Paramedics Save More Lives Armed With New Driving Skills Thanks To Funding Support

Front-line medics saving lives across our region have taken on new driving skills with the help of a bold and targeted programme.

Stockton-based CIPHER medical respond to incidents in their ambulances across the North East and Yorkshire for the NHS.

But the organisation – with 100 full-time staff and 400 bank staff – faced challenges in training staff in blue light emergency driver training courses.

With the help of training funded by Tees Valley Combined Authority, CIPHER has been able to train its staff in vital C1 and blue light driving CERAD courses – easing the burden of paramedics out on jobs, but also arming their wider workforce with invaluable skills for the future.

Bespoke Employer Led Skills Programmes (BELP) are funded through the Combined Authority’s Adult Skills Fund.

Redcar and Cleveland Council’s Adult Learning service worked with CIPHER to get its staff the skills they needed.

Chris Moat, Head of Education at CIPHER, explained how the support had helped with driver training, which had become a challenge due to time and cost pressures.

“It’s provided us with a much more flexible workforce, but it also safeguarded jobs and employment opportunities for individuals because those skills are interchangeable,” he said.

“It means we don’t have to worry about having appropriately qualified people driving the right vehicles at the right time.

“It’s also safer to have that flexibility – we had one driver driving for long periods of time. When you’re doing 12-hour shifts, that can be dangerous.

“It’s allowed us to revisit our strategic workforce structure. We now have a lot more full-time employees, whereas we used to rely a lot more on bank staff, which can be quite challenging to monitor when it comes to their skills and their development.

“It’s been really beneficial.”

Two young Teessiders who’ve gained from the courses are Curtis Robinson, 28, and Emily Burns, 22.

Curtis, from Pallister, started his working life in an office – but desk work soon wore thin, and a one-day first aid course fired his passion for a new career.

“I liked the fact there was a good range of opportunities for me in the role, so I moved on to doing some event work – and found CIPHER through a family friend,” he explained.

From there, he began picking up qualifications and gaining valuable experiences throughout patient contacts.

Curtis added: “I like the high-pressure situations – not knowing what I’m walking into and what I’ll be expected to deal with. I like being under that pressure and learning to manage those time-critical situations.”

Meanwhile, Emily lives just five minutes away from CIPHER’s Stockton HQ.

Her time in college was hit by the covid pandemic – but when she, too, took on a first aid course, she wanted to explore more.

“Being a paramedic sounded quite interesting, so I went to University in Sheffield for my paramedic degree,” she added.

“I saw CIPHER on the side of ambulances, applied for an NQP job with the firm and got it.”

Emily has also gained valuable experience since – and gained confidence since taking on a driving course.

“It’s being able to share the workload and work more as a team,” she added.

“I don’t feel as much of a burden to my crewmates when we’re going to places – we can share the work.”

Chrissie Whitfield is the Head of Operations at CIPHER – and has seen a marked difference in how the training has seen their staff expand their skillsets and develop their careers.

She added: “As a company, we’d like to think we can keep hold of all our staff but that doesn’t always happen.

“People want to progress – by giving them their foundations and additional qualifications, it helps them. Sometimes these courses are expensive.

“If they stay with us that’s great but, equally, if they choose to go elsewhere with a trust, that’s great as we all work together for patient care.”

Access to the support on offer was also straightforward.

Chris said: “The support we’ve received has seen minimal red tape.

“Sometimes when you apply to these programmes, there is so much work which goes on in the background. Rachael was fantastic in supporting our application and making our way through. We got a process in place which simplified what we do.”

The Combined Authority is responsible for the Adult Skills Fund (previously the Adult Education Budget) for the Tees Valley, which was devolved from the Education Skills Funding Agency in 2019.

It is funded by the UK Government through the Department of Education.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Paramedics save lives – and do one of the hardest and most important jobs anyone can do day in, day out – and that is why we are doing what we can, with the powers we have, to support them.

“Yes, we have massive projects on our books bringing thousands of good well-paid jobs to people across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool, but our area is about more than that.

“Nothing is more important than keeping our people healthy and well should the worst ever happen – and I’m proud we’ve been able to support CIPHER and dozens of medics get the backing they need to help their brilliant team save more lives.”

Cllr Lynn Pallister, Cabinet Member for Growth and Enterprise at the Council, said: “Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council’s Adult Learning Service are really proud of the success of the programme and the impact it has had, not only for the participants but for the local community.

“Through strong collaborative working we were able to support CIPHER to develop their existing workforce alongside creating more opportunities for residents within the Tees Valley to progress into key roles in this sector.

“As a community anchor within Redcar and Cleveland, our aim is to support residents and wider communities within the Tees Valley to upskill and progress into employment and/or higher-level roles and this programme is testament to that. We are keen to continue this partnership with CIPHER to further build upon our success in meeting the demand within this sector.”

Both Emily and Curtis saw a future on the front line.

“I love how different it is – it isn’t the same thing every day,” said Emily.

“I couldn’t think of anything worse than sitting in a chair all day, every day.

“Every patient has a different story – and it’s a challenge. You never know what you’re going to get next – it can be scary, but it’s exciting too.”

To find out more about the support the Combined Authority can provide for employers, go to: Workforce & Skills – Business