Demand peaked during the morning as the service recieved 11 calls in 3 hours, between 8am and 11am. On average the service responds to around 18 calls a day.
6 off-duty staff were called back into work on Saturday to maintain emergency cover and resilience for the island.
Chief Ambulance Officer Mark Mapp thanked the crews who were on duty and those who returned to work. “We operate a voluntary call back system where off-duty staff make themselves available to return to work at times of high demand. I am grateful to the staff who responded at the weekend.”
Saturday also marked the first day for the new Alderney Ambulance Service, which is operated as a satellite of the Guernsey service under the leadership, oversight and governance of Guernsey’s St John Ambulance & Rescue. Over the weekend the Alderney crews responded to 4 cases.
Mark Mapp visited Alderney on Saturday to wish the new staff success. He also acknowledged the “absolutely fantastic and dedicated workforce of the emergency ambulance service in Guernsey who have supported their Alderney colleagues and friends over the past three months, as well as partner organisations in Alderney who have helped and supported the new Emergency Ambulance Service.”
In addition to responding to a high number of medical emergencies, clinicians were also on duty at the Vazon Sprint and Guernsey Marathon.
Having complete confidence in the St John paramedics and volunteers to pick up any body parts which might have “dropped off” them whilst running in the Guernsey marathon, has proved to be an underestimation by a group of runners who were due to run as a team in this year’s relay to raise funds for the St John youth services.
John Hollis, Knight Commander of St John in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, was due to run in the event being held on Sunday 2nd April, said “We may have underestimated our own propensities to incur injuries during training, require unconnected heart and body hospital operations two weeks before the race, or catch Covid near the end of training”.
Knight Commander Hollis’ team mates, Stuart Falla, Dave Warr, Ron Taylor and Alan Cross have also been plagued by a variety of issues, effectively ruling them out of running. Paul Luxon, former Minister of Health and Deputy Al Brouard, the incumbent President of the Committee for Health & Social Care, were members of the original team and have made it to the start line. They used their enthusiasm for the cause to recruit Deputy Tina Bury, Deputy Gavin St Pier and Deputy Heidi Soulsby to step up and take part in the team challenge.
Deputy Tina Bury, Vice President of the Committee for Health & Social Care said “’Once I was assured that everyone was ok with their health, I was very happy to be able jump into a relay spot vacated by one of the ‘Old Masters’ for this weekend’s Guernsey Marathon. St John is one of HSC’s key partners in the community and I think this last-minute team shuffle is a demonstration of just how well we can, and do, work together, even in challenging circumstances.’
“What fantastic support from so many generous people prepared to run. And what an impressive final team after all the twists and turns, with some stepping in at very short notice” said John Hollis. ”Whilst professionals in health & social care from overseas are always welcome, we also need to grow locally more professionals and volunteers. Guernsey’s ageing demographic will require increased numbers, whichever way they are paid for. It is their earlier involvement with St John Youth Services which inspired numerous current practitioners to pursue careers in health & social care. In helping Guernsey and the Bailiwick with its future challenges, St John want to increase the volumes in Youth Services, continue to upgrade training and upskill youths, and build more follow-on links to the professional training provided traditionally by HSC’s Institute of Health courses.
Running for St John in the marathon relay team on Sunday 2nd April will be;
Chief Ambulance Officer Mark Mapp first joined St John as a Badger before progressing through the ranks and qualifying as a paramedic
Anyone wanting to sponsor the team can make a secure online donation for this event via giving.gg by clicking here or by using the QR code below or calling in to the charity’s office in the Rohais, Monday – Friday between 9am & 5pm to make a donation in person.
The vessel, which has been in operation for 29 years, has a design life of 30 years, and during a recent survey, a gearbox failure was identified.
St John Ambulance and Rescue is moving at pace to source new parts and we are working closely with our partners to ensure that other vessels in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, can provide cover while the marine ambulance undergoes repairs.
