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Author: Vanessa Casey

  • South Central Ambulance Charity Volunteer honoured by The Prince and Princess of Wales at NHS Big Tea 75th Anniversary Party

    A South Central Ambulance Charity volunteer from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire has been honoured by Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales at a very special NHS Big Tea party, marking the 75th anniversary of the NHS (Wednesday 5th July).

    Robin Mugridge, 54, started volunteering at the age of seven and today is a volunteer Community First Responder for South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. Having been trained by paramedics, Robin attends critical incidents to initiate patient care prior to the arrival of an ambulance and provides emergency treatment when every second counts.

    Hosted by NHS Charities Together – the national charity caring for the NHS, of which Their Royal Highnesses are Patrons – and television presenter Mel Giedroyc, the event was attended by members of the workforce and patients representing myriad achievements of the NHS and NHS charities over the last 75 years. It was held in the wellbeing garden of St Thomas’ Hospital in London – a wellbeing initiative funded by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity.

    Robin’s role has been supported by funding from NHS Charities Together, who fund some of the equipment volunteers use to help patients when every second counts, and he says that the feeling you get when you save a life is next to none.

    Robin said: “Today has been a wonderful occasion with glorious weather, lovely cake and with some very special guests! It was an honour to be able to discuss my role, because I’m so proud of being part of a team that helps to save lives – it doesn’t get much better than that. Charitable fundraising is critical to our role, and we wouldn’t exist without it, because the NHS doesn’t get any core funding for Community First Responders. The support from NHS Charities Together has been invaluable to our charity to help fund this vital service.”

    Other guests The Prince and Princess met with included Aneira Thomas, the first baby born on the NHS, to pioneers in research and those on the frontline tackling Covid-19. The guest list honoured staff past and present, including three generations of NHS workers from one family – inspired by grandmother and former nurse of nearly 50 years, Blanche Hines, who was part of the Windrush generation.

    A surprise visit for those invited, The Prince and Princess even arrived early to help lay the tables and put finishing touches on a birthday cake. Their Royal Highnesses discussed current challenges and thanked staff for the work they continue to do, and – in the spirit of the tea party – even attempted to settle the long-standing scone debate regarding jam or cream first, with The Princess voting for jam, and Prince William preferring whatever is closest. They concluded their visit with a video message for the entire NHS: “Wishing everyone a very happy 75th birthday for the NHS. Thank you so much for all you do.”

    Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive of NHS Charities Together, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to our Royal Patrons, and everyone who’s helped celebrate the 75th anniversary of our beloved NHS this year. As the national charity caring for the NHS, NHS Charities Together is here for anyone who wants to give something back to its people, who all give so much to us, and that extra support has never been so important. It includes providing staff psychologists, counselling, peer support training and so much more.

    “It’s not too late to arrange your own NHS Big Tea party and raise vital funds to support NHS charities – find out how you can get involved at nhscharitiestogether.co.uk.”

    Eurovision and former Great-British Bake Off presenter Mel Giedroyc was the host for the event on behalf of NHS Charities Together, and said: “The NHS is part of our DNA in this country so it was an utter privilege to be involved in this NHS Big Tea surprise to celebrate 75 years of the NHS and NHS charities. People were so delighted and it was just a quintessentially lovely, British day, celebrating our health service that we all love so much. I hope we will continue to love and take care of it for the next 750 years, because it’s something truly precious – and what would we do without it? I have it to thank for my hernia operations!”

    The Prince and Princess of Wales became Royal Patrons for NHS Charities Together in December 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, their support for the charity has helped to shine a light on the incredible and ongoing contribution of the NHS workforce and the role of NHS charities in helping the NHS go further for everyone.

    Now entering its sixth year, the NHS Big Tea brings the nation together to celebrate the NHS and raise funds to provide the extra support needed for staff, patients, and volunteers. All funds raised from the NHS Big Tea contribute to key projects supporting the incredible NHS workforce, the long-term recovery of the NHS following Covid-19, and projects improving care for patients and communities.

    To find out more about the work of NHS charities, or how you can host your own NHS Big Tea event pack, please visit www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk

  • Ambulance Charity’s fleet of response vehicles a ‘game changer’ for community responding

    South Central Ambulance Charity’s “game changing” fleet of Dynamic Response Vehicles (DRVs) has helped volunteer Community First Responders (CFRs) arrive ‘first on scene’ to provide emergency medical assistance at almost 7,000 incidents over the past year.


    The Charity funded the purchase of 40 Dacia Dusters in 2020, with the range of 4×2 and 4×4 vehicles clocking up more than 120,000 hours as dedicated DRVs since then.


    CFRs are members of the public trained to support South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) primarily by responding to medical emergencies and sometimes providing life-saving first aid to patients before paramedics arrive.


    The 1,200-strong team also assist with ongoing patient care at the scene and operate across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire. They are funded solely by South Central Ambulance Charity, which provides equipment, training and is responsible for the entire CFR vehicle fleet.
    Due to the locality of volunteers, they often arrive before an ambulance to many 999 calls, with the CFR able to administer potentially life-saving pre-hospital treatment.


    Over the past year, the Dusters have attended 1,130 ‘Category 1’ calls to treat people with life-threatening illnesses or injuries, such as cardiac arrest, while 5,218 ‘Category 2’ emergency calls were attended where people had breathing difficulties or stroke and heart attack symptoms.
    The fully liveried vehicles replaced several ageing cars of different makes and models that required constant attention to deliver the level of reliability that the role of a DRV demands.


    The Charity specified 13 of its Dusters with 4×4, designed to help CFRs reach patients in harder to access rural environments and comfortably negotiate more hilly urban areas in wintry conditions.


