Introducing our new Aide Memoire for Enhanced or Critical Care Requests

Managing critically unwell patients requires a collaborative and cohesive team approach, not just within Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC), but with other emergency services and hospitals in our region. That’s why we’re pleased to share how our latest collaboration with South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) will further support patient care for those who are critically ill or injured across SWASFT’s region.

Following the success of GWAAC’s STAB-5 mnemonic, members of our crew have designed and produced a second Aide Memoire for ambulance paramedics to carry.

The purpose of the Aide Memoire is to:

1) Help SWASFT’s ambulance paramedics better understand when our crew’s skills and knowledge can enhance the care of a critically unwell or injured patient. A useful guide supports the ambulance crew’s decision-making process on scene.

2) Provide a checklist of what ambulance crews can do to prepare a patient for Pre-Hospital Emergency Anaesthesia (PHEA) before our crew arrives, therefore speeding up the process and improving patient care.

The two-sided pocket card is being distributed trust-wide at SWASFT to ambulance stations and their crews. It will also be available on SWASFT’s internal clinical guidance app.

Our ongoing collaboration with SWASFT and teamwork at scene is something we’re proud of; it is helping deliver the best possible care to critically ill and injured patients in our region and beyond.

“As part of GWAAC’s Clinical Engagement Team, it’s been very rewarding to see our latest Aide Memoire integrated into SWASFT. It was our hope that by giving ambulance crews a quick and easy guide to refer to, they would feel better supported and informed when making decisions about a patient’s critical care needs. Pre-Hospital Emergency Anaesthesia is a team effort – if ambulance crews are able to prepare the patient and set up equipment prior to our arrival, we can intervene quickly, providing advanced care and getting patients to the right hospital faster. It’s wonderful to see that the Aide Memoire is being distributed trust wide.” — Callum Sutton, Specialist Paramedic in Critical Care, Great Western Air Ambulance Charity

“South Western Ambulance Service is committed to providing the best possible care when our patients need us most. Working alongside GWAAC, this document will help support our ambulance crews to allocate the most appropriate resource to our sickest patients in a timely manner to help save lives.” — Craig Wilkins, Specialist Lead, Enhanced and Critical Care, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

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