Yorkshire Ambulance Service thanks paramedics for hard work

Original article posted on www.thenorthernecho.co.uk Paramedics are being celebrated for their vital work on the front line of care.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) is marking International Paramedics Day on Tuesday, July 8, by recognising the dedication and impact of its 2,165 paramedics, who responded to around 900,000 emergency incidents across the region in 2024–25.

This year’s theme, ‘unity and community,’ highlights the collective spirit and essential role of paramedics within the broader healthcare system.

Dave Green, chief paramedic at Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: "Paramedics are highly skilled autonomous clinicians who provide essential care in challenging and often unpredictable circumstances. "Their role is far-reaching, from quickly evaluating complex situations, identifying life-threatening conditions and formulating immediate treatment plans to coordinating with other emergency services at complex incidents.

"In recent years, the paramedic role has evolved significantly, with clinicians increasingly providing ‘see and treat’ and ‘hear and treat’ care, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and referring patients to alternative and more appropriate community services.

"This expanded scope highlights their expertise and their crucial role in managing the wider demands of the NHS."

Yorkshire Ambulance Service is at the forefront of advancing pre-hospital care through innovation and improved clinical practice.

Key developments include the integration of telemedicine, which allows paramedics to consult with doctors and specialists in real time.

One example is the stroke video triage system at Hull Royal Infirmary, which connects ambulance crews with stroke clinicians via video call, enabling hospital assessment to begin earlier in the patient journey.

The service has also trained 45 Specialist Paramedics in Critical Care, who are equipped to manage the most severe emergencies.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service has also established a Medical Emergency Response Incident Team (MERIT), comprising a pre-hospital consultant and a critical care specialist paramedic, to support major incidents and deliver advanced clinical care more routinely.

Alternative care pathways have also been developed to ensure patients receive the appropriate care as early as possible.

This includes partnerships with mental health crisis teams and hospital-based units, allowing mental health patients to be referred directly to the right services instead of being unnecessarily transported to emergency departments.

The introduction of electronic patient records has also improved the continuity of care by streamlining documentation and ensuring seamless information transfer between ambulance crews and hospital teams.

International Paramedics Day is observed annually on July 8.

It marks the birth of Dominique Jean Larrey, the French military doctor who served as chief surgeon to Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grand Armée and is often regarded as the father of modern ambulance services.