Devon Air Ambulance establishes support for ‘Good Samaritans’

Life can change in a second for those in need of Devon Air Ambulance’s lifesaving service, however, medical and trauma incidents can also present an unexpected and often challenging situation for those people who provide help to a patient before professional support, such as assistance from Devon Air Ambulance, arrives.

The charity’s Patient Liaison Clinicians already provide support to patients and their relatives once they have been attended by crews, however, Devon Air Ambulance is also offering support to the ‘Good Samaritans’ who may not be directly connected to the patient,but who stop and provide either first aid, practical intervention or even psychological support or comfort to a patient or their family/friends before the emergency services arrive.

Darren Goodwin, Air Operations Officer & Specialist Paramedic in Critical Care at Devon Ait Ambulance says: “If you have been a Good Samaritan at an incident we have attended, we would like to say ‘Thank You’, as we know from experience just how important our patients find such support.

“However, we understand the potential long-lasting effects on you of providing that support and while we as a team are able to discuss/debrief as a crew after the event, you may well only have had the option to go home and reflect on your actions alone.”

Though the charity is unable to provide Good Samaritans with any patient-specific details, due their obligation to maintain the confidentiality of patients, they can offer support, talk through what happened, and discuss how the Good Samaritan’s actions will have helped and assisted the patient. Darren continues:

“So, if you find yourself having questions about your actions, the help you provided, or the things you witnessed that are bothering you, then please do get in touch with us. Alongside the support we can provide, we can also signpost you to other resources where you can find out more about the type of incident you provided help at, or put you in touch with other agencies who can provide further and more specialist support.

“As well as helping you with finding closure from the incident, we hope we will be able to encourage and enable you to provide similar help to a patient should there be a ‘next time’.”

If you have been a Good Samaritan at an incident attended by Devon Air Ambulance and would like further support, you can contact the Patient Services Team through the Trading Company website: daatcl.co.uk/good-samaritans.