Volunteer first responders provide over five thousand hours of service in Rutland
Rutland First Responders, who supplement the East Midlands Ambulance Service, attended 709 calls in 2021
Last updated 5th Jan 2022
It was revealed yesterday that Rutland First Responders, a community based volunteer service clocked up over five thousand hours of duty in 2021. Much like the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) whose work they complement in the region, they have had a difficult year.
"We couldn't just go to patients house anymore, we needed to wear PPE kits and take many precautions. We've actually been logged on for much more than the 5,119 hours. Sometimes, EMAS may be busy so we attend incidents but it may not be logged onto the system" says Barbara Crelin, the group's coordinator.
They consist of 8 volunteers who are specially trained and give up their time for their service. She goes on to add, "Considering that half the group are retired while the other half are still working, that we've been able to do this work in between working or running a house or looking after family, is a satisfactory feeling."
Rutland First Responders are generally directed to Category A 999 calls relating to cardiac arrest, collapsed or unconscious patients, chest pains or breathing difficulties, diabetic emergencies, fits and convulsions as well as cases of stroke. They are trained to administer CPR and other emergency measures.
Ms Crelin explains, "Ultimately, we calm a situation down and make a set of observations so that we have a baseline when the paramedics come and back us up. It's a vital service because otherwise people might be sitting an hour or two waiting for an ambulance, gradually getting more and more agitated about their symptoms."
The relative small size of Rutland means they don't need to have multiple available at the same time. But they still make sure at least one person is on-call every day and another person who works when nobody else is available to offer this cover.
"We're a particularly remote area and often the nearest A&E is twenty miles away. The ambulance shifts go out from Oakham (East Midlands Ambulance Service station) at half past five and six in the morning. Quite often their first call would take them to Leicester and they may not get back into Rutland until the end of the shift 12 hours later.
"It's not that we don't get ambulances in Rutland but they may have to come from nearby Spalding or Market Harborough. So we need to be there to help", she says.
Long waiting times for ambulances were also a common occurrence in the county, much like the rest of the country towards the end of last year. Ms Crelin says "We try getting to an incident as quick as we can but ambulances and paramedics may be impacted by long waiting times at A&E departments. If they can't come and relieve us, it backs up all the way along because we can't attend other emergency incidents.
"But the ambulance service have been good and ensured that we aren't assigned to cases where the patient doesn't have serious symptoms and may have to wait for too long." This ensures that community responders are available for serious cases such as cardiac arrests were they to happen.
She's optimistic for the future, however. They have recently received a new response car from East Midlands Ambulance Rescue service, with provisions to offer patients pain relief. Ultimately, they are a self-funded organisation and require support from donors.
"We spend a lot of time fund-raising. We teach first-aid and CPR. We also have a collection box outside our office. EMAS helps us with consumable goods as well.
"You get a feeling of satisfaction when you're able to make a difference and that's why we do it."