EEAST General Broadcast

What is Stroke Video Triage (SVT)

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode, we explore Stroke Video Triage (SVT). I’m joined by Brittany Farthing, Clinical Lead for Stroke Video Triage (SVT) at EEAST, and Karen Butchard, Lead Stroke Specialist at West Herts, Watford General Hospital. It’s been two years since SVT was introduced at Watford Hospital, and we reflect on its success and how it has enhanced patient's experience. The initiative has now been rolled out across 12 out of 15 sites in EEAST and the remaining sites will go live later this year.

We cover what SVT is, how it works, who will crews will interact with at the hospital via SVT, and the benefits for both crews and patients. We also highlight improvements such as reduced door-to-needle times and faster imaging.

Finally, we discuss why it’s essential for all clinicians to use this tool to improve the patient journey. SVT demonstrates clear benefits for patients suspected of having a stroke—so don’t forget to make use of it!

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Patient Safety Incident Investigation - Patient Injury

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 09:00:00 GMT

This months podcast has been recorded by members of the Patient Safety Team that were involved in a review of patients that were injured whilst in our care. Jo Wells, Patient Safety Improvement Specialist is joined by Liam Dunn, Head of Patient Safety, David Grover, Patient Safety Specialist for SNEE, Louise Baines, Patient Safety Advisor and Karen Wooding, Patient Safety Advisor to discuss how the review was completed.

The team explain some of the processes of thematic reviews conducted under the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework as well as elaborating on the findings and recommendations the report has made to drive improvement and make our patient care episodes safer. Should you have any questions from the podcast you can contact the team via email at patientsafety@eastamb.nhs.uk.

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EEAST Patient Survey's and why the feedback is so valuable to the Trust

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In this month's episode, I am joined by Laura Mann, Patient Experience Surveys Manager at EEAST. We explore the role of surveys in shaping patient care - why the Trust sends them out, how valuable the feedback is and what actions we take based on what patients tell us.

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A chat about the Non-Conveyance Bundle and ePCR Audits

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 06:00:00 GMT

In this month’s edition I am joined by Dave Grover, Patient Safety Officer and Kim Sage, Halo for Colchester Hospital. In this podcast we have a discussion around the Safe Discharge Non-Conveyance Bundle and ePCR Audits.

Why was the Safe Discharge Non-Conveyance Bundle implemented: This tool was developed as a reminder and support to crews to cover off all elements of which patients we take to hospital or who to safely leave at home.

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End of Life Care (EOLC) - Difficult conversations

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In this month’s episode we continue our conversation around end-of-life care (EOLC) and specifically around difficult conversations, the use of simple language and the importance of how we deliver sometimes difficult news to our patients and their families.

Joining us again in this episode is Justine Di Fede (Clinical Lead – EOL Regional Portfolio), Deenah Elswaf (Senior EMT & has a passion for EOLC) and special guest Dr. Karen Chumbley (GP & Hospice Lead in EOLC – Suffolk & NE Essex)

We discuss why using simple language makes such a difference to someone at that time, a way to deliver difficult news and how to learn and reflect on the way we deliver these conversations.

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End of Life Care (EOLC)

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 07:00:00 GMT

In this month’s episode our conversation is about end-of-life care and what this means to our patients and their families. This is the first of two episodes discussing EOLC.

Joining us in this episode is Justine Di Fede (Clinical Lead – EOL Regional Portfolio), Karen Chumbley (GP & Hospice Lead in EOLC – Suffolk & NE Essex) and Deenah Elswaf (Senior EMT & has a passion for EOLC) around End-of-Life Care.

We discuss the signs and symptoms of EOLC and the differences between EOL and Palliative Care for patients, what type of holistic treatment is available to the Trust and when do you need to take the patient to hospital.

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EEAST Occupational Health Team

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

This months Podcast is focusing on our new EEAST Occupational Health (OH) Team. Patrick Lorenzen (Paddy) is one of our Occupational Health Nurse's who has joined EEAST as we transition over to our new in-house Occupational Health Team. Our discussion starts by asking Paddy about his role in OH, what advice and support he and the team can provide to our staff. We discuss what Occupational Health is and what it isn’t. Paddy also confirms this service is available to all EEAST staff and it is a confidential advice service providing Health on Work and/or the effect of Work on Health.

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What is EEAST Clinical Advice Line (CAL) Team

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 07:00:07 GMT

This months Podcast is focusing on the Clinical Advice Line. Leigh is one of the trusts Clinical Assessment Service (CAS) Assistants who will generally answer and call for the Clinical Advice Line (CAL). We discuss what she may ask and what a clinician may need ready when calling the CAL. Secondly, we talk to Sarah, one of the departments Clinical Navigators, a role previously titled Clinical Coordinator. Sarah talks about the role, what advice and support we look to give, when we answer a request. And finally, Richard Smith, Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) Clinical and Strategic Project Lead who talks about the future of the CAL.

