HALO (Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officer)

Job summary

The purpose of the HALO role is to facilitate a safe, effective and efficient handover between ambulance crew and ED staff and timely wrap up of ambulance crews ideally in line with the four key principles below set out in the NHSE/I letter Addressing ambulance handover delays:

• The patients in the urgent care pathway who are at highest risk of preventable harm are those for whom a high priority 999 emergency call has been received, but no ambulance resource is available for dispatch.
• Acute Trusts must always accept handover of patients within 15 minutes of an ambulance arriving at the ED or other urgent admission facility (e.g. medical/surgical assessment units, ambulatory care etc.).
• Leaving patients waiting in ambulances or in a corridor supervised by ambulance personnel is inappropriate.
• The patient is the responsibility of the Acute Trust ED from the moment that the ambulance arrives outside the ED department, regardless of the exact location of the patient

The HALO (Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officer) is a liaison and facilitator role between the hospital and SWASFT Crews/Commanders/Trust Incident Manager. The HALO will follow an agreed rota but will also be flexible in terms of the hospital requiring support and will take direction from the County Coordination Centre.

Main duties of the job

The HALO will:

• facilitate the management of patients under the care of SWAST while waiting to handover to ED staff.
• be the liaison point for the ED coordinator.
• liaise with the Clinical Site Manager / Hospital Leadership Team to understand forward hospital plans and communicate these to the Operational Commander/Trust Incident Manager.
• liaise with the Clinical Site Manager to provide trolleys/chairs on which to transfer patients and release SWAST crews.
• advise on suitable alternative care pathways - e.g. Direct admission pathways avoiding ED, Urgent Care Centre, Ambulatory Care and consider patients' ability to be 'fit to sit'
• facilitate Paramedic crew(s) to take handover from other crews and manage cohorting areas.
• review expected ambulance arrivals via the ePCR and CAD system and highlight patients, who may require high care or resus beds, to the ED coordinator.
• re-triage cohorted patients to ensure that higher acuity patients are prioritised for ED handover
• support staff at hospital during periods of delayed handover and ensure welfare arrangements.
• provide a point of welfare contact for crews at hospital subsequent to a difficult incident.
• inform the Operational Commander of any welfare issues of SWAST staff or any issues requiring escalation from the ED.

Monitor and record delayed handover times

About us

At South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) we have a culture where everyone is valued for being themselves. Our aim is to work together to promote the most inclusive environment possible, which attracts people from the widest range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work that we do together, for the benefit of all of our employees, our patients and the communities we serve. We offer flexible working opportunities, inclusive policies and a range of feedback mechanisms to support individuals and to enable a positive, welcoming environment where our people and their careers can thrive in.

We employ over 6,000 employees mainly clinical, operational and emergency response staff as well as supporting roles. We also employ Doctors and volunteers which include community first responders and fire co-responders.

We take all the steps needed to provide the most compassionate patient care possible whilst also providing an enjoyable and safe place to work. We actively promote a positive set of behaviours as being key to our performance both individually and collectively. Our recruitment, selection and screening processes are designed to uphold these standards and we invite all our candidates to actively share with us through these processes how they will bring these behaviours to life.

Employer details

Employer name

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Address

NHS

Derriford

PL65AB

Employer's website

https://www.swast.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

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Employer details

Employer name

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Address

NHS

Derriford

PL65AB

Employer's website

https://www.swast.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

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