Since The Ambulance Services Charity (TASC) was formed earlier this year, we have been continuing to raise awareness of the vital advice and support services the charity is making available to both serving and retired ambulance personnel, and their families and dependents in times of difficulty, bereavement and urgent need.
We understand the increasing challenges and demands that are faced by ambulance personnel in their line of duty, and our aim is to significantly improve the current provision by offering a range of welfare and rehabilitation support.
Our current plans include providing further access to dedicated treatment and support programmes including facilities for physical rehabilitation, access to support stress-related issues (including early intervention support for post-traumatic stress disorder) and care programmes for bereaved ambulance service families.
These services will deliver benefits to ambulance staff and their families but we know there is much more to be achieved. In the long-term we would like to establish a designated national TASC centre for treatment and rehabilitation similar to that already enjoyed by other emergency services.
We strongly believe that ambulance staff deserve and need the enhanced treatment and services as others receive now and we are convinced that we can, and should, do the same.
Earlier this year TASC commissioned a scheme which enables serving members of the UK ambulance service to access rehabilitation at designated treatment centres across the UK. In October, a paramedic from South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, who had injured her shoulder during an incident with a patient, became the first to successfully undergo rehabilitation as part of the initiative, at the Police Treatment Centre in Harrogate.
TASC understands how important it is for ambulance staff to be able to access support to help them recover from injury and aid their return back to work, and would encourage ambulance staff in need of rehabilitation to get in touch.
To raise awareness we are actively engaging with UK ambulance service NHS Trusts, and have seen growing commitment to our current and long-term plans. We also continue to receive positive encouragement from leading figures across the UK ambulance services sector.
Last year, the charity was successful in receiving funding from the Cabinet Office to help establish TASC. We continue to have dialogue with key decision-makers in central Government and earlier this month, we met with Warwickshire MPs at Westminster. The meeting enabled the charity to ensure that the needs of the ambulance services community and TASC are very much on the ‘agenda’.
We need everyone involved in the ambulance service, from personnel to suppliers, along with the general public and the business community to get behind the charity and help us accelerate the development of a range of support services.
We will shortly be working with ambulance Trusts enabling staff to sign up through Give As You Earn to the supporters scheme. TASC needs regular funds to be able to deliver the services and the support of the staff we serve will be crucial in attracting other funds from Government and the public.
As we head into the New Year we also hope to encourage support and raise funds with the launch of our Make A Pledge initiative. At this time many of us start thinking about Christmas ideas and New Year's resolutions, so we are asking people to show their support for TASC by making a pledge to complete a fundraising challenge, or to make a donation to help the charity or to sign up as a supporter through GAYE.
TASC support is also being developed and made available for stress-related illness, mental health issues, bereavement support and debt advice and welfare concerns. The TASC ‘Here to Help’ Freephone support line is: 0800 1032 999.
If you would like to support or find out more information about the charity please contact: 02477 987922.