Clinical research award recognition for SW paramedic

South West ambulance paramedic Jonathan Green had his hard work and success at creating new opportunities for patients to take part in health research recognised with a regional award.

The National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (CRN) for the South West Peninsula judged Jonathan to be the worthy winner of its Research Network Forum award for creating new research participation opportunities.

Jonathan is a research paramedic with South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

Helen Quinn, Chief Operating Officer of the CRN South West Peninsula, said: “Jonathan has consistently and sensitively achieved no easy task delivering training of colleagues across seven counties in a range of different venues, to a mobile workforce across the largest trust of its kind in England.”

She said the judging panel was impressed with how Jonathan created opportunities for his ambulance service colleagues to receive the training needed so they could recruit patients to the AIRWAYS 2 clinical research study.

This is the largest international study investigating the initial airway management of people in cardiac arrest out of hospital. It is funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

Helen added: “To date 485 colleagues have received bespoke training within the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and they have recruited the highest number of participants to AIRWAYS 2 out of the four ambulance trusts conducting it in England. Jonathan has demonstrated tenacity and a commitment to ensuring that more ambulance staff can contribute to this important study and offer patients the opportunity to take part in this clinical research.”

Twelve nominations for research practitioners across Devon, Somerset, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly were considered by the awards judging panel for this category.

Jonathan was presented with the award by Patient Ambassador Jane Owen, who has herself participated in several clinical research studies for the treatment of diabetes.

The award was sponsored by Quintiles.