Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2013 | Page 88

FASHION HEALTH & BEAUTY

Chris keeps vital
service on move
By Peter White
There is still confusion among some
Islanders as to when it is best to call
the NHS health line 111 as opposed
to ringing the accepted emergency
number of 999.
So Island Life talked to Chris Smith,
who is head of the IW Ambulance
Service, and as such looks after the
whole of the ambulance service for
the Island, including the Control
Centre at St Mary’s Hospital which
caters for 999 and 111 calls.
The Ambulance service here on the
Island has a total fleet of 35 vehicles,
with maximum operation at any one
time, including patient transport,
of around 15 vehicles. About 150
staff overall work in the Control
Centre and the operational side of
the Ambulance Service. Between
them they handle around 24,500
emergency 999 calls each year, with a
further 53,000 Island callers dialling
111.
Chris explained: “I would emphasise
that people should only ring 999
when it is a real life-threatening event.
But if it is anything else then they
should ring 111. Callers come through
to the same Centre and are dealt with
by the same highly trained Call Centre
operators.
“So if someone is worried or
concerned; has symptoms you are not
sure of, or even want to check their
medication, then generally 111 is the
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Chris Smith, head of IW Ambulance Service

number to ring. Even if someone rings
111 with something they think is
minor, we think differently based on
the questions we ask. If that is the case
then we can despatch an ambulance.
If someone initially rings 111, then we
can signpost them to the right place.
We have clinicians available in the
control centre 24/7.”
Chris has been in the Ambulance
Service 32 years, working primarily in

the West Midlands before moving to
the Island 12 years ago, and took over
as chief two and a half years ago. He
said: “Just like the Ambulance Service
anywhere else we have targets which
we try to reach. Our target is to get
to life threatening calls within eight
minutes, which the target is 75 per
cent in 8 mins which we achieve 77
per cent of the time; and we have to be
at 95 per cent of 999 calls within 19