South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) has published its trust strategy for 2024 – 2029, highlighting plans to “build a stronger SECAmb ready to face the challenges of the future” with digital tools to play a key role in offering a new service model.
The strategy sets out the planned service model, sharing intentions to transition from a predominantly ambulance-based model “to a more differentiated approach, where the type of response is tailored to the individual needs of our patients”. The model places focus on “fast and accurate” triage underpinned by artificial intelligence tools to ensure rapid and consistent identification of patients in need of a speedy response. Digital solutions are to optimise the deployment of ambulances and ensure faster dispatch of resources, and SECAmb also plans to utilise virtual care for patients in a non-emergency condition. This will see patients receive a video or audio assessment before referral onto the most appropriate care provider.
By implementing these tools, SECAmb hopes to achieve an improvement in response times, an increase of five percent in cardiac arrest survival rates, and a reduction in the time to specialist treatment for stroke patients.
On efforts to become a sustainable partner as part of an integrated NHS, the trust highlights that emphasis on data sharing and collaboration “will enable healthier communities and will reduce health inequalities in our region”, and also notes plans to invest in technologies and processes to help reach a financially sustainable model.
SECAmb also states that data will be utilised to continually refine service delivery to ensure real-time data and evidence-based practices inform decision-making.
Ambulance care: the wider trend
In August HTN reported that South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust opened an opportunity for early engagement around the procurement of an electronic medicines tracking system hoped to eliminate reliance on paper-based processes, reduce corporate risk, generate cost savings and enhance efficiency.
In spring, we interviewed Stephen Bromhall, chief digital information officer at East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, to hear about recent digital projects and priorities and the way that digital is being used to make improvements across areas such as workforce, operations and patient engagement.
Also in April, we highlighted news that the Welsh Ambulance Service, in partnership with the University of Warwick and SkyBound, was exploring the feasibility of delivering a defibrillator via drone following a 999 call, by a conducting a number of test flights through the Drone-Delivered Defibrillators study.
Strategies in the news
Last month we explored the data and insights strategy for 2024-2026 from South Yorkshire ICS, which sets out ambitions to build an intelligence-led system using data to improve health and wellbeing outcomes and experiences.
We also looked into the strategy to 2027 from the North West London Acute Provider Collaborative, which outlines shared priorities and plans to “address complex, system-wide issues more effectively in the years ahead”.
In July, we explored the research strategy from Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, which highlights how “the digital explosion in healthcare provides us with much data” and outlines the use of this data to support the trust’s key strategic priorities as “core business”.
Also in July, HTN examined the climate emergency and sustainability strategy from NHS Education for Scotland; and the organisational strategy from Digital Health and Care Wales.
