A PAIR of air ambulance staff have been honoured with a prestigious award for their roles in saving a man’s life after he had a cardiac arrest at a rugby club.
The West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) Excellence in the Community award was presented to critical care paramedic Jenny Conway and Dr Ali Husain.
Presented in recognition of their clinical skills and all round team work, the award follows the pair’s efforts while working in March last year.
A man in his early 40s had collapsed at a sports club in Coventry after suffering a cardiac arrest.
But thanks to the quick-thinking actions of the crew and WMAS staff, the man has since gone on to make a good recovery.
The award was just one one of a number of excellence awards presented by West Midlands Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust at Copthorne Hotel in Brierley Hill on Thursday night.
Richard Clayton, director of operations at the Air Ambulance Service, said: ”We are delighted and extremely proud of the team.
“This was a fantastic example of the chain of survival working at its best and a clear example of the benefits of the air ambulance service night critical care car.”
West Midlands Police officers were first on the scene on the night before West Midlands Air Ambulance and the local air ambulance were called.
Launched last year, the WNAA night car carries the same lifesaving equipment used on the helicopter – including a defibrillator, cardiac monitor, a ventilator and an automated CPR device.
On‐board doctors and critical care paramedics also have access to critical care drugs and equipment usually available only in hospital emergency departments.
The charity, which receives no government funding, needs to raise an additional £200,000 per year to keep the service on the road.
It is currently campaigning for donations to help it fund the year ahead.
Visit www.wndlrairambulance.org.uk/2017 for further information about how you can keep hope alive for patients across the region.