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A chat on Sepsis - How we treat in the community and pre hospital

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 09:00:20 GMT

Welcome to Novembers Podcast.

This months edition is focused on Sepsis. Such a huge subject which has become a real focus for EEAST and how we treat in the community and pre hospital.

We are lucky to be joined by a survivor of this serious condition, EEAST staff member Tracey Hayward. Tracey speaks openly about what its like as the patient being treated.

Also joining us is James Hammond, Senior Paramedic from West Suffolk, and Manny Sevillano, an Advanced Practitioner who works for both EEAST and in an MSE Acute. Both experienced clinicians with a passion in the Pre Hospital Care of a septic patient and keen to support the message and the importance in delivering life saving treatment.

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A chat with EEAST CFR'S, Who are they and What do they do?

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 08:30:58 GMT

In this episode Ed Green, the Patient Safety Improvement Specialist and Sarah Garner, the Patient Experience Improvement Manager has a chat with our EEAST Community First Responder Manager (CFR) and Paramedic, Clare Ruddy and also Community First Responder and CFR Training Officer, Christine Cheetham.

We discuss the Community First Responder (CFR) role in EEAST, what part they play and when are they despatched to a 999 call.

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A chat with our EEAST Mental Health Team

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 07:00:07 GMT

In this episode Ed Green, the Patient Safety Improvement Specialist and Sarah Garner, the Patient Experience Improvement Specialist has a chat with our Mental Health Practitioners Nicky Gordan and Clare Howe.

We discuss who the Trusts Mental Health Team are, their work around Right Care Right Person and how to utilise the most appropriate referral pathways for mental health support.

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Cuddle Pockets

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 09:00:35 GMT

TRIGGER WARNING- this podcast talks about the death of premature babies.

Working in the community means that clinicians can be faced with any type of incident. This means needing the right equipment to deal with whatever they face.

In the tragic and rare cases where a premature baby has died, it has been in the past difficult to find a safe and dignified solution for baby to be transported with parents. The cuddle pocket is designed to be a compassionate way of carrying a baby from the community to the hospital.

Back in 2021, Damon Wheddon, Clinical Lead, sat down with Jordan Nicholls, Jenni McClagish and Denise Kendall to talk about how the Trust commissioned the pockets and how to use them.

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Patient Safety and Incident Reporting

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 09:00:40 GMT

In this episode Joanna Wells talks to Liam Dunn, Head of Patient Safety along with Patient Safety Specialists, Kirsty Wilson, Sancha Dennehy, Jen McClagish.

They discuss who the Patient Safety Team are, what do they do as a team, what they look at and what the teams responsibilities are..

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Complex Systems and Safety

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 09:00:07 GMT

It's important to think about how we are safe on the front line, doing the work day in and day out, but how do our polices, processes and practices across an entire organisation impact the safety of our work?

Steven Shorrock is an interdisciplinary humanistic, systems and design practitioner interested in human work from multiple perspectives. He currently specialises as a human factors and safety specialist in air traffic control in Europe, but has worked across most safety critical sectors.

We talk about how policies can interfere with each other, how hierarchy impacts performance and reflecting on incidents in this fascinating chat.

Steven's blog can be found here Humanistic Systems and he's also on Twitter @StevenShorrock.

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10-10 Stroke Project

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 09:00:58 GMT

This episode is in two parts.

In the first part, Stroke Lead, Dan Philips is in a Q&A session with Kayleigh Martin, where Dan explains the 10-10 project that aims to reduce time on scene for seriously unwell patients. The second part is also with Dan Philips and Dr Sajid Alam, Stroke Lead from Ipswich Hospital on the reasons why 10-10 is a good idea.

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Thinking like a CCP: Lou Rosson and Chris Neil

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 09:00:45 GMT

Critical care paramedics bring more than just advanced clinical skills, they also have a huge amount of non-technical tricks can help keep patients and staff safe at scene and make the best choices.

This week, Patient Safety Integration Lead Jordan sits down (virtually) with Lou Rosson and Chris Neil, who break down what happens before they get to a job, what they're thinking at scene and how they rely on the team to make the best decisions for the patient.

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Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF)

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 08:00:52 GMT

In this episode Jo Wells, Patient Safety Improvement Specialist had a chat with Julie Hargreaves, Patient Safety PSIRF Lead about all things related to the new Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) and how it will affect the staff, patients and look for incident investigation moving forwards.

