Guernsey ambulance officer talks about patient safety at national event

Aimee Lihou, Head of Quality & Patient Safety at Guernsey’s St John Ambulance & Rescue Service has addressed senior ambulance leaders from across the UK on the subject of patient safety, in relation to safety culture and incident reporting.

Miss Lihou delivered a presentation titled ‘Ambulance service safety culture and its relationship with patient safety incident reporting’ at the annual Ambulance Leadership Forum (ALF), organised by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, which took place at Celtic Manor in Wales this week.

The presentation was based on the findings of a research project undertaken by Miss Lihou with the University of Liverpool, where she has been studying a Masters of Science in Healthcare Leadership.

The academic project looked at the experience of ambulance clinicians and analysed the relationship between safety culture and the reporting of patient safety incidents across a number of ambulance services.

Aimee said she was delighted to represent Guernsey and St John at this event: “It was a huge privilege to be invited to speak at ALF. Patient safety is a subject I am deeply passionate about and is at the heart of my role in Guernsey, where we encourage the reporting of safety incidents and events as part of a supportive culture to improve patient care. I was interested to investigate this issue across several island jurisdictions and to consider what lessons could be learnt and what developments could be made,  I believe the finding  of this research could have wider implications for all ambulance services”

Mark Mapp, CEO of St John Ambulance & Rescue Service added: “Aimee’s contribution to this critical topic will undoubtedly make Guernsey’s presence felt on the national stage.”

Established in 2006 and hosted by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), the Ambulance Leadership Forum (ALF) is the only annual event designed specifically for senior leaders across the UK ambulance sector. This highly respected annual conference and showcasing event brings together board members, managers, NHS system leaders, politicians, academics, and health & social care partners with key suppliers who have a direct interest in improving the UK ambulance sector.