International Paramedics Day is held on 8th July and is hosted by the UK’s College of Paramedics to honour the dedication and impact of paramedics, first responders and community volunteers around the world.
Chief Executive of the College of Paramedics, Tracy Nicholls OBE said: “Every day, paramedics, first responders and community volunteers make a difference to their patients’ lives with the care, compassion and clinical capability they demonstrate.
“But the difference our profession makes across the globe is not solely confined to the vital care and treatment we provide. In clinical practice, research, education and leadership, paramedics and their healthcare organisations are driving forward the development of our profession, both here in the UK and internationally for the betterment of treatment strategies, patient outcomes, colleagues’ health and wellbeing, continued learning and our next generation of clinicians. For these reasons and more, let us all come together on July 8 and proudly tell the world the difference we make and the positive impact we have.”
International Paramedics Day was first organised by the College of Paramedics in 2022 in response to the tremendous personal sacrifices and life-saving efforts made by all those working in pre-hospital emergency care during the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. The day is celebrated every year on July 8 because this marks the anniversary of the birth of Dominique Jean Larrey, the French military doctor who became Napoleon Bonaparte’s chief surgeon of the Grand Armee and the man often referred to as the ‘father of modern-day ambulance services’.
Police officers who were first on scene made their way down the cliff path to give immediate first aid before the arrival of paramedics. Multiple ambulance resources, including a paramedic double crewed ambulance and an operational commander were deployed to the incident.
The ambulance crew gained access to the casualty with the assistance of Guernsey Police and Fire and Rescue Service. The person was given initial care and treatment at the scene before the volunteer cliff rescue team assisted with the safe extrication of the casualty to the cliff top. The patient was then transferred by ambulance to hospital.
Mark Mapp began his career with Guernsey’s ambulance service in 1998, starting in the non-emergency division before moving to the emergency team as an Emergency Medical Technician. He trained further to become a paramedic, trainer, and acting Sub Officer.
Mark also spent eight years working in various roles at Health and Social Care (HSC) while continuing part-time with the Ambulance Service. He contributed to numerous projects within the Ambulance Service until his full return in 2019. Later that year, he was appointed Chief Ambulance Officer.
Mark’s leadership style has had a remarkable impact on the ambulance service. Under his guidance, the service successfully navigated the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. He has been instrumental in the development of the service as part of Health and Social Care’s (HSC) Partnership of Purpose, with a focus on enhancing patient care, improving quality, and ensuring financial stability.
Mark’s connection with St John Guernsey began at just 15 when he joined as a Cadet. There, he acquired vital first aid and teamwork skills, quickly excelling in local and UK Ambulance Aid competitions. During his student years studying Engineering at Portsmouth, Mark continued his dedication by volunteering with the St John adult sections there.
Upon returning to Guernsey, Mark rejoined the St John charity, taking on various senior volunteer roles. He also contributed significantly to the Volunteer Ambulance Reserve, applying his expertise and leadership to support and enhance the local ambulance service.
Today, Mark continues to be a registered paramedic and although his main role is the strategic oversight and development of the ambulance service, he remains operational and from time to time works with frontline crews responding to medical emergencies. As well as serving as Chief Ambulance Officer, Mark is also a volunteer Community First Responder and sits on the board of the St John charity. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of St John in 2023.
Outside his ambulance work, Mark played a key role in establishing the 24-hour Public Access Defibrillator scheme in 2013 and creating the Community Resuscitation Development Officer role while volunteering as Chair of the Cardiac Action Group.
Furthermore, he is an Advanced Life Support instructor with the Resuscitation Council UK, delivering training in ALS, ILS, PILS and NILS, locally, across the UK, and even in Europe.
Mark’s career has been marked by his invaluable contributions to the healthcare sector. He has served with the NHS’s East of England Ambulance Service and Guernsey’s health service, gaining a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the health care sector. He remains an active member of the College of Paramedics and is committed to supporting the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) and The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC).
Mark expressed his gratitude, saying, “It is an incredible honour to have been nominated for the King’s Ambulance Medal, and I am extremely humbled to receive this award. I am proud to have been a paramedic for over 20 years and fortunate to have worked with so many dedicated individuals committed to delivering care and compassion to islanders in their time of need. Guernsey truly has a remarkable team within the ambulance and health care service, making a difference in people’s lives every day. I am also proud of my long-standing association with St John, where my ambulance career really began, and I hope this award reflects that as well.”
When asked about his reaction to the nomination, Mark said, “It was completely unexpected, and I had to look a number of times at the notification to believe it. I was truly shocked and speechless. It’s tough because you can’t share the news immediately. I don’t know who nominated me, but I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported and encouraged me over the years.”
The King’s Ambulance Medal (KAM) was established by Royal Warrant in 2011, originally named the Queen’s Ambulance Medal. This prestigious award recognises those who have demonstrated exceptional service and dedication in the field of emergency medical care. The medal is awarded to members of the NHS ambulance service or their equivalents across the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.