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Moral Injury: Dr Esther Murray

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 08:00:26 GMT

Dr Esther Murray is a Health Psychologist working at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. She has a keen interest in moral injury, the term used when people are witness to shocking or traumatic events that change their outlook on the world.

Our previous Patient Safety Integration Lead, sat down with Esther on the phone to talk about moral injury and how it can impact ambulance crews, as well as what we can all do to help each other.

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Peak performance under pressure: Dr Stephen Hearns

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 08:00:28 GMT

We all have to deal with pressure. Sometimes it's minor like "do I go left or right at the roundabout?". Sometimes it's the difference between life and death. But how can we manage and work with that pressure, rather than against it?

Dr Stephen Hearns is a critical care doctor and search and rescue specialist in Scotland, who has spent his career understanding what pressure is and how he can try to handle it in stressful times. His book 'Peak Performance Under Pressure' goes into detail about the tools and techniques we can all use to manage stress when the going gets tough.

This week, Jordan and Stephen talk about why pressure is sometimes good for us, how to recognise stress in other and what to do when you're maxed out.

Stephen can be found at his website https://corecognition.co.uk/

His online courses can be found at https://www.corecognitioncourses.co.uk/

He's also on Twitter @StephenHearns1

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Birth in the Community

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 08:00:36 GMT

Childbirth in the community can be one of the most challenging jobs any frontline clinician faces.

In this episode, our previous Patient Safety Integration Lead, Jordan, sat down with our Clinical Lead, Daimon Wheddon and Rose Bedford, Consultant Midwife in East and North Herts NHS Trust. They talk about common challenged with delivery, misconceptions and top tips about what to do when delivering a baby.

If you have any questions or feedback please email lfi@eastamb.nhs.uk

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Fast jets and faster thinking

Wed, 31 May 2023 08:00:59 GMT

There are few roles like the emergency services, where you train to deal with the unexpected in challenging environments, but most of those roles are based in the military. None more so than flying a jet fighter into a war zone. Having to think and work under extreme pressure, all while controlling a machine capable of breaking the sound barrier. It's a tall order.

Mandy Hickson was the only female pilot on her Front Line Tornado Squadron, flying multimillion pound fast jets for the Royal Air Force. She has operated in hostile environments, including patrolling the 'No Fly' zone over Iraq. Carrying the latest weaponry she and her unit were ready to drop ordnance on any target in support of operations.

As a trained Human Factors facilitator with the Civil Aviation Authority, Mandy uses her in depth knowledge of aviation, calculated risk taking, decision making under pressure and the critical role of the human in the system to transfer these lessons from the cockpit to the corporate boardroom.

Emily Crosby is a Newly Qualified Paramedic in EEAST with a keen interest in crew resource management and and the psychological factors of working in a stressful environment. Her interest in these topics makes her perfect to talk with Mandy, to compare and contrast experiences and help show how people fresh in a challenging role can learn from experience.

Mandy's book can be found here

Twitter:@MandyHickson

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Clinical Human Factors: Martin Bromiley

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 08:00:23 GMT

In this episode, our previous Patient Safety Integration Lead, Jordan, sat down with Martin Bromiley to discuss human factors in clinical settings. They discuss what safety truly is, how to check yourself in a stressful situation, how to work with people you may not know in high stress situations and what organisations can do to support psychological safety in their Trusts.

Martin is one of the leading champions in this field, a pilot and instructor, who's wife sadly died during a routine procedure, Martin worked with the NHS Trust to truly understand the root causes of the incident. He then championed patient safety across the country, founding the Clinical Human Factors Group and having a supportive role in the formation of the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch.

For more information about CHFG please visit- https://chfg.org/

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Investigations and making safe decisions: Andy Collen

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 08:00:58 GMT

In this episode, our previous Patient Safety Integration Lead, Jordan, sat down with Andy Collen to discuss investigations and decision making in Paramedic Practice.

Andy is a paramedic who has completed a huge range of roles, including being the meds & prescribing lead for the College of Paramedics, a national investigator for the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch and has written a book about decision making in paramedic practice.

Andy's book can be purchased at Decision Making in Paramedic Practice - Class Professional Publishing

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ReSPECT

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 09:00:08 GMT

This week, Clinical Lead Daimon Wheddon and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital's Dr Caroline Barry, sit down to talk ReSPECT.

The ReSPECT process provides a written record of patients' treatment preference and focuses on treatments to be considered as well as those that are not wanted or would not work.

People with a complete ReSPECT form do not require a separate DNACPR form although it is important to be aware that a patient can have a ReSPECT form and still be in favour of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

ReSPECT aims to inform decision making for ambulance clinicians when the patient may lose capacity to make decisions for themselves.

For more information please visit: ReSPECT | Resuscitation Council UK

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