AMBULANCE RACE AGAINST TIME SAVES MAN’S LIFE.

SAVOY VENTURES LTD.

NHS PATIENT TRANSPORT

PRESS RELEASE

July 1, 2011.

AMBULANCE RACE AGAINST TIME SAVES MAN’S LIFE.

Two ambulance technicians are in line for employee of the month awards after making the dash of the year to make the difference of a lifetime.

Greenhithe-based father and son ambulance crew Richard and Paul Cross were told they had just 30 minutes to get a critically ill man from his bed at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich to the operating theatre in King’s College Hospital, Denmark Hill.

“The nurses did an amazing job to get the patient from his bed to our ambulance in just 10 minutes, but that left us just 20 minutes to cover a route the satnav says takes 23 minutes, but anybody in the area knows can take 45 minutes if the traffic’s against you,” said Paul Cross, an ambulance technician with patient transport provider Savoy Ventures Limited. http://www.savoyventures.co.uk/

“Amazingly, we covered it in 15 minutes with my father – Richard – driving the ambulance on blue lights and sirens, but we knew it was tight when the King’s College team were waiting at the door and started working on the patient even as we had him on the trolley out of the ambulance.”

The patient had suffered a serious cranial bleed and needed immediate life-saving surgery which could only be provided at King’s College Hospital, but, amazingly, was sitting up in bed and talking to relatives within 48 hours.

“That was an incredibly satisfying and rewarding result,” said Paul. Video interview.

Richard Cross, who was driving the ambulance, said that a great deal of the good fortune in traffic was down to drivers being alert and decisive.

“Sometimes they panic, sometimes they don’t – and they coolly and calmly do exactly what we need, which is to make space for us without panicking or putting themselves in danger,” said Richard.

Savoy Ventures Limited is a private company providing patient transport and transfer services to NHS Trusts in the South East of England. Established in 2006, Savoy makes more than 240,000 patient transfer journeys a year. Savoy Ventures Limited is engaged by a number of NHS Trusts to carry out blue-light transfers, specialist wheelchair, incubator, bariatric chair or stretcher transport, notes/X-ray transfer, and movement of tissue between hospitals. Many staff are trained and qualified to Ambulance Technician level.

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Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

www.savoyventures.com

NEW LEASES OF WORKING LIFE FOR NEW LIFESAVERS JOHN AND ALAN.

SAVOY VENTURES LTD.

NHS PATIENT TRANSPORT

PRESS RELEASE

December 20, 2010.

NEW LEASES OF WORKING LIFE FOR NEW LIFESAVERS JOHN AND ALAN. 

Video of John. Video of Alan.

It’s all about new leases of life, and one of the South East’s leading NHS patient transport service providers is making double the contribution of most by employing retired people – and turning them into lifesavers.

Savoy Ventures Limited provides patient transport services for several South London and Kent hospitals, but as well as bringing in younger people embarking on their careers, the firm is also recruiting more and more retired folk.

“In this day and age, 60 is a very early age to retire – so we’re making a point of seeking out older people to join our team of passenger transport and care assistants, but we’re also finding a great number of them are demonstrating skills and attitude that means we’re also turning our second-life recruits into ambulance technicians – true lifesavers with occasional emergency and blue-light duties,” said Elle Dadswell of Savoy Ventures.

“Older people have fantastic life skills, which they don’t just pass on to their colleagues, but which can make a massive difference to the way patients respond and react during what can be quite traumatic times when being transferred between hospitals, for instance.”

Two such members of the team are John Hunt, 63, from Canterbury, and his crew partner Alan Butt, 61, from Dartford.

John came out of retirement after spending most of his working life as a bookseller, video, while Alan was a railway engineer, video, and now are each fully-fledged ambulance technicians working with several south London hospitals.

Savoy Ventures Limited is a private company providing patient transport and transfer services to NHS Trusts in the South East of England. Established in 2006, Savoy makes more than 200,000 patient transfer journeys a year. Savoy Ventures Limited is engaged by a number of NHS Trusts to carry out blue-light transfers, specialist wheelchair, incubator, bariatric chair or stretcher transport, notes/X-ray transfer, and movement of tissue between hospitals. Many staff are trained and qualified to Ambulance Technician level.

