The College of Paramedics National Conference: time for reflection—where to next?

At the start of the year the Governing Council of the College of Paramedics took the decision to commission the organisation's first national conference for several years. While the College has previously worked with other organisations such as the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives and the International Paramedic Group, the Council decided that in 2014 the College should hold a conference which was to be the sole property of the College of Paramedics and its members.

With the continuing political focus on urgent and emergency care it was felt that it would be right for this to be the main theme for the conference. The paramedic profession is increasingly becoming recognised as a key workforce providing urgent care services, and the conference offered a unique opportunity to review the work being undertaken to develop the profession.

This viewpoint was not felt more strongly than during an update on the ongoing work of the Urgent and Emergency Care Review from Professor Keith Willett, who highlighted the need for reform within the UK ambulance services, transforming them from an assessment and transport service, to a mobile community treatment service. He went on to stress the importance of the paramedic profession in the delivery of these reforms and the obligation of the College to prepare the profession not only within the ambulance sector but also the increasing number of other health care settings in which paramedics are providing services. He concluded by congratulating the profession for being one of the most highly regarded professions within the NHS.