In the meantime, St John Ambulance and Rescue will continue to provide essential emergency services to the Bailiwick islands with the support of our partners. The public’s safety and well-being remain the organisation’s highest priority.
St John Ambulance and Rescue is working on options to assess the need for the marine ambulance service to continue after 2024. This will consider the needs of the community and the availability of resources.
“We understand the importance of our marine ambulance service to the community, and we want to assure the community that we are doing everything in our power to ensure the vessel is back in service as soon as possible,” said a spokesperson for St John Ambulance and Rescue.
“We are grateful to our partners for their support during this time, and we will continue to work closely with them to provide essential emergency services.”
Further updates will be provided as the situation progresses and we apologise for any inconvenience caused during this time.
The Flying Christine III is provided by the St John Ambulance Guernsey charity, funded through a combination of donations, sponsorship, subscription and charges. It is crewed by skilled volunteers from the local marine community and operated by the St John Ambulance and Rescue Service with professional paramedic-led medical crews providing pre-hospital paramedic care and the ability to deliver advanced life support for the islands of the Bailiwick.
James travelled to Nottingham recently, to take part in the next stages of the competition designed to single out the most outstanding St John Ambulance Cadet. Contestants were required to complete a first aid challenge to demonstrate their life saving abilities, take part in a team building exercise, give presentations and be interviewed by judges. After a hotly contested 3 days, the National Cadet of the year role was eventually won by Kyle Dean-Curtis from Barnet.
“Being able to attend the National Cadet of the Year Competition in the UK was one of the greatest privileges I have been given. Over the course of the three days spent in Nottingham, I made friends with many of my fellow District Cadets and memories that will last me a lifetime. It was truly amazing to be able to meet other cadets from around the country who all share the same passion for the St John organisation and the work that we do” said James (17).
James, who is a Senior Cadet with St John Guernsey and helps to run the unit by leading groups of junior cadets, joined the charity after meeting the voluntary event first aid team at a Seafront Sunday and taking a tour of the ambulance. He progressed through the youth programme, first as a Badger, before becoming a cadet. He is currently studying for his biology, computer science, and sociology A levels. In his spare time, he is working towards obtaining his private pilot licence with hopes of going into the aviation industry.
As Cadet of the Year James will represent St John at various high-profile events including the annual Charybdis memorial service & Remembrance Day service.
St John Ambulance Guernsey Chief Executive, Heather Langlois, said: “Congratulations to James for being made the Guernsey Cadet of the Year. The Cadets are really put through their paces in this competition and tested not only on their first aid skills, but also how they benefit their community and James is a very worthy winner of the accolade. We are all extremely proud of him – and indeed of all our youth members”.
St John Cadets is for young people aged 10 to 18-years-old and meetings take place on a Tuesday evening at the St John Ambulance hall at the Rohais. Life-saving skills are at the heart of the cadet programme and there is also the opportunity for young people to use these first aid skills by supporting our adult volunteers at events. Many of the cadets progress on to careers within the healthcare sector.
Anyone interested in joining St John can find out more by getting in touch by email info@stjohn.gg or by telephoning 01481 727129.
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem has its roots in a hospice in Jerusalem in the 11th century. Today the international charity provides health care and support in more than forty countries through a dedicated team of around 250,000 volunteers and staff. In addition to being commissioned to provide the Emergency Ambulance Service in Guernsey and Alderney, St John Guernsey’s further charitable services include first aid volunteers, the Flying Christine marine ambulance, the Badger and Cadet youth programme, Community First Responders, Caring Callers, the Community Library and first aid training.
An individual can be admitted to the Order for outstanding service to St John in recognition of achievement, notable or selfless service or inspiration and encouragement to others. There are five Grades of membership Member, Officer, Commander, Knight or Dame and Bailiff or Dame Grand Cross.
