Pre-Hospital Care Podcast

In this episode of the Pre-hospital Care Podcast, we delve into the origins and current structure of the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), a specialist unit within UK pre-hospital care. We explore why the HART model was specifically chosen in the UK and how it compares to Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) counterparts internationally. The conversation offers insights into the unique day-to-day rol...

In Part 3 of The Dying Patient: Palliative and End of Life Care, we delve into the complexities ambulance clinicians face when supporting patients in their final days and hours. Often the first to recognise when someone is dying, paramedics work within a system where community engagement may be limited, making their role crucial in identifying signs such as terminal agitation, unconsciousness, and...

In Part 3 of our Decision Making series, we explore the power of "slow time" thinking with Detective Superintendent Ahenkora Bediako of the Metropolitan Police. With a distinguished career managing high-risk public protection departments and international investigations, Ahenkora brings deep insight into how intentional, non-biased decisions are made under pressure. We unpack how leaders can resis...

Today, we’re diving into a critical yet often overlooked subject: rehabilitation for pre-hospital staff. The physical and mental demands of frontline work are relentless. Paramedics, HEMS crews, and pre-hospital teams operate in high-stress environments, managing unpredictable situations, heavy workloads, and repeated exposure to trauma. But what happens when the body or mind says, “I can’t keep g...

Today, we explore the collective experience of trauma among NHS ambulance personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period that tested the resilience and identity of clinicians like never before. In the episode, we’ll uncover the inspirations behind this research, examining how social identity processes provide a profound lens to understand how ambulance teams navigate trauma. Our guest will walk...

In our previous episode, we explored the meaning and importance of end-of-life care, particularly during the final 12 months of life. We discovered how difficult it is to predict this timeline, especially for ambulance clinicians who often see patients at critical points without a full picture of their medical history. In this episode, we take a closer look at what that final year can involve, foc...

In this episode, we dive into a critical challenge: how to embed meaningful, lasting change within ambulance services. With increasing demand, stretched resources, and ongoing operational pressures, creating improvements that truly stick is no easy task. To unpack this, I’m joined by Carl Betts, an expert in quality improvement, leadership, and change management within the ambulance sector. Carl h...

Welcome back to the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast. In this episode, I’m joined by Stephen Wood, emergency nurse practitioner, educator, and host of Tac Medic Whiskey: The Tactical Medicine Podcast. Steve brings a wealth of experience from pre-hospital care, the emergency department, and the tactical environment, and he’s become a prominent voice in the evolving landscape of high-threat medicine. His p...

In today’s episode, we’re honoured to be joined by John Martin, a trailblazer whose career is a testament to innovation, leadership, and an unwavering dedication to patient care. John’s journey began at just 18 in a microbiology lab, but his passion for healthcare quickly led him to the world of emergency medicine. Today, he serves as the Chief Executive of South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foun...

In this episode, I’m joined by Marc Watson, a distinguished pharmaceutical physician and passionate advocate for mental health. Marc’s journey spans from working as a frontline GP to holding senior leadership roles in pharmacovigilance and global medical affairs, where he has been instrumental in ensuring patient safety, meeting regulatory demands, and supporting the launch of transformative medic...

In this episode of the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we explore the evolving role of ambulance clinicians in palliative and end-of-life care. We’re joined by a dedicated team working to improve how prehospital services support patients in their final months, ensuring care is compassionate, coordinated, and patient-centred. We introduce the team and their roles before breaking down the key concepts of...

Today, we're honoured to host Professor Deborah Harding, a distinguished figure in the field of advanced clinical practice. Professor Harding serves as the Supervision Lead for the NHS England for Advancing Practice, where she has been instrumental in developing supervision frameworks that support advanced practitioners across various healthcare disciplines. ​ With a rich background as a registere...

In this episode, we explore the challenges and contrasts of implementing innovation across the NHS and the private healthcare sector with expert guest Hannah Browning. As the founder of Beyond Excellence, Hannah brings a rare dual-sector insight, having held senior leadership roles in major private providers including Nuffield Health, Spire Healthcare, and HCA, as well as leading on transformative...

