As part of that role, I am able to spend time with a multitude of other agencies who, as part of the community service base, refer to and work with REACT. This means GP’s, Ambulance, Hospital, District nurses, Adult community services, community practitioners and families are all able to access the REACT service and along with that, access Suffolk Family Carers through me.
On Wednesday 9th May, I was very fortunate to spend the day with paramedics Louise and Nicole who both work from the Ipswich ambulance station.
Upon my arrival, I was introduced to the crew, shown around the station and given a lovely fluorescent jacket to wear.
During the twelve-hour shift, we had four calls that required the blue’s & two’s and four further calls which were spread all over east Suffolk.
The variety of health, social and domestic interaction I saw yesterday made me realise just what a difficult job these amazing people do. They have wear so many hats in the course of a shift including social worker, counsellor, friend, doctor, pharmacist, psychologist, diplomat and mediator. They cover a vast area and every job is different from the last. They have to deal with road users, some of whom seem to freeze on the road instead of getting out of the way, and sometimes very emotionally distressed people demanding answers or striking out.
I have to say, before I did this shift, it was a quiet ambition of mine to be a paramedic, after all, my dad was among the very first to be trained as a paramedic and spent 40+ years in the service. That ambition has now completely gone. The stress levels are incredibly high. The professionalism, patients and kindness these wonderful people show to every person they work with is, indeed, very humbling.
Thank you to the wonderful Louise and Nicole for sharing your shift with me.
