Saving lives and providing care in a patient’s hour of need is key to what ambulance staff do, but did you realise just how much you of a difference, you our patients, can make to that happening?
While our staff can carry out an extensive range of tests, telling us what is wrong is one of the most important parts of us being able to make a correct diagnosis. It is so important that it could mean the difference between life and death in some cases.
To mark today’s World Patient Safety Day, West Midlands Ambulance Service is encouraging patients across the region to help us to help you, by playing as full a part as possible in helping our staff to come to the correct diagnosis.
The theme of this year’s day is ‘Improving Diagnosis for Patient Safety’ and we want you to know just what an important part you can play in being a part of the ‘team’ that makes that happen
No-one wants to go to hospital unless they have to. We are taking fewer patients to A&E than ever; the number has fallen by over a quarter in the last decade. Today less than 50% go to A&E and around 20% are dealt with over the phone, with the rest treated at the scene by our staff and discharged or referred into another part of the NHS. To enable us to that, the initial diagnosis becomes particularly important.
There are lots of way patients and their loved ones can help us to make sure we get the right diagnosis. It starts on the 999 call by listening carefully to the questions our call assessors ask and providing us with as much information as you can.
If you are in the 20% of patients who we don’t send an ambulance to, you may also get a call back from one of the paramedics or nurses in our control room who work in our Clinical Validation Team. Where possible they will want to speak to the patient and ask more questions so that they can get an even better understanding of what the issue is. Having that additional information will allow them to better provide care for you whether that is simply advice or by referring you to another part of the NHS be that a GP, pharmacist, refer you directly into a ward at hospital or arrange for a clinician from an urgent care team to visit you.
If we send an ambulance to you, the crew will ask you a series of questions as well as carry out specific checks to get a better understanding of what is wrong. Again, it is vitally important you answer as honestly and as in-depth as possible.
The crew will often ask if they can access the patient’s GP records as this will allow them to get an even clearer idea of your medical history which could make a real difference in determining the best course of action for you.
Patient Safety Learning Lead, Katie Cartwright, said: “Improving patient safety is of paramount importance to us and something we focus on every single day.
“World Patient Safety Day just gives us the perfect opportunity to highlight the part all of our patients and their friends and loved ones can play in helping us to provide the best treatment possible.
“Reaching the correct diagnosis is essential to ensuring the patient journey is as smooth as it can possibly be and it helps to ensure the right level of help is arranged.
“We want to ensure ambulances are sent to patients who need them the most and by working with us, you can help us to get to patients more quickly which will help to save lives.”
Ends.