Celebrating our paramedics on International Paramedics Day

International Paramedics Day on 8 July is a great opportunity for Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) to pause and reflect on the extraordinary contribution of its paramedics and frontline responders.

This year’s theme ‘unity and community’ perfectly encapsulates the collaborative spirit of our 2,165 paramedics who play a pivotal role in the health and wellbeing of our communities and work alongside crew members and colleagues to achieve real impact and deliver excellent patient-centred care. They were involved in responding to around 900,000 emergency incidents across Yorkshire in 2024-25.

Paramedics are often the first healthcare professional many people encounter in their most vulnerable moments. It’s a role that not only demands exceptional clinical skill and rapid decision-making but also compassion, resilience and adaptability.

Dave Green, Chief Paramedic at Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: “Paramedics are highly skilled autonomous clinicians who provide essential care in challenging and often unpredictable circumstances. Their role is far-reaching, from quickly evaluating complex situations, identifying life-threatening conditions and formulating immediate treatment plans to coordinating with other emergency services at complex incidents.

“In recent years, the paramedic role has evolved significantly, with clinicians increasingly providing ‘see and treat’ and ‘hear and treat’ care, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and referring patients to alternative and more appropriate community services. This expanded scope highlights their expertise and their crucial role in managing the wider demands of the NHS.”

The landscape of pre-hospital care is constantly evolving, driven by innovation and a commitment to improving patient outcomes. Yorkshire Ambulance Service paramedics are at the forefront of these advancements which include:

• Telemedicine integration - the ability to consult with doctors and other clinicians in real-time, providing enhanced guidance and support for complex cases. One example is the roll-out of stroke video triage at Hull Royal Infirmary which connects ambulance crews with specialist stroke clinicians by video call, allowing the hospital assessment to take place earlier in the patient journey.
• Enhanced trauma care - new equipment and protocols for managing severe injuries, improving chances of survival and recovery. We now have 45 Specialist Paramedics in Critical Care who have undergone advanced training to manage and treat patients in life-threatening emergencies. We have also introduced a Medical Emergency Response Incident Team (MERIT), made up of a Doctor and Specialist Paramedics in Critical Care, to better support major incidents and to provide enhanced clinical care to patients on a more routine basis.
• Development of alternative care pathways - this ensures patients receive the right care at the earliest point in their healthcare journey. One example is linking with mental health crisis teams, hospital-based mental health units and local safe spaces across the region to connect mental health patients with the right team as soon as possible after their contact with 999, avoiding unnecessary ambulance dispatch and attendance at an emergency department where this isn’t clinically appropriate for the person’s needs.
• Electronic patient records - streamlining documentation and ensuring seamless information transfer between ambulance clinicians and hospital teams which improves continuity of care

International Paramedics Day takes place every year on July 8 because this marks the anniversary of the birth of Dominique Jean Larrey, the French military doctor who became Napoleon Bonaparte’s chief surgeon of the Grand Armee and the man often referred to as the 'father of modern-day ambulance services.'