NHS AMBASSADOR TRAINING DAY

Amazing session today at the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Training Centre. I was there with around 90 young people from Year 9 at Firth Park, Forge Valley, Fir Vale, Meadowhead, Stocksbridge  and Westfield secondary schools.

The young people were there to start their Cutlers "Made in Sheffield' ambassador programme with the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The day involved a session where the students got to know each other and were encouraged to think about the skills they were using.

This was followed by a video presentation which provided the focus for the remainder of the day. The scenario involved a young couple with a baby who were travelling in a car arguing about his drinking the previous night. The young male driver answers his mobile phone and while distracted crashes his car. We all then went out into the training yard to see the accident site and the fire service, police and ambulance crews arriving on the scene.

The police arrived to manage the driver who was distraught while the fire service arrived to rescue the baby and then had to cut the roof off the car to rescue the young woman. The mother and baby were taken away in the ambulance and the young people returned to the hall to talk to the police officers about their actions and how they manage crash sites.

The session continued after lunch and the arrival of guests, parents and carers. Tony Peddar, the Chair of the Hospital Board, spoke about the Cutlers Company, 'Made in Sheffield' and the skills needed to work in the Trust. He then presented the young people with their badged polo shirts which they will be wearing when they visit the hospital.

The scenario continued with the baby and mother arriving at A&E and being treated by doctors. The students then had an opportunity to ask the doctors and the ambulance crew questions. Finally, the scene shifts on by six weeks and we see the mother in a wheel chair who tells us that this was a true story and that she has broken her spine and will never walk again. She also tells the audience that her baby had died from its injuries... heartbreaking stuff!  The final messages from the team were don't drink and drive, don't drive and answer a mobile phone, always put a baby and child in a safety seat and always wear a seatbelt.