“It is a great honour to have been appointed a Commander of the Order of St John” said His Excellency, “The Priory makes a remarkable contribution worldwide and is an essential part of the community in the Bailiwick. The work done by so many volunteers is impressive and I am a great believer in everything that they do. I have thoroughly enjoyed the engagements I have had with them and will continue to do my utmost to support their work here and further afield.”
John Hollis, Knight Commander of St John in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, said “Members of St John in Guernsey are delighted that the support His Excellency Lieutenant General Richard Cripwell provides in visits, encouragement and awards ceremonies for both the emergency services and St John volunteers has been recognised by His Majesty King Charles III in his appointment as Commander in the Venerable Order of St John.”
The teddy bears, wearing traditional blue Guernseys are embroidered with the Lions Club logo and individually wrapped for hygiene purposes, will be kept on the ambulances for clinicians to give to young children who need extra comfort or distraction following an illness or injury. Young patients will then be able to keep the bears and take them home after they leave the care of the ambulance service.
The idea came from former Guernsey Lion Sheila Cunningham who had seen an article in the national Lions magazine where some Lion clubs in the UK had completed a similar project.
Paul Allaway, President of the Lions Club of Guernsey said “We are pleased to be able to support this community initiative and we hope that the teddies will not be used very often but when they are we trust that it will bring some comfort to the affected child in addition to the care provided by the ambulance clinicians and St John team.”
Sonia Guille, Paramedic Station Officer added: “When a child is unwell, not feeling their best or has hurt themselves, ambulance crews do all they can to put them at ease and reassure them. Being able to give them a teddy bear to provide some extra comfort can help reduce anxiety or act as a bit of a distraction, which can make their experience a bit less stressful and a little more pleasant, so we are really grateful to the Lions Club for donating these Guernsey teddy bears.”
The bears have been produced by St Peter Port based Channel Island Toys.
Similar charity teddy bear schemes have operated in children’s hospitals and ambulance services in the UK and other countries around the world and feedback from those involved elsewhere shows they have proved popular and successful.
SJARS has recruited four new employees from the local community in Alderney and has been working with the States of Alderney and the Committee for Health and Social Care to put plans and policies in place for the new model of ambulance provision.
It follows the announcement made by the States of Alderney in October 2022, when it was agreed that SJARS would be commissioned to take operational responsibility of the ambulance service in Alderney from the start of April 2023.
Until St John Ambulance & Rescue Service assumes operational responsibility for the new service in April, the Alderney ambulance service is currently staffed by agency personnel from a UK based independent ambulance provider, commissioned by and reporting to the States of Alderney
Four new staff members, who will be employed by St John Ambulance & Rescue Service Guernsey as Emergency Ambulance Crew, they all Alderney residents and some have had an involvement with the ambulance service in Alderney in the past. The new team has been undergoing a programme of clinical and driver training, both in Alderney and Guernsey. The Alderney crews will be supported by experienced clinicians from Guernsey to complete their training, with ongoing support, leadership and oversight provided by senior staff in Guernsey.
Aimee Lihou, Head of Quality & Patient Safety said: “The Alderney staff are nearing the completion of their initial training and have been gaining valuable on the road experience with clinicians in Guernsey, which has given them exposure to a range of medical and trauma cases. When they first become operational in Alderney they will initially be supported by a member of Guernsey staff who will be stationed temporarily in Alderney, then as part of the new model for the Alderney ambulance service, we will give ongoing support with oversight from Guernsey. The crews will have 24/7 access by phone to senior ambulance clinicians based in Guernsey, as well as access to Alderney’s Island Medical Centre.”
The Alderney ambulance service will operate as an extension of the Guernsey service, under the clinical governance framework and leadership of the St John Ambulance & Rescue Service with training and development opportunities aligned to the Guernsey operation.
We have some fantastic women working and volunteering at all levels across the St John organisation in Guernsey, including the Chief Executive Officer of the St John Guernsey charity and members of the Senior Leadership Team at the ambulance service.
