Ambulance service staff are to be considered for a new award: The Queen's Ambulance Service Medal for Distinguished Service (QAM).
The QAM is circular in form and silver, the obverse bears the crowned effigy of the Sovereign, on the reverse is the inscription ‘For Distinguished Ambulance Service’, with a design that is emblematic of the ambulance service. The ribbon is pale green with a narrow central stripe of silver and narrow silver stripes at both edges.
The first set of nominations for the QAM will be submitted on 22 August 2011 and the first medals will be presented to ambulance staff by Her Majesty the Queen as part of The Queen's Birthday Honours List 2012.
The medal is to be made available to all NHS ambulance services and equivalent in the realms and territories of the Queen within the UK, and comes with rules and ordinances. The award means that ambulance staff can join their colleagues in the police and fire and rescue emergency services in having a way to recognize outstanding and exemplary service. The Department of Health (DH) (2011) has issued guidance for NHS ambulance services in England concerning the award.
This award goes further than honouring individual acts of heroism and bravery above and beyond the call of duty. It provides a long overdue recognition of the unavoidable and sometimes lethal hazards faced by ambulance staff on a daily basis. Under the medal, ambulance staff are able to formally receive an award for distinguished service to the public or the profession in their operational role. The medal will be presented at an investiture and it is intended that the award of the medal will entitle the recipient to place the post nominal letters ‘QAM’ after his or her name.
‘This award provides a long overdue recognition of the unavoidable and sometimes lethal hazards faced by ambulance staff on a daily basis’
The QAM can be awarded twice a year, at the honours for the Queen's Birthday and the New Year, for a person's hard work and exceptional dedication. There are to be ten medals only per year and these are associated with geographical distribution:
The criteria
There is a number of criteria that have to be met in order to be eligible for consideration and to progress nominations for the QAM. A specific nomination form is available and must be completed in accordance with the guidance provided.
It is important when considering an individual for an award that the choice of award and level of award is the correct one. There are a number of awards available through the honours system that recognize an individual's work and contributions. Some of these awards are not ambulance specific and should always be considered.
In the royal warrant outlining the nature of the award, eligibility states that the medal will be awarded to all ranks in the NHS ambulance service (or state equivalents) in the UK, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Those working in the private/ independent and voluntary ambulance services will not be eligible.
Those entitled to be considered will have to demonstrate devotion to duty, distinguished, meritorious and exemplary service, devotion to duty, including service marked over a prolonged period in the ambulance service. Commendable personal performance in the following aspects of the ambulance service will be particularly important when ambulance personnel are being considered for recommendations for award of the medal:
Eligibility is extended to full and part-time staff. There is no provision to provide a retrospective award to retired staff; those staff in service on or after the date of the medal's introduction and have since retired will be eligible.
Usually, staff will have had to have completed 10 years good conduct and exemplary service prior to being recommended for the award of the medal. There may be exceptional circumstances where this may be negated.
Time spent on maternity leave, up to a maximum period for statutory maternity pay in respect of each pregnancy, will be treated as counting towards length of service, if that service is deemed exemplary. Any period of part-time work will be regarded as qualifying service so long as the weekly conditioned hours are a minimum of 20 hours.
The process
Nominations must be of a high quality, concise and with contemporary personal details, highlighting the nominee's eligibility and a note made as to whether or not the nominee is to be considered for the Birthday or New Year Honours. Incomplete nomination forms will be returned and may not be given consideration as part of that honours round. Submissions must provide robust and concise evidence to support the required citation aspect of the nomination in relation to the individual's achievements. Based on the strength of the supporting citation, the nomination should be annotated with ‘recommended’, ‘strongly recommended’ or ‘very strongly recommended’. The nomination form has been based on the same principles as the honours nomination forms. There are dedicated timetables that must be adhered to, and the rules are managed by the Cabinet Office. There are no other ways in which nominations can be submitted apart from the relevant nomination pro forma.
‘Abulance services have welcomed this award and are looking forward to nominating the best of the best for this prestigious honour’
In England (similar processes are expected to be in place for all other realms eligible to receive the QAM), the completed nomination form is checked and approved at chief executive officer (CEO) level (or equivalent). At group CEO meetings of the ambulance service, all nominations are considered and a shortlist prepared that refects the allocated amount.
The shortlist is submitted to the DH honours team who then prepare to send this to the permanent secretary; this is then forwarded to the Queen who provides formal approval and arrangements are made for them to be included in the twice yearly announcement.
The names of all of those to whom the medal is awarded shall be logged in a central register held by the DH or equivalent representative in state departments for health in the UK, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.
Celebrating commitment
The approval of the QAM, instituted in 2011 by royal warrant, has been intentionally designed to ensure that ambulance staff are on a par with uniformed staff in both the police force and rescue services and celebrates dedication and excellence among ambulance service staff.
The medal will become synonymous with the Queen's Fire Medal and the Queen's Police Medal. Ambulance services have welcomed this award and are looking forward to nominating the best of the best for this prestigious honour.
Conclusion
Ambulance service staff provide high quality care on a daily basis across the UK, they are dedicated professionals and form part of ambulance teams when responding to extreme and traumatic situations, carrying out their duties in the most trying of circumstances. They do not do this for reward, but out of their sense of duty and care for the vulnerable in society.
The ambulance service is at the frontline of NHS care, functioning 24 hours every day, all year; it is imperative to acknowledge and appreciate the excellent work they undertake.