Launch of the Volunteer Staff Responder Scheme

The Trust is pleased to announce that we will starting a trial of a staff responder scheme in the coming weeks. 

The governance processes for the implementation of the trial have been developed in conjunction with Clinical team as well as the Training and Education department. The trial will enable us to set up 15 staff responders initially within two ICS areas – Norfolk and Waveney and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

The aim of the volunteer Staff Responder scheme will be to support the timely response to C1 patients within the local community.  We know that it is important to be able to respond quickly to our most critically ill patients as it has been shown to support out of hospital survival rates, improve the clinical outcomes of these patients..    

Volunteer staff responders will be equipped with the same level of equipment as community first responders, with some additional airway management tools, to be able to support the C1 patients they will be deployed to within the local community.  They will travel under normal road conditions, to these patients.

 

Principles of Staff Responding

Only experienced staff will be eligible to apply to and operate as a clinical staff responder and the scheme only applies to Level 4 Clinical Seniority or above (as per the scope of practice policy).

Staff on clinical apprenticeships, Newly Qualified Technicians and Newly Qualified Paramedics are excluded from 5.1 until completion of their preceptorship, consolidation phase or apprenticeship but may be deployed as per 5.3. This is currently being reviewed with the Education and Training team.

Any other staff of clinical seniority Level 3 or below may be used as a Community First Responder and will be limited to the scope of practice of a community first responder for any response. 

Any staff member who has restrictions in practice, is subject to a variations in clinical practice and clinical competency concern (under that policy), has occupational health restrictions that impede their operational capability or staff subject to suspension may not operate as a clinical staff responder for the duration of those restrictions. 

All statutory training (including e-learning) must be in date to be able to act as a staff responder and where any statutory training area expires, the ability to act as a staff responder will be suspended until that qualification is revalidated (see the Learning & Development Policy).

 

This trial does not replace the Community First Responder scheme.  We will very much continue to support, recruit and develop our community first responder scheme across the region.  They have been involved in saving lives in local communities for many years, and demonstrate the value of a local resource in a local community to make a big impact on patient care.   

 

How to get involved?

Over the next couple of weeks we will be identifying the locations so, Look out for the next article on staff responders with the identified locations and how to apply through an expression of interest.

What if there is no Staff Responder scheme in my community?  You can still be involved in supporting patients within your local community through the GoodSAM App, through supporting community first responder groups or getting involved in our community education programme EEAST Heart to raise awareness of BLS and defibrillation in the community to ensure that more people know how to save a life and make a difference.   We will be reviewing the effectiveness of the staff responder model in 6 months to identify the next steps.

 

Published 14th July 2022