures show about 600 more patients are surviving major trauma since the introduction of Major Trauma Networks in April 2012.
09 July 2014
Jeremy Hunt   credited to wwwjeremyhuntorg
Risk, safety and staff: a message from the Secretary of State
The Secretary of State for Health talks about a number of new initiatives launched this week to strengthen patient safety in the NHS.
09 July 2014
Ambulance and fire services
Fire service strike going ahead 10th July
The Fire Brigade Union (FBU) is planning a nine hour strike from 10am – 9pm on Thursday (10th July).
09 July 2014
Ambulance line up blue sky
New contact for waste issues
With immediate effect the first point of enquiry for all waste matters, including clinical waste, is your estates office.
09 July 2014
Side of RRV with lozenge
Nominate a leader for NHS award
Do you know an NHS leader who deserves recognition for their outstanding contributions to patient care and service excellence?
08 July 2014
Hands typing on keyboard
IT upgrade in Norwich on 9th July
The IT team will be upgrading the admin network ‘Core Cisco Stack’ on Wednesday (9th July) from 2-3am.
08 July 2014
Chief Executive Dr Anthony Marsh
Update from Anthony Marsh - 3rd July 2014
Your weekly update from the Trust Chief Executive
06 July 2014
Staff with patient in ambulance
Patient history: stop look and listen
A look at patient assessments by Emma Hicks, Paramedic at Waveney.
06 July 2014
Paramedic reading clinical manual
Clinical articles published in research update
The latest issue of Pre-hospital Emergency Services Current Awareness Update, commissioned by the National Ambulance Research Steering Group, has been published on East24.
06 July 2014
JESIP
JESIP exercise needs you!
The Trust’s second Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP) exercise is on 16th July in Stevenage and tactical and operational commanders are needed to take part.
05 July 2014
RRV with blurred paramedic
“Quality is not an act, it is a habit”
We often talk about providing a service to patients of a ‘good clinical quality’ – but what does this actually mean? What does quality clinical care look like, how do we measure it, and what is our clinical focus over the next year?
05 July 2014
Transparent EEAST crest
ECA progression update
If you have passed the pre-entry exam for the emergency care assistant (ECA) to technician course, you will be told if you have been allocated to a course in 2015/16 by 29th August.
04 July 2014
Pregnancy
NHS issue patient safety advice for pregnant women
Testing for the presence of protein in urine is part of the standard care for pregnant women with suspected or confirmed hypertension and pre-eclampsia.
04 July 2014
Tying surgical apron
Ebola outbreak in west Africa
An outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) was first reported in March 2014 in Guinea, and has since involved three countries in west Africa: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
03 July 2014
Tour de France
Tour de France 2014
The Tour de France is almost upon us!
03 July 2014
Robert Flute
Robert Flute takes up national role
The Trust’s Head of Resilience, Robert Flute, has taken up a position at the National Ambulance Resilience Unit (NARU) as Ambulance Advisor.
03 July 2014
Anglia One helicopter in flight 1
Nominations open for air ambulance awards
Nominations opened for the prestigious Air Ambulance Awards of Excellence last week to give special recognition to those in the air ambulance field.
02 July 2014
AACE logo
AACE project to understand increasing 999 demand
The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) is investigating changes in how ambulance services are used, by seeking the views and experiences of people who have used 999 in the last three months.
01 July 2014