Paramedics have touched the lives of more than one million patients in the capital this past year according to figures released today by London Ambulance Service to mark International Paramedics Day.
Since the previous annual International Paramedics Day in July 2023, LAS crews have attended 1,011,600 face-to face incidents ranging from trips and falls, right up to life-threatening emergencies like strokes and cardiac arrests.
The theme of this year’s celebrations is how paramedics ‘make a difference’ and aims to build a better understanding of the sheer breadth of work carried out by this rapidly developing young profession.
Chief Paramedic Pauline Cranmer for London Ambulance Service said:
Today alone our paramedics will attend around 3,000 incidents in London and try to make a real difference for people in need of medical help.
Paramedicine has evolved significantly over the past decades and we now have such a broad range of roles at London Ambulance Service providing increasingly tailored and specialist care to our patients.
I’m so incredibly proud of all of our paramedics and want to acknowledge the contribution they make every single day.
These days paramedics are found in a wide range of settings caring for patients and do not just respond in ambulances and cars.
These are just some of the ways that paramedics at London Ambulance Service make a difference to the lives of Londoners:
- Since 8 July last year, paramedics based in LAS’ 999 control rooms have treated nearly 180,000 patients over the phone offering advice or arranging care that avoids unnecessary trips to A&E.
- Their public education teams have trained more than 7,600 schoolchildren and 3,700 Londoners in crucial life-saving skills like CPR so they know what to do when someone has a cardiac arrest
- London’s specialist Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) paramedics who are trained to give aid in perilous situations including fires, collapsed buildings and people trapped under trains or vehicles, were dispatched to around 4,500 incidents and helped care for 800 patients.
- This year also marks a decade since the first ever patient was cared for by an Advanced Paramedic Practitioner in Critical Care, a pioneering clinical role created role in London which has additional post-graduate education and are trained to use extra medicines and equipment.
Calling on Londoners to consider a career in paramedicine, Ms Cranmer added:
“You do not need to have a medical background to start a career at the Service – we can provide you with all the training and development you need so you can begin making a difference as soon as possible.”
International Paramedics Day is hosted by the UK’s College of Paramedics to honour the dedication and impact of paramedics, first responders and community volunteers around the world.
Today London Ambulance Service recruits around 500 paramedics a year, 50 percent of which are recruited through apprenticeships and paramedic science degrees across the country, with the rest of the paramedic workforce recruited internationally and from other NHS organisations.
If you want a challenge in 2024, consider joining London Ambulance Service.
You can find job opportunities with LAS here.