Update from Anthony Marsh - 3rd July 2014

We all know that having a complete set of kit on your ambulance or rapid response car is a basic component of good patient care. Since I joined I have heard many times from staff about problems with kitting ambulances, and that staff have to spend precious time getting kit from other ambulances before they can get out on the road and start treating patients. This is not acceptable and I am determined to eradicate the issue of missing kit and kit changes by the end of this month; giving you the tools to deliver the best possible patient care.

Having new medical equipment is also one of my six priorities and we have ordered lots of new equipment to help trauma patients, including haemorrhage kits, the EZ-IO intraosseous infusion system and the Kendrick extraction device. Part of this priority is also getting more new ambulances (in addition to the 147 we have already brought in) and the first of our new 120 will be arriving in September and will all be operational by March next year, meaning we won’t have any vehicles more than five years old by March 2015.

Another one of the priorities we are really progressing is our recruitment of student paramedics; we have now made 281 offers and the first of our student paramedics have completed their initial training and are now working on ambulances; a sure sign that we are making real progress. Our own technicians and emergency care assistants are also progressing and all of our previous student ambulance paramedics will have completed their training by June next year.

It was very good to hear from staff on Friday night that they believe we are in a much better position now than this time last year. I spent some time with crews at Chelmsford station and in EOC and it was great to talk through some interesting ideas and I thank you all for your time. As always, if you have a question or issue you would like to bring to my attention, please email me and I will answer as best I can or find the answer for you.