When now 78-year-old Chris Mills collapsed in Chatham last October, he had no pulse and his heart had stopped. But thanks to the swift actions of an off-duty nurse who immediately started chest compressions, and the rapid response of emergency crews, Chris survived against the odds. Now, on Valentine’s Day, he and his wife Brenda were reunited with the team that helped to save his life, sending a
A Surrey woman is adding her voice to calls for more people learn how to save a life after being reunited with the ambulance team who rushed to her aid. Alejandra (Ale) Avila, 50, and husband, Jorge, attended Walton Ambulance Station recently ahead of South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) revealing its highest-ever and national-leading cardiac arrest survival rate at the launch of its latest
A Sussex man who received life-saving CPR from a fellow runner when he collapsed at Bognor Regis parkrun has added his voice for more people to learn how to save a life. Former police officer and experienced runner, David Knowles, 57, from Chichester, collapsed moments after crossing the finish line on 2 November this year. Having been reunited with his life-saving team before Christmas, including
A Chatham man is adding his voice to calls for more people learn how to save a life after being reunited with the ambulance team who rushed to his aid. Chris Mills, 77, and wife, Brenda, were special guests as South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) revealed its highest-ever and national-leading cardiac arrest survival rate at the launch of its latest out-of-hospital cardiac arrest annual repo
South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) is pleased to announce it will once again have a dedicated paramedic service working out of London Gatwick. The Gatwick Solo team, or ‘Gatso’, will begin on Monday 17 February, and will see a single SECAmb responder unit permanently based at the airport to cover both landside and airside areas, working closely with the London Gatwick teams. Colleagues wo
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is pleased to announce that our Council of Governors have today (Wednesday 5 February 2025) appointed Michael Whitehouse as our new Trust Chair. This appointment follows Usman Khan’s decision to stand down from the role at the beginning of March 2025 to take up a new Executive role at NHS London. In December 2024 we announced that we
A chance CPR course hosted at a Kent fire and rescue service station was put to the test when a Hadlow woman used it to save her husband’s life and ensured they got to spend Christmas together as a family. Hadow resident, Kirsty Finch, had no idea that a CPR course she completed just four weeks prior to her husband’s arrest would prepare her for this ultimate test. When Cliff Finch suffered a sudd
A man has received a jail sentence for assaulting an paramedic in Bexhill, East Sussex. Emergency crews were called to the address of Jake Finn in De La Warr Road. They were called over fears for the welfare of the 24-year-old after he had taken drugs. When they arrived, Finn was abusive and spat in the face of a South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) paramedic. At Crawley Magistrates’ Court
A 21-month-old toddler has a 111 health advisor and ambulance crews to thank for the care he received last year. Parents of Theo, Kayleigh and Ben, were able introduce their young son to the amazing team at the Trust’s Medway Make Ready Centre when they reunited there recently. The family from Chatham, Kent, thanked the team for what they did for them on the morning of Wednesday, 20 November, when
Two young brothers from Kent have been recognised for their incredible bravery after they called 999 when their mum collapsed. The quick thinking and resourcefulness of Ronnie, eight and Robbie, six got their mum, Molli, the help she needed, as the brothers put their best teamwork to the test. Shortly before 9.30am on 26 November, the pair were at home with their two-year-old brother, Vinnie, when