    Vanessa Casey, Chief Executive of South Central Ambulance Charity, said: “The Duster has been an excellent choice for community responding. It has met our expectations in terms of suitability for the role, having all the space we need and being 100 per cent reliable.
    “The 4×4 versions have provided reassurance to our volunteers in reaching patients in more remote areas, such as bridal footpaths and rough tracks, where a normal car may have struggled. Feedback from our Community First Responders has been very complimentary.


    “Some were a little sceptical at first, but they have all been won over by the Duster’s capability and specification, agreeing that they’ve been a real game changer in terms of patient care and raising the profile and visibility of the service that we deliver.


    “Having the Dacia Duster fleet has really helped demonstrate the professionalism of our service and tells the public straightaway that they’re seeing a first responder. What’s more, we’ve also been able to attend events with the vehicles and their presence has helped us to attract even more volunteers.”


    Luke Broad, Dacia Brand Director for the UK, said: “I’m really proud to see how the Dusters have helped South Central Ambulance Charity carry out invaluable work in and around the local community. “The Duster’s rugged and robust qualities are providing volunteers with the peace-of-mind they need to deliver potentially life-saving care, regardless of the conditions. South Central Ambulance Charity’s experience perfectly illustrates all what the Duster has to offer.”

  • SCAS CFRs support European Transplant and Dialysis Games

    Community First Responders from South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) supported the European Transplant and Dialysis Games at Radley College and Blenheim Palace in Oxford last week (21 to 28 August).

    First staged in Athens in 2000, the competition has been held biannually in nine different European countries – with the games coming to the UK for the first time this year and Oxford chosen as the host city.

    CETO David Lester and CFRs Ashley Woodruff and Anna Barham were on duty for the Badminton events

    Competitors were all solid organ transplant recipients or kidney dialysis patients of all ages and came from over 25 countries to participate, with the week-long event – organised by Transplant Sport – closing on Sunday (28 August).

    Community First Responders (CFRs), supported by the SCAS Community Engagement and Training Team, provided first aid support alongside Transplant Sport’s own medical volunteers and the medical clinic at Radley throughout the week.

    CFRs are members of the public trained to support the ambulance service primarily by responding to medical emergencies and sometimes providing lifesaving first aid to patients before paramedics arrive.

    They also assist with ongoing patient care at the scene and attend more than 30,000 incidents every year. They are funded solely by South Central Ambulance Charity, which provides equipment, training and is responsible for the vehicle fleet.

    Last Wednesday (24 August), South Central Ambulance Charity’s Chief Executive Vanessa Casey spent the afternoon with volunteers and participants for the badminton rounds and finals. 

    Vanessa met some of the competitors including 86-year-old Michael Gibbons from Yorkshire who had taken part in the 5km run at Blenheim Palace the previous evening.

    Michael, one of around 400 inspirational competitors, was fortunate to receive a kidney from his wife Ann and continues to keep fit, regularly training near his home.

    One of Great Britain’s youngest participants was 17-year-old liver transplant recipient Oliver Edwards from Reading who also took part in the 5km and was then preparing to represent GB in the table tennis tournament. 

    With just a day in between to recoup his energy, Oliver explained how he hoped to be selected for the World Transplant Games to be held in Perth, Australia in 2023 after completing his A levels in maths, physics and business studies.

    Vanessa said: “It was inspirational to meet some of the competitors and a real privilege to present the medals for the badminton tournament.

    “We are delighted that our Community First Responders were able to support this event and provide important first aid cover.”

    David Lester, Community Engagement and Training Officer, said: “Our CFRs are highly trained volunteers able to assist and offer a first response if required. They really enjoyed the competition and being able to support their local community at such an important international event.”

    CFR Ashley Woodruff said: “It was great to see so many great sporting games knowing we were ready to help the athletes If they needed us. Meeting competitors from all over Europe and supporting them has been a very rewarding experience for us.”

    In addition to funding the CFR programme, South Central Ambulance Charity also raises funds to enhance services, projects and equipment across SCAS and support the health and wellbeing of all staff and volunteers.

  • Day Shift Defibrillator – Supporting SCAS BASICs

    Staffordshire and Company are a Surrey based coffee micro-roastery and coffee merchants. A specialist coffee roaster with a passion to not only bring high quality, taste-rich coffee but also to support charitable causes.

    Their latest offering is the Day Shift Defibrillator a Mexican dark roast of the Bellavista bean. The coffee is available as either beans or ground and boasts a bold, strong flavour with caramel/biscuity notes. It makes the perfect Espresso bean but also suits other longer drinks if you are looking for a bolder flavoured bean.

    Staffordshire and Company are generously supporting South Central Ambulance Charity and the SCAS BASICs team by donating to the Charity when you buy the new Day Shift Defibrillator. Not only that but if you use the discount code SCASCHARITY you can receive 10% off. The discount will not affect the kind donation the Charity will receive. Head over now to www.staffordshireandcompany.co.uk and get your order in!

    We are grateful to Staffordshire and Company for their support and hope you will enjoy the latest edition to their range.

    The Day Shift Defibrillator will be sure to you get you going in the morning!

  • Thank you Tesco and New Milton shoppers

    CFRs from New Milton, Ringwood, Totton and Wellow, organised a fundraising and recruitment event at the Tesco store in New Milton ten days before Christmas.

    Even though it was a weekday event it was an outstanding success, breaking the one day record for a collection at the store by raising £1584 thanks to the remarkable generosity of the customers and staff.

    It was inspiring as well to receive so many expressions of gratitude from the public. Unsurprisingly the work of the ambulance service and those who support it remains extremely highly valued and people are happy to show their appreciation.

    Our thanks to Amanda Tesco Community Champion for letting us hold the event and for the Santa hats!