Isle Of Wight Ambulance Service Leads The Way With New Communications System

The Isle of Wight Ambulance Service is leading the way with a pioneering new communications system.

Frequentis LifeX is a state-of-the-art control room solution used by ambulance dispatchers to communicate with ambulance crews. The system enables the dispatch team to contact the ambulance crews in enhanced ways, using voice and data methods and provides greater resilience to the service.

The new digital system went live in February and replaces the previous communications system, which had reached the end of its serviceable life.

The service said that LifeX has been operating for five weeks and has led to a streamlined communication process, allowing dispatchers to operate more effectively, allowing crews to respond to people using 999 and NHS 111 services more efficiently.

The Island has fully tested the new platform and has helped the national programme move into its delivery phase and roll out to the rest of the country.

Victoria White, Head of Ambulance, said:

“We are very proud to be at the forefront of this national project and to be the first ambulance service in the country to migrate to the new system.

“The system will undoubtedly improve the way that we respond to calls, this includes the ability to contact other partner services quickly and easily and it has a unique mapping function which is able to split emergency and non-emergency calls, helping the team to deliver care to those who need it most in our community.

“I would like to express my thanks to our ambulance control room staff who have taken on a new system and all the changes that come with that in their stride and continued to provide an efficient and professional service. They really have been instrumental in making this migration a success.

“It has been a privilege to work with our national colleagues at ARP and Frequentis to push forward the installation of Frequentis LifeX. The IOW is a good location to pilot systems, such as this one, and we are delighted to have been given the opportunity to lead the way.”

Andy Madge, Managing Director for Frequentis UK which is the service provider, said:

“Frequentis is pleased to be supporting the Ambulance Radio Programme with the implementation of LifeX – our next generation communications platform for Emergency Services.

“In implementing it with the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, we have been working with both national and local organisations to ensure that LifeX can deliver more efficient and effective communications for all first responders. We look forward to a long-term relationship as we support the Isle of Wight and roll out LifeX to the other Trusts around England, Scotland and Wales.”

Ian Hough, from The Ambulance Radio Programme, said:

“We would like to extend our thanks to the Isle of Wight for leading the way and agreeing to be the pilot Trust. ARP would like to thank all who have been involved in the rollout of the new system.

“The achievement of this significant milestone represents a major step forward in the Control Room Solutions programme and a good foundation for future rollout to all ambulance services across Great Britain.”