How our Deputy Medical Director, Pam has been supporting NHS England

Our Deputy Medical Director, Pam Chrispin has been seconded to NHS England’s Critical Care Cell to set up and run a coordination centre for the transfer of critically ill Covid-19 patients in the East of England.

Pam's experience as an EAAA doctor, as well as with the ambulance service and as a critical care consultant, means that she was uniquely placed in the region to develop this service. Read more about this role and her experience below:

I’ve been seconded to NHS England’s Critical Care Cell to set up and run a coordination centre for the transfer of critically ill Covid-19 patients in the East of England. My experience as an EAAA doctor, as well as with the ambulance service and as a critical care consultant, means that I was uniquely placed in the region to develop this service, and I was delighted to be asked so that I could help during the crisis.

Normally we don’t transfer many critically ill patients between hospitals as this is a very complex undertaking, but the huge need for intensive care beds during the pandemic made this necessary. Transfers of seriously ill patients with Covid-19 over long distances can be risky, for the staff transferring them as well as the patient, and requires a huge amount of planning, co-operation between multiple organisations and co-ordination.

To date, we have safely undertaken a number of transfers across the region, about 20 of which have required the help of air ambulance colleagues who have added interhospital transfers to their normal caseload. Every day has brought new challenges, including helping intensive care and prehospital physicians understand each other’s needs and perspectives to the benefit of all. I have certainly enjoyed helping hospital colleagues understand what a service such as EAAA can now provide, and many of them have been amazed at what the team can achieve in transit – truly intensive care in the sky or on the road.

I would like to thank the EAAA teams who have taken on this new and complicated work with their usual degree of enthusiasm, professionalism and skill. They have put themselves in harm’s way, day in, day out and I have been pleased to be able to play a small part in helping them to help these patients. I’ve also enjoyed working from home and taking advantage of our local area for long walks, but I’m looking forward to getting back to the ‘day job’ and seeing everyone again, instead of just on a computer screen!