The Isle of Man Ambulance Service has welcomed eight new, locally-trained Ambulance Technician relief staff.
All eight staff attended, in their own time, a locally provided Ambulance Technician Course closely followed by an on-Island Ambulance Advanced Driving Course.
This is the first time this training has been provided on-Island and is a response to changes in UK ambulance training and staffing arrangements, which threatened the Island’s ability to staff the ambulance service and meet the needs of the Isle of Man.
Chief Ambulance Officer Steve Sieling commented, "This was a perfect example of staff and management working together to resolve problems identified with future recruitment and training, as well as providing a much needed service when resources are low due to unforeseen circumstances.
"Future problems with recruitment have been compounded due to the UK Services reducing the trainee placements for Ambulance Technician Training; therefore, for our Ambulance Training Department to gain accreditation to hold the training here on Island is a real achievement.
"It greatly reduces our dependence on the UK to staff our Service and greatly enhances opportunities for local people to join the Isle of Man Ambulance Service.
"An unexpected surprise recently was that we have also been informed that what set off initially as a joint management project has won the Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) Top Team Award, which is a prestigious Department award.
"After the work and commitment the new recruits have shown, especially in their own time, they were already a Top Team of their own."
Now that their training has been completed, the newly-qualified technicians are providing a bank of staff upon whom the Service can call at any time. They are already providing relief at the Douglas, Port Erin and Ramsey Ambulance Stations.
This enables the Service to cover unavoidable staff absences due to sickness and training requirements, and provides a pool of staff to back up regular staff in the event of major incidents.
