Ambulances could reach people in Rutland’s countryside faster due to a new team of military volunteers
Twenty volunteers will have a special response vehicle to get to emergencies quickly
A new group of military volunteers could help ambulances get to people in Rutland’s rural areas more quickly.
The twenty-strong team will work out of St George’s Barracks in North Luffenham, using their own emergency response vehicle.
They're arriving about 88% of the time ahead of what a traditional ambulance would
They are serving in all three branches of the UK's Armed Forces, in roles ranging from infantry soldiers and mechanics, to dog handlers, medics and nurses.
They will all volunteer their own time to respond to 999 calls, in addition to their military duties.
Tom Barker, Head of Co-Response at East of England Ambulance Service Trust, said:
They're able to start that patient care swiftly and as quickly as possible
"Other teams supported with us about 5,000 hours volunteering their time to help support the ambulance service."
"That equates to attending just over 2000 emergency 999 calls for us."
"They have a real impact in improving that first response that we're able to provide to our patients in their time of need."
"On average, they're arriving about 88% of the time ahead of what a traditional ambulance would."
"They're able to start that patient care swiftly and as quickly as possible."
"What we see is that in rural communities, having these additional resources is absolutely vital to be able to provide that swift and early care for our patients when they need it."
"So if you're looking at category one calls, so such as a cardiac arrest, a seizure, or choking, absolutely every minute counts. So being able to utilise teams like this within rural areas is absolutely key."
The team can now be sent to appropriate calls by dispatchers in EEAST's control rooms.
They are initially responding from Peterborough ambulance station, but will soon be equipped with a dedicated response vehicle, allowing them to operate directly from their base at St George's Barracks.