Date Reviewed
08/12/17 / Issue No
1
Page 2 of 3
AMBULANCE REQUESTS
Introduction
Kent Ambulance NHS Trust has issued the following guidelines in an effort to manage the pressure on Emergency Ambulance demand, and to ensure a quality and equitability of service to meet patient needs.
The aim of their guidelines is to ensure patients are safely transferred according to their clinical need.
These guidelines are to be adhered to when requesting any form of ambulance transport.
Types of Ambulance
1. A & E Ambulance: 1 stretcher, 1 seat, a high level of emergency pre-hospital care equipment. Crewed by 2 ambulance technicians as a minimum- more often 1 paramedic and 1 technician.
PURPOSE. All 999 calls and Doctors’ urgent calls i.e. GP referral, Hospital Doctor, inter-hospital transport.
2. Special Transport Service: Available in small numbers 7 days a week throughout Kent.
Crewed by 1 Technician and Ambulance Care Assistant
PURPOSE. All routine cases, in particular transport out of county and discharges home from A & E. Also inter-hospital transfer, admission of GP urgent calls that do not, nor will not require Paramedic assistance. Aim is to release paramedic crews for emergency responses.
3. Patient Transport Services. – Non-emergency, caters for all mobility needs. Some vehicles are “mini-bus” style, others especially constructed to transport wheelchairs.
Crews
1. Ambulance Care Assistants. – Operate Patient Transport section. – Can perform basic life support, give oxygen up to 28%, and correct patient handling
2. Ambulance Technicians. – “Partners” to the Paramedics – can use cardiac monitors/defibrillators, pulse oximeters.
3. Ambulance Paramedics. – Cardiac monitoring, defibrillation, drug therapy, fluid replacement and endotracheal intubations
.
Paramedics CANNOT be routinely requested when booking ambulance transport, nor can they be requested to negate the need for hospitals to provide appropriate escorts depending upon the patients’ requirements.
Classification of calls.
When receiving a request for Ambulance service assistance, one of three categories for response must be identified.
1. Emergency. Will be treated as a 999 call.
TEL: 999
2. Urgent. Patient will be delivered to hospital within 1-3 hrs, depending on
request. TEL: 01622 741507
3. Routine Patient will be delivered to hospital within 7hrs of request for
routine admission. This does not apply to OP. and clinics.
TEL: 01622 740338
LOCALITY CONTROL PEMBURY 01892 824547
Mobility of Patient.
The following standard terms and abbreviations should be used to ensure that each patient will travel in a suitable vehicle.
a) Stretcher (STR) - A patient who is required to travel in a recumbent or
semi-recumbent position.
b) Double Handed (C2) - Patient can travel sitting but needs the assistance of two
ambulance personnel to get in or out of the vehicle.
c) Sitting Patient (C1) Patient can travel sitting and only needs the assistance
of one person to get in or out of the vehicle, which could
include a car.
d) Wheelchair patients requiring a tail lift vehicle - Patients who are wheelchair
bound and must travel in their
own chair.
The clinical responsibility for a patient remains with the sending hospital until the patient is received at the receiving hospital/unit.
FURTHER DETAILS MAY BE OBTAINED FROM: (With nurses’ procedure file)
KENT AMBULANCE NHS TRUST
GUIDELINES ON REQUESTING AMBULANCE TRANSFERS, ESCORT REQUIREMENTS AND BOOKING ARRANGEMENTS.