Around the World of EMS

While traveling to the U.K. in May, I attended the South East Coast Ambulance Service’s (SECAmb’s) Innovations for Pre Hospital Emergency Care (IPHEC) conference held May 20–21 in Brighton.

Topics covered at the conference included the work to improve cardiac arrest outcomes nationally, advanced ECG recognition, and managing critical and complex patients. More than 1,000 U.K. providers attended the event, which featured a powerhouse faculty including the renowned Professor Douglas Chamberlain, who was instrumental in the introduction of the U.K.’s first paramedics in Brighton and has worked closely with SECAmb over the years to develop the Trust’s cardiac arrest treatment approach.

SECAmb’s new clinical simulation vehicle was also officially launched at the conference. The Simbulance is kitted out with state-of-the art manikins and clinical training equipment and is a joint venture between SECAmb and Health Education Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

This was my first international EMS conference and I was hugely impressed by the passion and engagement of the attendees, many of whom were tweeting ferociously throughout the event, updating not only their U.K. colleagues with information on sessions, but also EMS folks from around the world. Follow @IPHEC_ on Twitter to catch up with the discussion.

Special thanks to SECAmb Chief Executive Paul Sutton  and Chief Clinical Officer Professor Andy Newton for facilitating my visit. See EMSWorld.com/12084176 for more photos and information on the event and look out for updates on the clinical innovations being implemented by SECAmb in a future article.