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Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

www.savoyventures.com

MICHAEL GOES FROM DOLE TO LIFESAVER IN WEEKS.

SAVOY VENTURES LTD.

NHS PATIENT TRANSPORT

PRESS RELEASE

November 11, 2010.

MICHAEL GOES FROM DOLE TO LIFESAVER IN WEEKS.

Video: link to Michael Collins interview.

Recession casualty Michael Collins was plucked from the dole queue after nearly nine months out of work - and within weeks was becoming a life-saver. 

Michael, 45, from Greenhithe, was made redundant after six years working in retail at Bluewater shopping centre in January 2009, but nearly two years on has made a massive career step and is now a fully-fledged ambulance technician working with several south London hospitals.

Michael is employed by Savoy Ventures Limited, which provides NHS patient transport and transfer services between south London hospitals. Savoy operates specialist patient transport vehicles, as well as a large fleet of emergency-support-standard ambulances crewed by ambulance technicians. 

“Never in a million years did I believe I’d be on the dole one day and training to become a life-saver the next,” said Michael.

“My skills straight from school were on the mechanical and engineering front, but I moved into retail, and six years in the recession really bit – and I was out of a job. 

“That was January 2009, and I applied for 20 or so jobs without success before I stumbled across an ad in the local Job Centre for patient transport drivers. 

“From there it was a whirlwind of progress. I got the job driving patients between their homes and various hospitals in south London, but I felt I was cut out for far more responsibility. So within a few weeks I was accepted for the ambulance technician training course, then the blue light driving course, and then I’m suddenly in  charge of an ambulance, and, far more significantly, responsible for the wellbeing and safety of children and premature babies transferring between hospitals under blue light conditions. 

“Savoy may be a private company which provides patients transport services to a number of hospitals, but the training, equipment and support are easily on par and possibly exceed the standards provided by many UK ambulance services engaged in similar NHS support roles."

Savoy Ventures Limited is a private company providing patient transport and transfer services to NHS Trusts in the South East of England. Established in 2006, Savoy makes more than 200,000 patient transfer journeys a year. Savoy Ventures Limited is engaged by a number of NHS Trusts to carry out blue-light transfers, specialist wheelchair, incubator, bariatric chair or stretcher transport, notes/X-ray transfer, and movement of tissue between hospitals. Many staff are trained and qualified to Ambulance Technician level.

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Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

www.savoyventures.com

FORTY SEVEN NEW VEHICLES FOR PATIENT TRANSPORT PROVIDER.

SAVOY VENTURES LTD.

NHS PATIENT TRANSPORT

PRESS RELEASE

October 21, 2010.

SAVOY VENTURES LTD. TAKES DELIVERY OF 47 NEW VEHICLES.

Savoy Ventures Limited, the NHS patient transport provider, has taken delivery of 47 new vehicles, bringing its Kent and South London-based fleet up to 152.

The new vehicles include ambulances equipped for high-dependency, specialist wheelchair, incubator, bariatric chair or stretcher transport, notes/X-ray transfer, and movement of tissue between hospitals.

The additions include 14 Fiat Scudo wheelchair accessible crossover vehicles, 15 Renault Masters and 15 Vauxhall Movano ambulances of various specifications.

“The new vehicles replace some of our older ambulances and specialist minibuses, but most are completely new additions enabling us to service new contracts,” said Ben Adams of Savoy Ventures Limited.

“The fleet is engaged in operating high-d-ependency services at Guys, Kings, St Thomas and Lewisham Hospitals, and both our ambulance and wheelchair-accessible vehicles have tracking technology allowing location detection and traffic congestion avoidance therefore minimising delays and patient inconvenience.

“We have our own vehicle maintenance facility, staffed by fully-qualified technicians, which allows constant rotation of vehicles. This facility works solely on Savoy vehicles which means we can sustain the maximum possible number of vehicles on the road at all times.

