Local ambulance service to help at London Olympic Games
Fourteen front line staff from South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) have volunteered for secondments with London Ambulance Service to help provide emergency medical care to the millions of spectators expected at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The Trust's volunteers head to London on 25 July 2012 and will make up the 440 NHS ambulance staff that will provide emergency medical assistance over three weeks deployed at various Olympic venues across the capital supporting the Games.
The volunteers have all taken part in specialist training with London Ambulance Service to learn about their protocols, equipment and operational procedures. A number of the volunteers also took part in an exercise back in May to test the response of all emergency services to incidents ahead of the Games.
The volunteers are part of a pre-planned mutual aid agreement between English ambulance trusts which is helping London Ambulance Service to draft in 200 extra staff from across the country to help it cope with an anticipated increase in demand of between 4% and 5% during the Games.
An additional twenty SCAS front line staff will be deployed to Eton Dorney Rowing Centre at Dorney Lake, Berkshire to provide emergency medical cover for the Olympic Rowing events.
The trust has brought forward its vehicle replacement programme from the end of the year to provide 6 new frontline ambulances for the Olympic Rowing venue. These new ambulances are built to the current specification for our front line ambulances and will be assigned to front line operational duties across Hampshire after the Olympics and Paralympics.
James Amos, SCAS Resilience & Specialist Operations Manager, commented:
'We are pleased to have supported the Olympic Torch on its journey through our region and proud to be involved in providing emergency medical support at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
'We are looking forward to the challenge and to playing an integral part in supporting a safe and successful Olympiad.
'So far as day-to-day services across our region are concerned, we have planned very carefully to ensure there will be no adverse impact on services here as a result of our staff supporting the Games in the capital.'
As the Olympic Games commence and as summer hots up here's a few tips to help ensure you keep safe and well:
- Reduce your exposure to the sun particularly between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m when the sun's rays are strongest, or when the UV Index is 3 or more.
- Find a place in the shade to enjoy picnics and, if you're off to the beach or out in the open carry an umbrella to create your own shade.
- Wear lightweight, tightly woven, loose-fitting clothing to cover your arms and legs.
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat that covers your head, face, ears and neck and remember baseball caps, whichever way you wear them do not give sufficient protection to your face and neck .
- Always wear sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection.
- Go for a factor 15 or higher sunscreen and use lots of it, reapply often and, if you're out for the day use factor 30.
- Keep babies out of the direct sun.
- Drink plenty of water to ensure you remain suitably hydrated.
Published 25 July 2012