Title

ARRIVE: Ambulance paramedics Responding to Routine General practice Initiated home Visits - Evaluation development.

Contact

Mark Kingston: m.r.kingston@swansea.ac.uk

Principal / Lead Investigator

Grayham McClean, Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST)

Co-Investigators

Mark Kingston, Jenna Bulger, Helen Snooks, Alison Porter, Bridie Evans, Timothy Driscoll, Alan Watkins, Ceri Phillips, Ather Hussain, Adrian Edwards, Lesley Griffiths, Leigh Keen, Mari James

Type of study

Feasibility

Summary

More and more people are requesting urgent care, and there are shortages of GPs to see people who request appointments, in particular when patients are unable to get to the surgery. Paramedics are working in various roles in general practice including carrying out home visits in place of GPs. Initiatives have been set up across the UK involving paramedics in primary care – in some cases the paramedics remain in the ambulance service and are ‘on loan’ to the general practice, but may still answer life-threatening 999 calls.

In other places, the paramedic is employed by the practice or group of practices and is no longer available to respond to any 999 calls. There is very little evidence about what works best, or even about what is happening in different areas. We do not know whether these initiatives are safe, acceptable to patients and carers or effective for the NHS. In addition, very little is known about any wider effects on the development of skills or roles, or about the impact upon delivery of emergency services.

Public & patient involvement

Two PPI representatives are co-applicants and research management group members, and have been involved in design and conduct decisions from pre-funding proposal stage. In addition we have linked with further patient and public representatives in a co-production workshop to further shape aspects of the feasibility study.

Who is the study sponsor?

Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST)

How could this research potentially benefit patients?

By improving access to general practice appointments.

Funder

Health and Care Research Wales RfPPB

Total grant value

£ 230,000

Start date

01/10/2018

End date

30/09/2020

Further information 

To follow

Outputs generated (Reports / Publications / Impact)

Poster presentation: 'Ambulance paramedics Responding to urgent patient Requests In general practice for home Visits - Evaluation development (ARRIVE) Protocol' presented at the South West regional meeting of the Society for Academic Primary Care, Leonardo Royal Hotel, Southampton Grand Harbour, March 2019.