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In December 2017, the Hollands Midden Regional Ambulance Service introduced a new surveillance monitor: Tempus Pro (surveillance monitor) and LS (defibrillator). Over the coming years, we will roll out the many new capabilities of this monitor step-by-step. With this telemedicine system, we can send live information from the ambulance to the GP, doctor, or specialist. This includes images of the patient (video and ultrasound) and vital statistics such as heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration. Using a live video connection, the doctor, together with the paramedic, can remotely decide on the best treatment for the patient, and which destination for treatment is most suitable.

We are the first ambulance service in Europe to introduce this telemedicine concept for ambulances, which was originally developed for aviation. All our ambulances are equipped with the system.

In December 2017, the Hollands Midden Regional Ambulance Service introduced a new surveillance monitor: Tempus Pro (surveillance monitor) and LS (defibrillator). Over the coming years, we will roll out the many new capabilities of this monitor step-by-step. With this telemedicine system, we can send live information from the ambulance to the GP, doctor, or specialist. This includes images of the patient (video and ultrasound) and vital statistics such as heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration. Using a live video connection, the doctor, together with the paramedic, can remotely decide on the best treatment for the patient, and which destination for treatment is most suitable.

We are the first ambulance service in Europe to introduce this telemedicine concept for ambulances, which was originally developed for aviation. All our ambulances are equipped with the system.

We introduced the care ambulance in 2017. The care ambulance transports patients with less complex, more stable conditions. Patients who don’t require specialized nursing care. These journeys are more about caring than curing. For example, patients may need to be accompanied to another hospital, outpatient clinic, or home. These journeys require good care. We have made a cautious start, introducing one care ambulance in order to gain experience in this form of care differentiation. So far, our experiences have been very positive. Our care ambulance capacity will be further expanded in 2018. And we are looking an even broader deployment of care ambulances, so that we can release some of the pressure on the busy, regular, emergency ambulances.

In 2016, we gained our first experience with ambulance care delivered by bicycle: the Biker Rapid Responders. In collaboration with the ‘Bikers’ of the Kennemerland Ambulance Service, two bicycle teams in Leiden delivered ambulance care on site during the 3 October festivities. For a practical example of the intensive cooperation with one of our neighbouring ambulance services: the two paramedic teams comprised one employee each from us and our neighbour.

In 2017 the Biker teams attended about twenty incidents. And because of their work, only a few cases required an ambulance. In 2018, we hope to have our own Biker teams.