“We also operate an on-site deep-cleanse facility to support our ambulance fleet, this, of course, maintains health and safety and minimises the spread of infection.”

Savoy Ventures Limited is a private company providing patient transport and transfer services to NHS Trusts in the South East of England. Established in 2006, Savoy makes more than 200,000 patient transfer journeys a year. Savoy Ventures Limited is engaged by a number of NHS Trusts to carry out blue-light transfers, specialist wheelchair, incubator, bariatric chair or stretcher transport, notes/X-ray transfer, and movement of tissue between hospitals. Many staff are trained and qualified to Ambulance Technician level.

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Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

www.savoyventures.com

GMB UNION DOES NOT KNOW PENSION RULES

SAVOY VENTURES LTD.

NHS PATIENT TRANSPORT

PRESS RELEASE

September 29, 2010.

SAVOY VENTURES LTD. AND THE GMB UNION: SOUTH LONDON HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST PATIENT TRANSPORT.

The GMB Union has made statements, claims and allegations against Savoy Ventures Ltd., which provides ambulances and patient transport services for a number of South London hospitals:

http://www.gmb.org.uk/newsroom/latest_news/gmb_demo_savoy_patient_transp.aspx

A spokesman for Savoy Ventures Ltd. said:

"It is incredibly exasperating that the GMB has chosen to ignore or distort many facts, causing unwarranted concern to staff and patients alike. Many of the GMB’s claims and allegations are quite simply wrong, and we are advised by solicitors that allegations of a personal nature against Savoy Ventures Ltd. management are quite possibly actionable. We have met all obligations under TUPE, and the transfer of staff from the LAS is fully compliant with the procurement process.

“It is very telling that we have so far seen no evidence or intent of strike action or protest amongst our workforce. To the contrary, our staff have continued to provide a very important transport service to dialysis patients even though they have had to drive through the protest action to get patients to their appointments.

“Firstly, the GMB clearly does not know the facts – and law – with regard to pension provision. The GMB has accused Savoy Ventures Ltd. of driving a ‘dramatic’ pension cut for those staff moving from the LAS to Savoy Ventures Ltd.

“This is absolute nonsense. By law, in terms of pensions, those employees who are transferring cannot be worse off. An NHS pension is simply not available to non-NHS employees, but Savoy Ventures Ltd. will provide a Government Actuary’s Department (GAD)-approved, comparable scheme, which will match each individual’s NHS pension arrangement. This pension scheme will be managed by the Prudential, and is established as an accepted and comparable health sector alternative to NHS schemes across the UK. The pension scheme was discussed and agreed at a meeting attended by representatives of Savoy Ventures Ltd., the Government Actuaries Department, LAS and the South London Hospital Trust.

“The contracts for staff include a London weighting allowance scaled in relation to the location of their base. Strictly speaking, Savoy Ventures Ltd. has no obligation to provide any degree of London weighting because the base falls outside of London weighting territory, but once transferred to Savoy Ventures Ltd., staff will be paid the fringe London weighting, regardless. In line with its legal obligations, Savoy Ventures Ltd consulted with LAS representatives on this matter back in July 2010 before the likelihood of any dispute became apparent. Staff transferring to Savoy Ventures Ltd. will otherwise see no changes to their terms and conditions of employment.

“There will be no ‘downward harmonisation’ of salaries, and we have no plans to change shift patterns – but, having said that, it is far too early to say whether shift changes will need to occur to meet the demands of the new contract as we come to understand the requirements more clearly.

“A few staff will simply not move over from the LAS because they simply have not or do not work on the contract transferring from LAS.

“The unions have not approached us for recognition. We have invited the unions in for talks, at no point have they approached the company directly with their concerns and therefore the GMB are conducting this deplorable and potentially life-threatening campaign without consultation.

“Savoy Ventures Ltd. is a solid and decent company providing nearly 200,000 patient transfers a year across London, including blue-light movements. We have a 99.5% patient satisfaction rating. We operate the very latest vehicles and equipment, with a number of staff trained to ambulance technician standard.”

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.savoyventures.co.uk