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
Moments before boarding a flight, Helen Warren’s holiday came to an abrupt halt when she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at London Gatwick. Only a few months on, Helen and her husband Peter revisited London Gatwick to reunite with the first responders who saved her life. On Tuesday, 9 September 2025, Helen was waiting at the departure gate, ready to begin her trip, when she suddenly collapsed
The iconic 10 Downing Street, one of the UK’s most recognisable addresses, provided a backdrop for our SECAmb team and two bystander lifesavers to reunite with a Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Officer whose life they helped save. Peter, an Officer with the MET Police living in Kent, welcomed the team to the famous Downing Street and New Scotland Yard addresses as a thank you to his lifes
A thought‑provoking paper on violence and aggression against staff from the Trust’s Shadow Board was presented to the Trust Board recently. Shadow Board members Philip Taylor, a Banstead Paramedic, and Hannah Sewell, a Dartford Paramedic, delivered the paper on behalf of the Shadow Board, drawing on their first-hand experiences of being verbally and physically abused. The deep dive into violence
SECAmb is providing key PPE training to acute hospitals across the South East, to cover High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID) scenarios. Utilising its specialist trainers experienced in these situations, a SECAmb team has created a bespoke course to train NHS staff on how to safely use the PPE ensemble recommended for assessing HCID patients. NHS England has instructed there should be a unifi
The West Kent Unscheduled Care Navigation Hub (UCNH) Team based in Paddock Wood are celebrating after their work has been formally recognised with a nomination for a Kent & Medway Healthwatch Recognition Award. While the hub does not see patients face-to-face, its team of Paddock Wood–based Advanced Paramedic Practitioners (APPs) and PaCCS clinicians work closely with teams from Maidstone and
After her heart stopped beating, a grandmother is alive today because her husband immediately began CPR; a decision that kept her alive long enough for ambulance colleagues to arrive. Thanks to this colossal team effort, Anne, aged 67 is now looking forward to seeing her daughter walk down the aisle this August and watch her eight grandchildren grow up. Anne was at home with her husband of 15 yea
South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) is highlighting the disparities in cardiac arrest response for men and women and encouraging everyone to learn to save a life this National Heart Month. Women are around 27 per cent less likely to receive bystander CPR than men and are more likely to die because their bra is not removed when a defibrillator is used*. As part of National Heart Month in