The family of a Kent man who survived two cardiac arrests is now arranging for their community to learn how to save a life after reuniting with the ambulance crew who brought him back. John, from Chainhurst in Kent had been go-karting with his family at Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex on 30 October 2025 when he began to feel hot, clammy and complained of chest pain. Seeing John become increasin
In one of the service’s most pressured environments, Dr Gaurav Asal is known for leading with compassion which was recognised recently with a local presentation of his Chief Executive’s Commendation. Dr Asal, Integrated Care Medical Lead, was presented with the Chief Executive’s Commendation for Demonstrating Kindness during a local presentation led by Emma Webber, Clinical Operations Manager for
Eighteen years after putting on his uniform as a trainee technician, an Advanced Paramedic Practitioner from Paddock Wood is preparing for his toughest challenge yet by taking on the London Marathon. Pete Elliott, who has spent nearly two decades with the service, will take on the 26.2 miles through London to raise funds for The Blue Light Card Foundation, a national charity dedicated to supporti
Thanks to the swift actions of South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) clinicians, Crawley man, Jeffrey Fox, is celebrating five more years of life – counting – after suffering a cardiac arrest. With fewer than one in 10 people surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, now 65-year-old Jeff knows just how lucky he is. Five years on from the incident, he and his wife, Loraine, rec
Cardiac arrest strikes without warning and when 50-year-old father of two, Gavin collapsed in Maidstone, it was immediate CPR from strangers that ensured he was reunited with his family for Christmas. On the morning of 10 December 2025, Gavin had walked his daughter to school with their cockerpoo, Milo, before heading home through Penenden Heath. Unbeknown to Gavin, his heart had stopped and he c
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Independent Non-Executive Directors. Harbhajan Singh Brar and Dr Karl Khan will begin their three-year terms on 1 March 2026. SECAmb would like to thank non-executive directors, Max Puller and Howard Goodbourn for the commitment and expertise they have provided the Trust as they step
An innovative collaboration between South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) and Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals is bringing emergency X-ray services to the homes of patients – a first of its kind for a UK ambulance trust. The four-month trial of the Emergency Community X-Ray Service has been so successful that – as well as supporting patients, reducing Emergency Department (ED) admissions and
South East Coast Ambulance Service’s (SECAmb’s) Rother Community First Responders (CFRs) are confronting the stigma that leaves women less likely to receive CPR with new female training manikins to change behaviour and close the gender-gap. Women are around 27 per cent less likely to receive CPR from a bystander than men, often due to uncertainty, fear of inappropriate contact, or lack of confiden
Every patient story matters and yours could help shape the future of care for our patients in Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Patients, families and carers are being invited to share their experiences of the Trust through a new online feedback form. Whether your experience was positive, challenging, or somewhere in between, your story helps the service understand what’s working well and where things coul
A South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) critical care paramedic (CCP) with a passion for improving outcomes for cardiac arrest patients has seen his innovate work published internationally. Bradley Gander’s literature review, co-authored with Samantha Laws, a senior lecturer at St Georges University of London, studied the complex issue of Pulseless Electrical Activity (PEA) – a particu