In total 45% of our staff and volunteers are women, including paramedics, ambulance clinicians, station officers and as support staff working for the ambulance service. We also have amazing women volunteering as event first aiders, youth leaders, Community First Responders, community library team and Caring Callers. 
International Women’s Day celebrates women’s achievements, forges positive change through open mindsets and inclusive actions around the world. We would to thank all of the women who serve our community, provide care and make a difference when it really matters. 
During the same period, the service experienced a 3.5% increase in non-emergency patient transfers with a total of 2877 cases recorded.
The figures represent an average of 18 emergency and urgent cases per day, however demand peaked on one day in the summer, with the highest demand of 32 calls in a 24-hour period in August. Overall the busiest month of the year was December and the quietest month of 2022 was January.
Head of Operations Dean de la Mare said: “Guernsey’s ambulance service continues to provide a high level of care and is one of the best performing services in the British Isles.”
“The nature of our work is not always predictable and we can see periods of lower than normal demand followed by periods of high demand and it is not unusual for several 999 calls to come in at once. At times of high demand, senior officers can be deployed to frontline operations and off-duty staff are called back to work to provide cover and maintain resilience for the island. I would like to take this opportunity to thank staff who return to work to ensure cover is maintained,” he added.
Mr De la Mare explained that not all 999 calls result in an immediate blue light response. “999 calls are triaged by the Joint Emergency Services Control Centre (JESCC) using a world-class clinical prioritisation system which categorises cases so that the most serious and life-threatening calls are responded to first, and less urgent calls get the most appropriate response. For the highest category of call the nearest ambulance resource will be dispatched, but for less urgent cases the target response time can be up to 2 hours. Some non-urgent cases may also be referred to a doctor.”
St John Ambulance & Rescue Service takes the quality and safety of it’s service provision very seriously. It has robust procedures in place for the monitoring of any potential patient harm as a result of waiting for an ambulance during periods of peak demand. The Service will always respond to the most life-threatening of calls as a matter of priority.
The most frequent call type continues to be falls, followed by breathing problems. In 2022 the ambulance service introduced a frailty and preventative care service working collaboratively with Health and Social Care Adult Community Services, aiming to support our ageing community, by identifying cases where early intervention can reduce the future need for hospital admission or emergency calls.
Five years ago, in 2017 the ambulance services responded to fewer than 5000 calls. 
Immediately after the public announcement in January about the forthcoming closure of the shop, the board of directors and leadership team have worked non-stop with numerous private, public and third sector organisations to explore future options with the best community solution for Guernsey. Some of those potential business arrangements were subject to Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), and therefore there was a limit in what could be disclosed.
Mrs Langlois said: “Over the past few weeks we have had various discussions with interested parties, some of whom shared our community-service mindset more than others, but we welcomed constructively all enquiries and worked through them whilst respecting legal and customer data protection requirements. Guardian Medical Guernsey Ltd is owned by a family run, community focused business which shares our values, which I believe makes this the best outcome for the Island.”
Guardian Medical Ltd have an established operation in Jersey for over 25 years, and had been planning to expand into Guernsey, which they have now accelerated in a co-operative manner with St John.
Martin Fitzgerald, speaking on behalf of both Guardian Medical Jersey Limited and Guardian Medical Guernsey Limited, said: “We are delighted that we have been able to align our entry into Guernsey with St John’s handover of its retail product supply operation. We believe that the degree of continuity of staffing will be welcomed by customers, providing excellent service and reassurance from familiar surroundings and with easy access for all. In addition, our scale and service culture will help to maintain a useful competitive environment within the Guernsey market for essential mobility equipment and a wide range of quality healthcare products. In due course, our new location will also overcome the growing constraints of running a successful retail operation in the middle of an increasingly busy emergency ambulance station.”
The Health Care Shop team is now working on replenishing all stock levels and the shop on the Rohais will be operating business as usual in preparation for the transition of the business to Guardian Medical Guernsey Ltd.