Recipients of the KAM have shown outstanding devotion to duty, whether through frontline response, management, or support roles, contributing significantly to patient care and the overall effectiveness of ambulance services. The introduction of this medal serves to honour the recipient for excellence in a profession that is vital to public
A doubled crewed ambulance was dispatched to the Lihou headland just after one o’clock, with an incident officer deployed in the ambulance Land Rover shortly afterwards. The first crew on scene made their way on foot to the patient, who was on the causeway and was in the care of the warden of Lihou House, who is a trained first aider.
The patient was assessed and treated by paramedics and transported back to Guernsey in the Land Rover before being transferred to a waiting ambulance and conveyed to the Emergency Department at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
This was one of 25 cases for Ambulance and Rescue in a 24 hour period, with 17 of those cases occurring between midday and seven o’clock on Thursday evening.
The Flying Christine III is a purpose-built marine ambulance, originally constructed in 1994 with a 30 year design life, but following boat surveys and operational reviews the board of St John Ambulance and Rescue Service decided to extend the life of the vessel by investing in a programme of improvements.
The two phase project will help to ensure the boat can continue to provide a lifeline service for the Bailiwick and meet operational needs of the service for another 10 years. Work includes repainting and cleaning, removal and serving of the engine, upgrading the mechanics and electrics, improvements to the deck hatches, updating clinical area and enhanced infection control standards. Phase 2 is scheduled to start at the end of 2024.
The Flying Christine III is a purpose-built marine ambulance, originally constructed in 1994 with a 30 year design life, but following boat surveys and operational reviews the board of St John Ambulance and Rescue Service decided to extend the life of the vessel by investing in a programme of improvements.
The two phase project will help to ensure the boat can continue to provide a lifeline service for the Bailiwick and meet operational needs of the service for another 10 years. Work includes repainting and cleaning, removal and serving of the engine, upgrading the mechanics and electrics, improvements to the deck hatches, updating clinical area and enhanced infection control standards. Phase 2 is scheduled to start at the end of 2024.
Under existing contingency plans, while the Flying Christine was out of the water the ambulance service was able to use the St Peter Port lifeboat and the Access Challenger as relief vessels to transport medical teams to the other islands and transfer patients back to Guernsey. We would like to thank the RNLI, the crew of the St Peter Port lifeboat, and the owners of the Access Challenger for their support during this time.
Before going back into service ambulance crews and volunteers undertook a thorough deep clean of the vessel, including the treatment area and the outside of the boat.
Posted: June 1, 2024
The seven volunteers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, are equipped with an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and other medical and first aid equipment, so they can respond to life-threatening medical calls in their immediate vicinity, in a similar way to Community First Responders in Guernsey. In the future, the team will be deployed for critical and major incidents in Alderney to provide additional resilience for the ambulance service.
The introduction of the Alderney Emergency Responders follows a successful recruitment campaign and a period of on-island training by staff from Guernsey’s Ambulance and Rescue service, which took on responsibility for ambulance provision in Alderney in April 2023. Ambulance and Rescue now employs four full time paid Emergency Ambulance Crew who work on a rota basis ensuring 24/7 operational cover.
Chief Executive Officer of Guernsey’s Ambulance and Rescue service, Mark Mapp explained: “The initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to Alderney and is part a wider phased strategy to develop resilience for the island. It builds on the establishment of the new ambulance service, which became operational in April last year. I am delighted to welcome the new volunteer Emergency Responders to the team. They have all demonstrated a desire to make a difference in their community, and with their training, new skills and equipment they will be a valuable asset to the island.”
An Old Elizabethan whose academic achievements at school yielded to his skills and energies as an enthusiastic shot and sportsman, Peter Voute had a distinguished Naval career, including Fleet Air Arm duties and posts, diplomatic assignments including as Naval Attaché in Madrid, besides sea commands and operational service in various areas of confrontation eg Borneo/Indonesia, and which included teaching the King when Prince of Wales to fly helicopters. He retired from active service in 1992 to the no less exacting combats engendered by the UK Government’s assaults on the countryside as a senior executive of the Countryside Alliance. He was one of the organisers of the Countryside Rally, and later the Countryside March, both of which encouraged great support for the retention of traditional countryside pursuits.
On his returning to Guernsey in the early 2000’s, as then Chairman of the St John Council I asked him to become involved with St John, and in particular to review and reorganise its cumbersome and inappropriate voluntary Divisional structure, a project he undertook with characteristic efficiency and precision, and in the result a much leaner and more effective voluntary St John emerged. He succeeded me as Chairman of the St John Council in 2008, and was appointed to the office of Knight Commander on the Bailiwick’s St John activities and undertakings being transferred from the Priory of England and the Islands of the Order to the locally incorporated Commandery in July 2012, in order to give St John in the Bailiwick the independence it deserved as a Crown Dependency. In his dealings to establish the Commandery with the Priory and the Order of St John, he proved a skilled but pragmatic negotiator, and the eventual success of these new arrangements demonstrate the sense and value of his contribution.
