More use of Community First Responders
There should be more use of Community First Responders by the NHS where this doesn't involve clinical care or where such clinical care is basic. This could involve basic checkups and even assisting nurses and doctors in the community.
The vast majority of CFR's are not being used for anything the Scottish Ambulance Service Trained them for. There are about 1,400 CFR's in Scotland, yet not one is being used for the skills they were trained in. SAS are currently only using about 35 CFR's and in every case, there CFR training is not being used. Although some CFR's are being used, they are being used for work that doesn't involve any training they had from SAS, for example, they are being used in call centres because their civilian training/experience. In other parts of the UK, CFR's are still active, yet in Scotland they are not even allowed to attend a Cardiac Arrest. CFR's are used to working with ambulance staff, so it's not as if this would be something new to them, some have even done observer shifts with ambulance crews.
Why the contribution is important
Using CFR's would free up some nurses and health care assistants to provide additional support to patients in greater need. It would take pressure off staff in other areas and allow for extra breaks for staff. If used in the community, they would help provide care that would have otherwise taken longer. Providing the care in the community would also let the community know that they have not been forgotten, something that is important in rural settings.
by Dragon on May 08, 2020 at 08:13AM
Posted by JMack May 11, 2020 at 13:43
Report this Comment (Requires Log In)