In this episode of the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we explore the rapidly evolving role of artificial intelligence in trauma care, focusing on the AI Risk Prediction and Decision Support System (AI-TRiPS)—a cutting-edge AI tool designed to enhance decision-making in high-pressure trauma settings. AI-TRiPS is built on Bayesian networks for clinical decision support, bridging the gap between AI devel...

In this episode of the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we’re joined by Sarah Edwards to explore the most frequently encountered paediatric emergencies seen in the field. Sarah Edwards is a Consultant in Adult and Paediatric Emergency Medicine and the RCEM Learning Chair. She is Senior Editor for the Emergency Medical Journal, RCEM Learning Chair and Honorary Secretary for ASME. She also teaches on the...

The person-centred approach to counselling is built on the foundation of empathy, authenticity, and unconditional positive regard. Developed by Carl Rogers, this approach shifts the focus from the therapist as an expert to the client as the central figure in their own healing journey. Rather than directing or diagnosing, the counsellor provides a non-judgmental, supportive space, allowing the indi...

In this episode, we continue our deep dive into decision-making under pressure with Olly Sapsford, a Firefighter and Commander as well as a Lecturer in Disaster & Emergency Management at Coventry University. We explore the mental models, training, and strategies that support effective decision-making in extreme environments. How do emergency responders manage stress, maintain clarity, and stri...

In this episode of the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we are focusing on the vital topic of paediatric assessment in the pre-hospital phase of care. Assessing and managing a sick or injured child is one of the most challenging scenarios for pre-hospital teams. Our guest breaks down the key components of paediatric assessment with the subtle red flags that may indicate a child is critically unwell. We’...

In this episode, we take an in-depth look at one of the world’s leading HEMS services—London’s Air Ambulance (LAA) Charity. This conversation centres around the lesser-known challenges of sustaining and growing a top-tier HEMS service within the UK. From community engagement strategies to high-impact fundraising and marketing campaigns, we uncover what it takes to raise over £16 million to fund tw...

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains a critical challenge despite advances in pre-hospital care, with survival rates heavily influenced by early intervention, high-quality CPR, and coordinated response systems. In this episode, we’re joined by Mark Faulkner, a leading expert in resuscitation and emergency care, to explore the key factors that impact survival. We’ll discuss the importance of byst...

In this episode of the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we dive into the crucial role of shared learning within the pre-hospital setting. Learning from past experiences, both successes and challenges, is vital for improving patient outcomes and advancing best practices. We’ll explore key moments where shared learning has led to real changes in practice and examine the importance of having a strong centr...

In this episode, we’re joined by Paramedic Adam Desmond, an experienced paramedic who has been on the frontline of some of the UK’s most devastating major incidents, including the Brixton nail bombing on 17th April 1999, the Soho nail bombing on 30th April 1999, the Ladbroke Grove rail crash on 5th October 1999, the London terror attacks on 7th July 2005, commonly known as 7/7, and the Westminster...

Today, we’re diving into one of the most challenging and high-stakes procedures in trauma medicine—prehospital resuscitative thoracotomy (RT) for traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA). Joining me is Dr Mike Christian, the senior author of a recent study published in JAMA Surgery, which examines the impact of prehospital RT in London’s Air Ambulance (LAA) system over two decades. TCA is often seen as a co...

This is the second in a short mini-series focusing on vehicle-borne attacks having transitioned from a relatively rare method used by Terrorist Vehicle-Borne (TVB) attacks to becoming one of the most lethal forms of terrorism. In Western countries, by 2016, TVB has resulted in just over half of all terrorism-related deaths. Their effectiveness and simplicity make vehicle ramming attacks an increas...

In 2016, ISIS encouraged vehicle attacks through its online magazine, targeting crowded outdoor events. Rather than large-scale attacks using weapons of mass destruction, terrorism has shifted towards smaller, lone-actor incidents due to increased security measures. Online radicalisation has facilitated this change, inspiring attacks with easily accessible vehicles requiring minimal skill or prepa...