St John Ambulance Cymru volunteers and staff have received praise for their vital work at two north Wales hospitals, having recently finished a programme of support assisting with patient discharges and transfers at Wrexham Maelor and Glan Clwyd.
Working on behalf of the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST), the teams from Wales’ leading first aid charity facilitated 530 patient journeys and covered 10,066 miles since the start of the year, having a significant impact on the hospitals’ ability to care for patients during a period of intense pressure.
Funding for the programme came via WCVA’s* Third Sector Early Intervention scheme, which allowed the charity to provide their services with no cost to WAST or Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
Paul Wiggins, Ambulance Business Manager, St John Ambulance Cymru, said:
“Supporting Wrexham Maelor and Glan Clwyd hospitals provided our volunteers with a unique opportunity to look after people in their communities.
“By working closely with our friends at WAST, we were able to help move additional patients out of the hospitals, thereby improving patient flow and ultimately improving their experience during an unprecedentedly busy period.”
“We look forward to coming together again in the near future and further strengthening our partnership with WAST, and we’d like to thank the WCVA and Welsh Government for enabling us to care for north Wales communities through their funding.”
Kayleigh Wheeler, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service Operations Manager in North East Wales, said:
“St John Ambulance Cymru has made a significant difference to our ability to provide a number of our services, and this benefit will have no doubt been felt by our patients.
“The professionalism and kindness offered by the volunteers and staff to support our directorate and the two sites has been incredible.”
Learn more about the work St John Ambulance Cymru do and how you can support at sjacymru.org.uk
