Tens of thousands of iPads to be issued to ambulance crews

NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens has announced that tens of thousands of iPads will be issued to ambulance crews across England so that patients get the right care faster.

The 30,000 devices will allow ambulance crews to send photographs from the scene of an accident so stroke specialists and other clinicians on standby in emergency departments can get straight to work when the patient arrives at hospital. The iPads will also enable paramedics to access vital health records helping them assess patients’ injuries and decide whether they should be taken to hospital or treated at the scene.

While the ratio of iPads to staff will vary based on need, in some areas including London, every ambulance worker will have access to one. The use of iPads has been piloted by ambulance crews in London and the South East, with early results showing how effective having access to vital information or specialist medical advice can be to emergency call outs.

Stevens said: “Ambulance crews have been at the forefront of the pandemic, routinely dealing with life and death situations and often first on scene to treat and diagnose critically ill patients. These devices are another tool for our highly skilled paramedics and ambulance technicians as they continue to respond to the country’s most critically ill and injured patients. It is another example of the health service innovating and harnessing technology to improve patient care as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.”

The initiative is funded by NHSX, who are leading the transformation of health and social care through digital technology.

Matthew Gould, chief executive of NHSX, said: “At NHSX we are working to help frontline staff use digital technology to transform the service they provide, and these tablets will give paramedics an extra edge.”