Category Archives: General Medical

All about General Medical including NHS etc.

Defibrillators For Schools Defibs & AED’s

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I know.. you think we are mad. Why would we sell defibrillators to schools which are full of young, fit and energetic people?

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) strikes people of all ages, including children as we have all sadly seen in the media of late. For less than £1000 you can give your school, its children, staff and visitors the best chance of surviving a cardiac arrest with rapid access to a lifesaving defibrillator.

No AED = 5% chance of survival… AED within first 5 minutes = 75% chance of survival

Here at Defibrillator Shop we are very passionate about two things. Firstly providing the right defibrillator packages for you. The second being providing the BEST training possible on how to effectivly use your new lifesaving defibrillator…

Thats why we include FREE TRAINING in all our school defib packages, for up to 12 of your teachers, support staff etc! … Anywhere in Mainland UK! Because of this, we will also bring your defib to you on the day of your training – so there is no delivery charge! Call 01244 380 699 for more infomation, or visit www.defibrillatorshop.co.uk

What is the difference between a Paramedic and a Technician?

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It is a question we are frequently asked… So here goes…

The media is sometimes confused by the difference between an emergency medical technician and a paramedic. Unfortunately, with so many people getting their information from the news media the confusion has spread. At least the days of referring to these trained professionals as ambulance drivers are mostly behind us. Unlike other emergency services, our equipment (the ambulance) precedes our training and certifications by several decades. Now that the training has become much more in depth, ambulance crews do much more than drive.

Paramedics are registered professionals, holding a registration with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC, formally: HPC). Paramedics are also qualified to degree level (as of 2012) and many are trained in further education, such as advanced practice.

Depending on the Trust / Company the Paramedic works for depends on the skills they are allowed to use, at Jigsaw Medical Services Ltd, our Paramedics are not limited in their professional practice and can perform any skill or intervention they are trained to do. The advanced skills available to paramedics includes:

- Intravenous cannulation

- Administration of an array of prescription, emergency and controlled drugs.

- Endotracheal intubation

- Advanced Life Support

- Intraosseous access (drilling into the patients bone)

- Surgical airways (needle cricothyriodotomy)

- Chest decompression (thoracocentesis)

- Advanced clinical examination & ECG recognition.

- …. And more!

Technicians (or EMT’s) are able to perform immediate life support and basic interventions, they are  also able to administer a small range of intra-muscular and oral medication. They are trained in basic clinical examination and paramedic assistance skills. They are able to work independently (and are the minimum level of skill who are able to work alone in most ambulance services).

EMT’s are the backbone of many services and often work with emergency care assistants (who are non-clinical support staff) or paramedics.

There is currently no regulation, protection or registration of the ‘Technician’ profession.

In terms of events, Technicians are usually more than adequate. But for larger or more high risk events, paramedics would usually be required.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries!!

First Aid Training Courses For SIA Security Staff

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First aid training is obviously a very important element of training for security staff. The SIA states:

When applying for your licence you will be required to produce evidence that you have attained a recognised first aid award. You should present your valid first aid certificate to your training provider before you start your training. If you do not have a recognised first aid award you will need to get one in order to get your licence. This is in addition to the minimum 150 hours knowledge and practical skills training.

Here at JMS & MLS we are able to provide security personnel with the required HSE approved first aid at work qualification or re-qualification. We have also devised an additional specialist element to the course to satisfy the ‘real-world’ requirements of the security industry.

Please call us on 01244 380 699 to discuss your requirements!

Or visit: www.marton.co.uk or www.jigsawmedical.net

 

Brugada Syndrome

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One of the most common causes of death or cardiac arrest in young people is something called Brugada syndrome (see below). This condition causes the heart to go into ventricular fibrillation and will cause the heart to effectively stop beating.

Although this syndrome is potentially life threatening with rapid access to good initial bystander first aid and an AED! these patients can be effectively resuscitated (look at fabrice muamba!).

What is Brugada syndrome?

This is an inherited arrhythmia that causes the bottom chambers of the heart (the ventricles) to beat so fast that they can prevent the blood from circulating efficiently in the body. When this situation occurs (called ventricular fibrillation), the individual will faint and may die in a few minutes if the heart is not reset. While this is a disease that usually affects people in their 30′s, it has actually been described at all ages. So it is important to screen everybody in a family. Not everybody who has the disease will have arrhythmias. However, we can not know yet who will be OK and who will have problems. If you have had fainting spells related to Brugada syndrome, our experience indicates that you are at very high risk of having them again.

How common is Brugada syndrome?

It is very difficult to know because it was only described 10 years ago. It is found all over the world and in some countries in Asia is the most common cause of death in young people after car accidents.

Is there any medication for Brugada syndrome?

Not yet. Brugada syndrome was discovered 10 years ago, and there is no medication to prevent the black outs yet.

Is there anything that resets the heart when it beats too fast?

Yes, there is a special pacemaker, called defibrillator, that when used in patients that have Brugada syndrome and black outs, jump-starts the heart every time it malfunctions. All the patients who have a defibrillator are doing well.

You could help these people!

By attending a first aid training course and a defibrillator course you could potentially perform life saving defibrillator before the ambulance arrives!

NEW NHS ’111′ Service!

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NHS 111 is a new service that’s being introduced to make it easier for you to access local NHS healthcare services. If you live in County Durham and Darlington, Lancashire (excluding West Lancashire), Lincolnshire, the London boroughs of Croydon and Hillingdon, Luton, North Derbyshire and Nottingham City, or on the Isle of Wight, you can now call 111 when you need medical help fast but it’s not a 999 emergency.

NHS 111 is a fast and easy way to get the right help, whatever the time.

TipNHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.

When to use it

You should use the NHS 111 service if you urgently need medical help or advice but it’s not a life-threatening situation.

Call 111 if:

  • You need medical help fast but it’s not a 999 emergency.
  • You think you need to go to A&E or need another NHS urgent care service.
  • You don’t know who to call or you don’t have a GP to call.
  • You need health information or reassurance about what to do next.

For less urgent health needs, contact your GP or local pharmacist in the usual way.

For immediate, life-threatening emergencies, continue to call 999.

How does it work?

The NHS 111 service is staffed by a team of fully trained advisers, supported by experienced nurses. They will ask you questions to assess your symptoms, then give you the healthcare advice you need or direct you straightaway to the local service that can help you best. That could be A&E, an out-of-hours doctor, a walk-in centre or urgent care centre, a community nurse, an emergency dentist or a late-opening chemist.

Where possible, the NHS 111 team will book you an appointment or transfer you directly to the people you need to speak to. If you need an ambulance, one will be sent just as quickly as if you had dialled 999.

If a health professional has given you a specific phone number to call when you are concerned about your condition, continue to use that number.

Typetalk or textphone

If you have difficulties communicating or hearing, you can use the NHS 111 service through a textphone by calling 18001 111.

Calls are connected to the TextDirect system and the textphone will display messages to tell you what is happening. A Typetalk Relay Assistant will automatically join the call. They will talk back what you’ve typed to the NHS 111 adviser and, in return, type back the adviser’s conversation, so you can read it on your textphone’s display or computer.