Behind the scenes: Ross Filby, Clinical Co-ordinator

We are continuing our ‘behind the scenes’ feature, where we showcase a person or team from within the Trust. This week in the hot seat is Clinical Co-ordinator Ross Filby, who has worked for the ambulance service for 14 years.

Tell us a bit about you

It’s been a fairly standard paramedic career really; I have delivered 14 babies though which seems far more than my fair share. I have been to a hearse (with coffin in the back) that overturned, and I also once triaged a Big Brother Housemate from EOC – she didn’t get an ambulance!

And what about your role?

I help provide clinical support for the EOC; we try and stay on top of the unassigned calls waiting for a response, we run the Clinical Advice Line, look after the Clinical Support Desk clinicians and basically help out anywhere and everywhere we can. The rewarding part is the ability to make the service run on a more clinical basis – we alter dispatch positions for appropriate resourcing, we help process frequent callers who have dialled 999 inappropriately etc.

I set the alarm every night mindful that I have a mortgage to pay, but when it goes off in the morning, I know I am working with a good team and that we do make a (comparatively at least) positive difference.

What kind of things should people get in touch with you about? What can you help them with?  

Any clinical support issues that are not covered by protocol, or when you may need advice to step out of the scope of a guideline.  We are utilised often for capacity queries, ECG second opinions and similar.

If you had the power, what one change would you make to the Trust? 

The ability to clinically triage every single call for coding. 

Tell us something people might not know about you? 

I have a Guinness World Record (yes I am milking this one to death but hey), I’ve written a book, I’ve been in a helicopter crash AND an ambulance that landed on its roof in two bits. Most surprising no doubt is that I used to have hair.

What did you want to be when you were young? 

I wanted to be the truck driver out of Smokey and the Bandit.  Genuinely.

Want to be our next behind the scenes, or know someone that would? Contact us and let us know!

Published 21st March, 2016