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2 October 2024

Brabant Regional Ambulance Service visits SECAmb to explore clinical coordination practices

Colleagues in our Medway emergency operations centre (EOC) and Paddock Wood make ready centre (MRC) received a visit from colleagues at the Brabant Regional Ambulance Service in the Netherlands. Hosted on Wednesday, 25 September, the visit originated after the Dutch team learned of the West Kent clinical coordination hub’s success in preventing more than 1,200 emergency department admissions in it

26 September 2024

Kent father of three reunites with ambulance heroes following cardiac arrest

With cardiac arrest survival rates below one in 10, Justin Riordan, a father of three from Rainham, Kent, was determined to express his gratitude to SECAmb colleagues for helping to save his life. In the early hours of 7 June 2024, Justin’s wife, Lisa, woke to what she thought was Justin snoring extremely loudly. When she tried to wake him, he was unconscious and showing signs of agonal breathing,

19 September 2024

New clinical hub initiative shortlisted for national award

A Kent health project, which is helping to keep patients safe, well and out of hospital has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award. The East Kent integrated clinical hub, involving South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust’s (SECAmb), East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust and Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, has been shortlisted for a 2024 Health S

18 September 2024

Mother of two overjoyed to be reunited with ambulance colleagues

A mother of two young children from Ramsgate in Kent who suffered a decline in her mental health recently had the opportunity to thank her lifesavers as she continues her recovery. Coral Kirklaldie, 41, was overjoyed to be reunited with the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) team. With one in four people experiencing a mental health problem of some kind each year in England, Coral, found

16 September 2024

Dad thanks lifesavers after recovering from heart attack

SECAmb colleagues were over the moon to meet a father of three who suffered a heart attack while taking part in a charity football match. Craig Minnican aged 33 from Cliffe in Kent, met with his lifesavers, Emergency Medical Advisor, Chelsea Williams, Resource Dispatcher, Simon Field, Trainee Associate Ambulance Practitioner, Olivia Godman and Newly Qualified Paramedic, Harry Topsfield at Thamesid

11 September 2024

Woking man reunited with lifesaving team

A Woking man who received a staggering 15 shocks from a defibrillator to restart his heart was finally able to thank his life-savers in a recent reunion. 62-year-old Ian Marples met the SECAmb team who helped save his life after he suffered a cardiac arrest at his local GP practice on 17 March 2021. Ian was delighted to be able to let the people who saved him know that he was alive and well, suffe

10 September 2024

Brighton fan has his partner and ambulance crews to thank for saving his life

A former 999 call taker put her previous knowledge to good use and called for help when she sensed her partner of more than 30 years became seriously unwell. The calls proved to be lifesaving when avid Brighton & Hove Albion fan Chris Geddes then went into cardiac arrest in front of SECAmb paramedic Kathryn Fox, who along with her colleagues, emergency care support worker Sheenagh Hughes and t

4 September 2024

Kent teacher who suffered a major artery tear reunites with lifesavers

A Kent science teacher, who is lucky to be alive after suffering a tear of his major aorta artery where it exits the heart, is reunited with his lifesavers. With just a 15 to 30 per cent chance of surviving the Type A aortic dissection, South East Coast Ambulance Service colleagues were delighted to be reunited with the father of three from Parkwood in Gillingham, Kent, at Medway Make Ready Centre

28 August 2024

See our people in action at our Annual Members Meeting

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is inviting members of the public to learn CPR, speak to our recruitment team and see our people in action at our Annual Members Meeting (AMM). The AMM takes place at the South of England Showground at Ardingly, West Sussex on Friday 13 September 2024. A range of stalls will be on show from 12.30pm, with tea and coffee served ahead o

14 August 2024

Mother of three and cardiac arrest survivor reunites with ambulance colleagues

A mother of three young children from Sittingbourne, Kent was recently able to reunite with the ambulance service colleagues who helped to save her life last year. Gemma Ledger, now aged 39, suffered a cardiac arrest at her home in the early hours of the morning on 23 January 2023, while her three children now aged two, five and 13 were asleep next door. Gemma’s partner of 18 years, Richard, woke

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