New Community Paramedic Role For Skelmersdale
THE North West Ambulance Service NHS
Trust (NWAS) has launched a new initiative in Skelmersdale which aims to improve
services and engagement with communities throughout the North West region.
The 1st of its kind in the UK, the Trust has developed a new Community
Specialist Paramedic (CSP) role, individual clinicians who will work more
closely with communities it serves and help deliver more locally co-designed
models of care.
The introduction of the CSP role will provide a stable central role within the
community to add additional capaCityas a 999 responder and to build
relationships with patients, the public and other provider organisations, to
create a more integrated and patient-centered approach.
The purpose of the role is to improve the local community infrastructure and to
provide safe care closer to home. The CSPs will be co-located with a local
primary or community care facility such as a GP Practice, Health Centre or
Community Hospital and will remain in the community on a permanent basis.
The role will support and develop existing schemes including; safe care closer
to home, community 1st responders, mental health care, end of life care,
frequent callers and protecting vulnerable persons. Working with other
providers, the CSPs will be able to identify and work with groups of the local
population to improve their health and wellbeing.
Director of Operations, Derek Cartwright comments:- "The Trust recognised
a need within some of the regions most isolated and busier areas for a dedicated
clinician to forge proactive and positive relationships within communities. As
an innovative new role, the Community Specialist Paramedic will become a
familiar face in the area they are based; focusing on meeting the needs of
patients and assisting in the strengthening of community services with local
businesses, services, and Councils. We will monitor the progress of the roles
closely over the coming months and we are sure they will be a great asset to the
Trust and most of all, to our patients."
Local patient and community engagement forums will be established to improve the
quality and experience of services and care provided, with a focus on the
co-creation and co-production of services including the identification of how
community assets can be used more.
The CSPs will help promote innovation by testing new ideas or technologies in an
ambulance setting such as; patient activation measures, health coaching,
telemedicine and the use of self care and self triage guidance by patients.
This scheme will offer patients and the community the opportunity to have a say
in how care is delivered by their local ambulance service; improving their
health and experience of patients. In the longer term this will result in
increased care delivered closer to home, with a reduction in 999 demand and
unplanned hospital admissions.
There are 12 communities within the region which have been identified for the
scheme, and are a mix of remote rural, rural and urbanised areas. These are:
Millom (Cumbria), Pendle (Lancashire), Alsager, (Cumbria), Partington (Greater
Manchester), Glossop (Greater Manchester), Barrow (Cumbria), Whitehaven Area
(Cumbria), Knutsford ( Cheshire),
Sklemersdale (Lancashire), Chorlton (Greater Manchester), Fylde Coast
(Lancashire) and Aintree (Merseyside).
Mark Wenman is a Community Specialist Paramedic in Skelmersdale and explains
more about the role:-
Q - How does your role differ from a paramedic?
A - "The role allows me to develop as a clinician and focus on the needs
of the local community to provide increased treatment options. I learn what
current services are available so I can hopefully integrate them to ensure the
patients are given the best care, closer to home and at 1st time of contact."
Q - How long have you been a paramedic?
A - "I have been a Paramedic for 3 years."
Q - What do you hope to achieve in this new role?
A - "I hope this role will provide the people of Skelmersdale and
neighbouring wards with the best possible care by improving community care and
forging close working relationships with other service providers which in turn
will lead to better patient experience."
Q - What are you looking forward to?
A - "Having the opportunity to educate and engage with members of the
local community and health care professionals about the role of paramedics and
the ambulance service and also to develop innovative ways of tackling some of
the frustrations the staff and public have."
Q - How will you improve relations between community groups and organisations?
A - "As I will be out in the community I will be able to provide a face to
face approach so that the public, health care professionals, voluntary agencies
and anyone else who wishes to chat or engage can contact me. I also intend to
attend as many as possible group meetings and local public days where I can
engage with the community and listen."
