Written evidence submitted by the College of Paramedics (PSN0007)

Dear sir/madam,

Thank you for allowing the College of Paramedics to provide a written submission in matters of the Government’s implementation of five accepted inquiry/review recommendations.

1. In response to the maternity care and leadership policy area, although not directly applicable to the College of Paramedics, we fully support the implementation and support the role of the Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigation Program (MNSI) (formally HSIB) when conducting investigations that have a prehospital element via the designated maternity leaders within each ambulance trust. The College of Paramedics has a representative that is a core member of the National Maternity Leads Group who feeds into the national maternity prehospital work stream and notes there is a vast variation of maternity leadership provided by each of the UK ambulance services. This disparity leads to a vast difference in the level and standard of maternity care training delivered to prehospital clinicians throughout the country. For example the London ambulance service have a team of four midwives who not only are responsible for strategic management but training and hands on with the clinicians delivering care, where as within the North East Ambulance Service there is no midwife on staff and maternity falls into the portfolio of one of the consultant paramedics. There are three consultant midwives within three ambulance services.  The College would welcome a more structured and uniform approach to maternity leadership in the prehospital arena to level out the disparities in maternity leadership that currently exist among the UK ambulance services.

2. In terms of the Primary Care recommendations, As the professional body for paramedics in the UK, we strive to support our members to achieve the highest standards of patient care.  We have a clinical directorate with direct  focus on primary care and as such welcome the implementation of recommendations to improve patient safety and which supports primary care paramedics to raise any concerns.  Paramedics are aware that The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) protects the public from wrong-doing by paramedics by investigating any Fitness to Practice (FtP) concerns, and that they also published a Whistle Blowing Policy in 2019.  The College does have some concerns over the extended timeframe many of these FtP cases take, and would like these to conclude in a more timely manner. 

It is less clear for our members if concerns which do not directly relate to staff or colleagues in primary care should be raised at practice, PCN, Training Hub or ICB level though we do know practices offer Whistleblowing training to primary care paramedics.  As a professional body, we would be keen to support the dissemination of any resources which help our members to maintain high standards of patient care.

We hope you find the information of use.

Best regards

Jan 2024