Military co-responders help people get emergency care faster

In Armed Forces Week, EEAST is thanking the military co-responders who have helped over 900 patients in our region this year.

Military co-responders are military personnel with medical training who volunteer their services when they are off-duty. They respond to 999 calls until ambulance crews arrive.

Military co-responders can also respond to less urgent cases, such as minor falls.

They are trained to assist patients from the floor and make an assessment.

They then discuss their assessment with a clinician in the ambulance control room to determine whether the patient can be safely left at home, needs directing to other services, or taking to hospital.

EEAST has 60 military co-responders operating from RAF bases across the region: RAF Henlow, RAF Wyton, RAF Marham and RAF Honington.

They operate from vehicles provided by EEAST and wear EEAST uniforms when on-call.

Since January, military co-responders have provided 281 9-hour shifts and attended 930 patients, arriving before EEAST 92% of the time. Last year co-responders arrived at incidents an average 9.21 minutes ahead of ambulance crews.

Tom Barker, Head of Collaborative Response for EEAST said:

“Military co-responders are a very valuable resource for our patients, especially as they are frequently based in more remote rural areas, where we are often challenged to get to people quickly.

“Working with us, they help us improve the speed of response for emergencies and provide support for people in their homes.

“In Armed Forces Week, we are very proud to thank them for their service.”