International emergency and urgent care forum

AMBEX 2008 is the international forum that brings together partners in emergency and urgent care. With over 140 exhibitors and two free-to-attend presentations theatres in the exhibition and a three-day conference programme, the 2008 event will be a major focus for learning, debate, information exchange and the leading market place for new and exciting products and developments in the industry.

The Conference
Following the merger of the Ambulance Service Association and the NHS Confederation, the newly formed Ambulance Service Network (ASN) promises to develop a strong and independent voice for the ambulance sector and provide ambulance services with the support they need to work within the modern NHS. The three-day conference will provide senior level decision makers and front line staff with the opportunity to explore how NHS Ambulance Services can be at the forefront of the developments taking place in emergency and urgent healthcare provision.
    
"The last 12 months have seen considerable changes in the management of the Ambulance Service. Now that the new Trusts are established and staff roles determined, there is a strong desire throughout the Service to use AMBEX as a significant meeting place for discussion and planning for the future," comments Philip Selwood, interim director, Ambulance Service Network. "We are expecting an outstanding attendance of senior staff from all the Trusts at AMBEX this year and recommend that suppliers take advantage of the event to showcase their innovations and meet with the procurement specifies and influencers."

BPA Presentation Theatre
The BPA Presentation Theatre is free for visitors. The British Paramedic Association presentation theatre will feature a full programme of training sessions on both days of the exhibition giving ambulance service staff an ideal opportunity to up date CPD portfolios. Subjects discussed include, CPAP, obstetrics, airway management, higher education and preparing for mentorship.
    
Exhibitor Presentation Theatre is also free for visitors. Presentations include:

• Lindsey Macdonald and Paul Watts, Ethicon: Wound Management in Pre-Hospital Care. ETHICON has a history of providing investment support and facilitating world class training in wound closure and we have now developed a training package specifically for Wound Management in Pre-Hospital Care.    

DERMABOND* Adhesive is a next generation topical skin adhesive that does not require refrigeration and allows patients with lacerations to be treated in the community, without the need to transport them to A&E. Its microbial barrier seals out bacteria that could lead to an infection, giving you peace of mind knowing that you have delivered the best possible care to your patient. By treating patients in the community you are saving money associated with the transport costs to A&E and ensuring your resources are better placed in the community to respond to life threatening emergency calls.

• Tony Kemp, Programme Development Manager, Laerdal Medical Ltd: Ambulance education using simulation. Clinical education using simulation is well established throughout medicine, nursing and encountered by paramedic students in the university setting. Within other areas of ambulance education and training simulation is coming to the forefront and this seminar examines what makes simulation so valuable. Providing insight to some of the educational lenses that can be applied as well as looking at the types of simulators available participants will be presented with a thought provoking and stimulating insight into the world of ambulance education where the manikin answers back and much of the learning takes place after the scenario. www.laerdal.co.uk http://simulation.laerdal.com
• Steven Haken, Hypothermia Specialist: Hypothermia. Recent clinical studies demonstrate the benefit on survival if hypothermia is induced during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This finding supports the concept that post-resuscitation injury processes begin immediately after the return of spontaneous circulation, and that cooling during advanced life support may serve as a useful therapeutic approach to improve survival.

Cardiac arrest with widespread cerebral ischemia frequently leads to severe neurologic impairment. Post resuscitation care of comatose survivors of cardiac arrest using induced hypothermia (IH) is recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) to improve neurological outcomes but has been performed primarily later in the course of care. Recently, it was shown that pre-hospital cooling is feasible, safe, and effective in lowering patient temperature and causes no harm.

Exhibition
With over 100 exhibitors already confirmed and two ‘free to attend’ presentation theatres, the two-day AMBEX 2008 exhibition will provide the perfect platform to find out about new products, services and developments in the emergency health care sector.  
    
The event will showcase the latest in emergency, rapid response and patient transport vehicles, medical equipment, defibrillators, uniforms and protective clothing, decontamination systems, search and rescue equipment, training mannequins, information technology and communication systems.
    
Exhibitors include leading international companies supplying the very latest in vehicles, technology and services. 2008 exhibitors include: UV Modular, Ambulance Radio Programme, Simulaids, Bound Tree, Ferno, Openhouse, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Excelerate.

AMBEX Dinner – Wednesday 25 June 2008
Open to all, the dinner will be held at the Majestic Hotel. This formal four-course dinner provides the perfect opportunity to network with peers and colleagues in the industry.

Conference programme
The Conference Programme will explore a wide range of issues focussed around the theme of how NHS Ambulance Services can be at the forefront of the developments taking place in emergency and urgent healthcare provision. In addition the programme will feature a number of ‘hot topics’ including the 2007 UK floods, the Olympics 2012 and the implications of these events for ambulance services.

Tuesday 24 June

• Opening Keynote Address
• Policy Overview
• Critical Care
• Foundation Trust Status for Ambulance Services
• Keeping People at Home

Wednesday 25 June

• Urgent Care Strategy
• Stroke Strategy
• Infection Prevention and Control
• The HART Programme
• The 2007 Floods: Impact on Medical and Business Continuity
• The Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act: Implications for Ambulance Services
• International Comparisons

Thursday 26 June

• Olympics 2012: Implications for Ambulance Services
• Closing Keynote Address

Key Speakers
The programme will include the following speakers:

• Ben Bradshaw MP, Minister of State (Health) and Government Minister for the South West
• Professor Keith Porter, Professor of Tramatology, University Hospital Birmingham and Chair, Faculty of Pre-Hospital Immediate Care
• Robert Bass, Executive Director, Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, USA
• Assistant Commissioner, Tarique Ghaffur, Head of Central Operations, Metropolitan Police
• Richard Budgett, Clinical Director, Olympic Medical Institute
• Simon Weston OBE

Full details of the programme will be found on www.ambex.net (Programme correct at the time of publication).

For more information
Visitors can register for free passes by logging on to www.ambex.net