ICCPG Symposium: Dr Els Freshwater: blended and innovative advanced paramedic roles in the uk

Els Freshwater: Consultant Paramedic, National Education and Training Lead (Paramedics) Health Education England In the UK, paramedics are increasingly extending their scope of practice, skills, knowledge and experience. Many of these roles take place in non-ambulance settings and provide an opportunity to work in a multi-disciplinary team. This presentation discusses role development and showcases some examples from emergency and critical care. Els is a Consultant Paramedic and the Lead ACP for Emergency Medicine in a large teaching hospital and major trauma centre. She is currently seconded to Health Education England as the National Lead for Paramedic Education and Training. Having originally trained as an Ambulance Technician, she completed a paramedic qualification and then took a break from the NHS to work in Queensland Ambulance Service. On her return to the UK, she undertook training as an Emergency Care Practitioner and then an Advanced Clinical Practitioner, being the first paramedic to credential with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. She has over 10 year’s experience within the air ambulance and pre-hospital critical care sector and is an examiner for the Faculty of Prehospital Care. She is faculty on a number of educational programmes and has been the Major Trauma Education lead in her Trust and is a visiting lecturer at the University of Southampton. She has recently completed a Doctorate in Clinical Practice with a thesis exploring the triage of patients with major trauma.