Cycling paramedics will be hitting Cambridge’s streets to help reduce response times and free up ambulances for the most serious emergencies.
The cycle response unit will initially be crewed by two paramedics from the East of England Ambulance Service Trust, but there are plans to expand to four in the coming months.
The Rev Simon Cragg at St Andrew’s Street Baptist Church with East of England Ambulance Service paramedic Jordan Ellis Picture: EEAST
Their bike is fitted with blue lights and carries life-saving emergency equipment, including a defibrillator and the same kit found in response cars.
Cambridge is widely regarded as the UK’s capital of cycling. Cycling paramedics can cut through congestion and reach pedestrianised areas with ease, allowing them to quickly assess patients and deliver emergency care wherever it’s needed.
Paramedic Jordan Ellis said: “Cambridge is an extremely busy city centre, and responding to 999 calls on a bicycle means we can navigate narrow roads and pedestrianised areas much easier than an ambulance.
“It’s quite a difference, changing from an ambulance to a bicycle – especially as it’s just myself pushing that bike so my response time is dependent on how fast I can bike, and in the safest manner.
“Because we can treat and discharge patients with a wide range of injuries and illnesses at the scene, we can free up ambulances for the most serious medical emergencies.”
St Andrew’s Street Baptist Church has offered its space for the crews to restock the bicycle and take their meal breaks.
The Rev Simon Cragg said he was “thrilled” to be able to support the service, which was operating seven days a week.
“We are a community church at the centre of a very busy city, and caring for the most vulnerable is an important aspect of our life as a church. We are thrilled to be able to support the ambulance service by providing a base for the cycle response unit,” he said.
Cambridge joins Norwich, Great Yarmouth and Wells Next-The-Sea in having their own EEAST cycle response units.
In Norwich, crews cycle around 40km in a shift, averaging around six calls a day – in addition to providing information and signposting to other health services to members of the public that approach the paramedics for advice.