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
With His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer and approximately 2,000 guests in attendance, our teams were on hand to ensure the historic enthronement of Dame Sarah Mullally, the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, ran safely. As part of the operation, our teams were situated at Canterbury Cathedral within the command
Congratulations are in order as the West Kent Unscheduled Care Navigation Hub (UCNH) took home a prestigious Healthwatch award for their outstanding collaborative patient care recently. The team were presented with the award at the event on Thursday, 26 February at Revelation in Ashford with Practice Development Lead, Sean and Advanced Paramedic Practitioner, Peter Elliott receiving the award alo