Helping holidaymakers in Norfolk

An initiative to improve the response to holidaymakers needing emergency medical help in the Great Yarmouth and Waveney areas has gone live.

The Trust has teamed up with holiday companies to produce mapbooks to help staff reach 999 patients more quickly.

Five holiday parks donated almost £600 to the scheme, resulting in 30 books printed on non-tear, waterproof paper.

They are being placed in every ambulance and rapid response vehicle based in the area. A copy is also in the Trust’s Norwich emergency operations centre.

The books include detailed maps of more than 30 holiday sites in Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Kessingland, Caister, Burgh Castle, Belton, Hopton and Corton.

They also have details of bungalows and holiday rentals along the River Thurne near Potter Heigham, which are also difficult to access.

The project was the brainchild of Alex New, a senior paramedic in Potter Heigham, who has experienced first-hand problems locating patients on large holiday sites.

 “A sat nav will take us to the entrance, but these sites are huge and we don’t always know which chalet is which.

“If someone is unwell they ring reception and security will meet us, but in a more time critical scenarios, no one rings security and sometimes there is more than one incident on a site.

“If you can get to these chalets quicker that can make all the difference,” he said.

He added that he hoped other popular tourist areas might adopt the scheme.

The sites that funded the project were Seacroft in Hemsby, Vauxhall Holiday Park in Yarmouth, Broadland Sands in Corton, and Bourne Leisure, which operates Wild Duck Holiday Park in Belton and Seashore Holiday Park in Yarmouth.

Published 23rd July 2015