Peter married Marta Blad, of the notable Guernsey family, who was a delightful companion, yet a discerning foil. Sadly, due to her illness, he had to step down as Knight Commander sooner than anticipated, but his contribution to the establishment of the Commandery and its subsequent achievements cannot be overemphasised. Peter’s life and career were marked by a sense of duty and discipline, and the maintenance of standards of conduct which he set himself and expected of others; yet he was a thoroughly engaging and interesting, besides modest, gentleman and his ever-courteous manner and characteristic efficiency were hard to match. St John locally owes him much.
Nik van Leuven KStJ.
Posted: March 25, 2024
The car will be used by Specialist Paramedic Kelly Marquis in her role proactively supporting independence and safety in the home environment and promoting physical health and well-being in the over-80s. The preventative care service is operated as a partnership between the Ambulance and Rescue Service and States of Guernsey Health and Social Care (HSC).
The Peugeot E-Rifter electric car was presented to the ambulance service in memory of Mavis Lesbirel, by her cousin Marion Gallienne, and brother Mike Le Lacheur. It is the first electric car in the ambulance fleet and is stocked with a Zoll defibrillator and monitoring machine, emergency response bag, emergency lifting chair and various pieces of equipment and diagnostic tools that may be of benefit to patients undergoing assessments. Although the primary role is to facilitate the preventative care service, the vehicle also carries a defibrillator and emergency response bag, so can be deployed to life-saving medical emergencies in the immediate vicinity, if it is not committed elsewhere.
Ambulance service Chief Executive Officer, Mark Mapp said: “We are extremely grateful to the family of Mavis Lesbirel for the generous donation of this electric car for the preventative care service. It is a good example of how the ambulance service is working together in partnership with Health and Social Care to support the changing needs of our community. Identifying potential problems in their infancy and implementing preventative care measures can help reduce the demand for acute ambulance calls and avoidable hospital admissions. The work of the ambulance service is supported by charitable donations, which allows us to develop additional community services, not covered under our contract with the States of Guernsey.”
During the first two years of the Preventative Care project a vehicle was loaned to the ambulance service by the St John Guernsey charity.
Mr Mapp added: “In our journey toward sustainability and reduced operational costs, investing in electric vehicles for our fleet was a pivotal decision. As we progress, each vehicle replacement will prioritise minimising our environmental footprint through greener alternatives. Importantly, this shift also aligns with our commitment to enhancing air quality on our island, underscoring our dedication to both environmental stewardship and the well-being of our community.”
Kelly Marquis said: “I would also like to thank the Lesbirel and Gallienne families for their support for this project. Having a dedicated vehicle will allow the continued development of the preventative care project, which has already helped more than 300 people since the pilot scheme launched. The project provides a comprehensive assessment and support service in the pre-hospital setting, allowing early preventative measures to be put in place, which not only helps keep people safely in their own home, but can also address issues of social isolation.”
The new vehicle was supplied by Motor Mall Guernsey and sign written by Smith Signs.
6% of the cases in 2023 were to immediately life-threatening Category One calls.In addition, the Non-emergency Patient Transfer Service (NEPTS) also responded to 3031 non-emergency transfers in 2023, a 5% increase on 2022. The operational hours for NEPTS has changed during the past 12 months to meet the increasing demands on the service from Health & Social Care.
The busiest month of the year was December with 637 emergency cases attended by the service. However, the busiest day was in May when ambulance crews responded to 36 cases in 24 hours, 90% more than the average of 19 cases a day. There were also spikes in daily demand in April and December.
Head of Operations Dean de la Mare said: “Overall our demand in 2023 was up slightly, but very similar to the previous year. St John Ambulance and Rescue Service has been proactive in raising awareness of calling 999, how calls are triaged and alternative care options, such as pharmacy and GPs. The figures demonstrate that demand is not constant, it can change from day to day, or even hour to hour. There were occasions when we experienced short periods of exceptional demand, with all of the ambulance crews committed. We have contingency plans for these circumstances with additional off-duty staff called back to work and senior officers deployed to maintain cover for emergency cases.”
The quietest day of the year was 2nd November, the day of Storm Ciaran, when there were just 4 calls in 24 hours. This followed proactive public service messaging asking people to stay indoors during the storm.
Mr de la Mare added: “St John Ambulance & Rescue Service always responds to the most life-threatening of calls as a matter of priority, but not all 999 calls need an immediate blue light response. The Joint Emergency Services Control Centre (JESCC) uses a world-class clinical triage system which quickly identifies the most serious and life-threatening cases, and the nearest ambulance resource will be dispatched. For less urgent cases the target response time can be up to 2 hours.”
The Ambulance and Rescue Service is also supported by volunteer Community First Responders (CFRs) who are trained and equipped to respond to life-threatening incidents in their immediate vicinity in the minutes before an ambulance arrives. In 2023 CFRs attended 43 clinically appropriate cases.
Not everyone who calls an emergency ambulance requires conveyance to hospital, where it is safe and appropriate patients can be discharged on scene, following assessment and treatment by clinicians. In 2023 just over a quarter of patients (26.5%) were discharged on scene following assessment by ambulance clinicians.
In 2023 St John Ambulance and Rescue Service began operating the ambulance service for Alderney, supported the community of Sark with paramedic cover while the island doctor was on leave and proving paramedics for public events, including the Island Games.
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