Ground-breaking initiative gets ambulance service backing
Monday, 10 November, 2008
Vehicles badged to support patient safety campaign
The Welsh Ambulance Service is badging its vehicles in support of a national campaign to improve patient safety and increase the quality of healthcare across Wales.
The '1000 Lives Campaign' aims to reduce risks to patient safety by implementing life-saving interventions developed by clinicians in Wales. These include better management of medicines, reducing healthcare associated infections and surgical complications and improving general medical and surgical care.
All Emergency and Patient Care Service vehicles will carry the distinctive logo, marking the Service's involvement. The campaign is aiming to save 1,000 lives and avoid up to 50,000 incidents of harm over the next two years.
Campaign organisers believe this is the first time an ambulance service has supported a patient safety campaign in this way, which has different versions currently being run around the world.
Dr Jonathon Gray, co-director on the 1000 Lives Campaign said, "We have been delighted by the real energy and enthusiasm that the Ambulance Service has brought to the campaign. They make a real difference to the lives of people across Wales everyday. Displaying the campaign stickers will convey to both staff and the public the determined and serious commitment they are making to improving patient safety."
Welsh Ambulance Service National Equipment Manager, Gwyn Thomas, is the man making sure that the stickers are displayed on all vehicles.
He said, "We are very proud to support the 1000 Lives Campaign. I've overseen a lot of positive health and hygiene changes come into the Trust, partly due to new equipment we have in use today.
This national campaign will help us build even more on the work we have already put in."
Signing up to the campaign has been voluntary and the Welsh Ambulance Service, along with all NHS Trusts and Local Health Boards, has chosen to take part. The Trust will monitor the impact of new working practices during the two year campaign and will report back to the campaign organisers on improvements made.
