NHS England chief executive praises London Ambulance Service staff for their trailblazing work

The new chief executive of NHS England, Sir Jim Mackey, has praised the “innovative work” of clinicians at London Ambulance Service during a visit to meet staff at their Waterloo headquarters.

Sir Jim visited the Service on Monday (31 March) ahead of his first official day as the new Chief Executive for NHS England.

Sir Jim said: “Hearing from the hard-working staff at London Ambulance Service was incredibly insightful.

“LAS is doing innovative work, offering patients the clinical advice and support they need over the phone, saving them from an unnecessary trip to hospital.”

After being welcomed by London Ambulance Service Chief Executive Daniel Elkeles and Chief Paramedic Pauline Cranmer, Sir Jim joined clinical advisor Emily as she treated patients over the phone in the Service’s clinical hub.

Clinicians in the clinical hub provide expert assessments and clinical oversight to refer patients to the most appropriate care pathway and avoid people going to busy hospital wherever possible, freeing up ambulance crews so they can respond to the sickest and most seriously injured patients.

Known as ‘hear and treat’, almost one in five London Ambulance Service patients are treated in this way – one of the highest rates in the country.

Sir Jim saw how our services are co-ordinated across the capital in the Tactical Operations Centre, including the dispatch of London’s Air Ambulance.

He was also shown the Service’s new state-of-the-art vehicles as LAS continues to modernise its aging fleet with greener vehicles, aiming to to reduce its environmental impact and improve the health of the capital.

Sir Jim added: The new state-of-the-art ambulances are a great example of the NHS harnessing technological advancements.”

Daniel Elkeles, Chief Executive at London Ambulance Service, said: “This is a time of huge change for the National Health Service and we were glad to welcome Sir Jim as he takes the helm. This was a great opportunity for our staff to show some of the innovative ways we are trying to improve care for Londoners.

“Working in the ambulance service, our paramedics, mental health nurses and clinical advisors are uniquely positioned to help create a health service that is fit for the future.”

London Ambulance Service’s Waterloo HQ is home to one of two 999 control rooms in the capital and our call handlers respond to up to six thousand 999 calls a day. Our Tactical Operations Centre responds to the most critically injured patients in London.