Dementia patients in Liverpool helped to feel at ease in trust's new dementia friendly Ambulances

A new emergency Ambulance prototype has been developed by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) making the space within the vehicle more relaxing and friendly for patients who are living with dementia and other disabilities. 69 new emergency Ambulances are currently being built using the prototype and will take to the North West roads this winter between:- November 2022 and February 2023, replacing older vehicles in its fleet.

The new Fiat Ducato vehicles have additional features making them more dementia friendly for patients. This includes changing the light blue flooring found in some of the service's older Ambulance vehicles to a grey flooring. Each new Ambulance features seats with contrasting yellow piping around their edges making the parameters of the seat visible and easier to identify. They will all be fitted with a blind on the side window which features a countryside scene picture using green and blue colours, which are naturally relaxing.

NWAS Head of Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Lesley Jones said:- "Creating a more user friendly environment for patients who require Ambulance conveyance, can help individual's patients feel less anxious and distressed. The blind is a great talking point for crews as they provide care to patients who may be feeling upset or anxious."

In addition, NWAS has ensured it has kept space for wheelchairs to be conveniently stowed onboard near the vehicle's rear doors. It remains the only Ambulance service in the country to currently store wheelchairs on its Ambulances.

Assistant Director of Estates and Fleet Neil Maher said:- "This initiative is part of the trust's annual fleet replacement programme. The new prototype was designed in line with the national specification for Ambulances and using feedback from staff who strongly felt that keeping wheelchair storage was imperative to the design. We hope by making improvements like this, in turn, we continue to improve our patient's experience of receiving care."

33 new vehicles will be distributed throughout Cheshire and Merseyside from November 2022.
 

Spread your wings with the NHS in the North West

MERSEY Care NHS Foundation Trust has launched:- 'Spread Your Wings,' on Tuesday, 1 November 2022. It is the Trust's biggest ever recruitment campaign designed to increase positive perceptions and attract people to working for the NHS in mental, learning disability and community health in North West England.

Spearheading the new drive is a specially commissioned film that features a wide range of staff who share their pride in working for Mersey Care and their positive experiences of living and working in Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and Greater Manchester.

At the core of this beautifully crafted film is a new evocative artwork created by Manchester and Stockport based artist Graham Gardner that places Mersey Care staff at the centre of the global angel wings street art project, which is now a well recognised, accepted and appreciated social media phenomenon.

"We feel that this imaginative approach will help us reach a wider audience and attract more people to the benefits and opportunities we can give them. We've combined real life stories that our staff bring with Graham's creative talents to underline a very straightforward message; if you want to feel more confident in your abilities, gain wider experience, if you feel it's time to spread your wings then come and work in a more supportive care environment, come and join us at Mersey Care." explained Amanda Oates, Mersey Care's Executive Director of Workforce.

The 'Spread Your Wings' campaign highlights the rewarding and diverse range of roles available; clinical and non-clinical (some needing no previous healthcare experience as full training is offered at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.