The IW Ambulance Service put their plans to the test yesterday evening with a large-scale multi-agency training exercise.
The exercise simulated an incident where teams from Ambulance, Police, Fire, Coastguard and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance worked together to respond, triage and treat multiple causalities involved in an incident at night, giving their own time to take part in this valuable training exercise.
The scenario
The scenario took place at Betty Haunt Lane in Newport and involved a coach carrying a number of passengers losing control in poor weather conditions. Caught up in the bad weather was a second vehicle on its way to the Hospital and a third vehicle driving dangerously.
What follows is multiple injuries which require an emergency response from all agencies.
Testing real-time responses
The incident evolved in real-time and tested the response from the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, Hampshire Constabulary, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, and HM Coastguard along with the IOW NHS Trust Emergency Department teams.
Pike: The best way of testing and making sure our plans are robust
Dr John Pike, Isle of Wight Ambulance Service Medical Lead, said,
“Running an exercise of this scale provides a realistic training experience for not just the IW Ambulance Service teams, but all the agencies that we work with.
“It is the best way of testing and making sure our plans are robust if the need arises to respond to an incident where a large number of casualties and bystanders are involved.
“The scenario is never based on real events. We create a situation which is as realistic as possible, in a location with the least amount of disruption, so that we are able to fully put to the test our response plans across the whole Isle of Wight emergency care landscape.
“Thank you to everyone that volunteered their own time to the evening’s exercise. It was another hugely success event and provided a fully comprehensive response.”
Tested throughout
Throughout the exercise paramedics were examined in the delivery of an enhanced set of trauma and critical care management skills.
The scenario also tested complex decision making and communication within and between different agencies and stress-tested both clinical and operational skills and systems.
News shared by Isle of Wight NHS Trust, in their own words. Ed
