The public are urged to use our services wisely as heat continues into the week after a busy weekend that saw a 30 per cent rise in calls over the bank holiday weekend – making it the busiest weekend of the year so far. As soaring temperatures led to a sharp increase in demand across emergency and urgent care services, South East Coast Ambulance Service handled more than 11,000 emergency 999
Five shocks and immediate CPR helped save a Margate father’s life when his heart stopped, giving him a second chance at survival. For Lee, this could easily have been a very different story but instead, four months after his heart stopped, he was reunited with the ambulance colleagues who gave him that second chance. Lee was at home with his wife of 29 years, Manu, on the evening of 30 January 20
For those living with daily pain, fatigue and dislocated joints, the hidden realities of Ehlers-Danlos syndromes can be life-changing. This awareness month, two colleagues are helping raise awareness and shine a light on the challenges faced by those living with the condition. Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a group of 13 genetic connective tissue disorders primarily characterised by joint hyper
A routine drive home almost turned dangerous for Roy Edwards, aged 78, when his blood sugar dropped to a critically low level, leaving him disoriented in his car. Roy from Maidstone in Kent, who has diabetes, had just finished a four hour shift at Sainsbury’s in Aylesford when he was found in a dead-end road in Larkfield by a security guard. In and out of consciousness, he was unable to respond p
Reading Football Club hosted the first joint SECAmb and SCAS senior leadership day under the new Interim Chief Executives, Jen Allan and Stuart Rees. Senior leaders from both organisations came together under the new leadership arrangements on Wednesday, 29 April to begin shaping how the group will work in practice. The event also saw both senior teams stand in solidarity on sexual safety and gen
A first-time mum has been reunited with the ambulance crews who helped save her and her unborn babies life after she suffered a rare and life-threatening eclamptic seizure at 36 weeks pregnant. Eclamptic seizures are extremely uncommon, affecting less than one per cent of women with pre-eclampsia and occurring in approximately one in every 2,000 to 3,000 pregnancies in developed countries. In the
The life-saving message “bra off, defib on” has taken on new meaning for Julie de Mink, who has been researching its impact during her recovery from a cardiac arrest. In the early hours of 2 January 2026, Julie, a mother of three called 111 after experiencing chest pain. Her symptoms were escalated to 999 and Dispatch Team Leader, James, at the Gillingham Emergency Operations Centre sent clinicia
Every week in the UK, approximately 12 people under the age of 35 die following sudden cardiac arrest and for 18-year-old Hayden from Westgate-on-Sea, SECAmb’s rapid response proved truly lifesaving. Hayden collapsed on the morning of 22 January 2026 while at home with his mum, Stacey, who was preparing to leave for work. He had been in bed getting ready to start his day when Stacey briefly check
A routine drive to an event turned into a life-saving rescue when two motorists stopped to help a cyclist lying beside his bike, only to discover he was in cardiac arrest. Craig Ormiston, aged 57 suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while cycling towards Brands Hatch on the morning of 21 June 2025 after setting out from the West Malling area on what had started as a beautiful sunny day. Friends, Emma
What began as what felt like mild chest pain quickly turned into a race against time for one Maidstone man who has since been reunited with the emergency team who helped treat him following a heart attack. Brian Gard aged 76 was at home with his wife, Heather, on 10 January 2026 when he began experiencing chest pain he initially thought was angina which is a condition caused by reduced blood flow