British Broadcasting Corporation

watch live BBC NEWS CHANNEL
News Front Page
World
UK
England
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Business
Politics
Health
Education
Science & Environment
Technology
Entertainment
Also in the news
-----------------
Video and Audio
-----------------
Have Your Say
Magazine
In Pictures
Country Profiles
Special Reports

Related BBC sites

Site Version
Page last updated at 11:37 GMT, Friday, 29 August 2008 12:37 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version

Paramedics organise faith summit

Paramdecis demonstrate cardiac arrest techniques
For heart attack patients, minutes and seconds count in saving lives

An NHS summit has been held to help emergency staff understand how religious and faith issues affect the emergency services.

East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) held the event for staff and public.

EMAS' culture and diversity manager Mukesh Barot said cultural misunderstandings could cost lives.

In one incident, a paramedic treating a man with a heart attack was stopped by members of the Somali community who though the patient was being attacked.

Paramedics are sometimes asked to remove their shoes before entering a place of worship, such as a mosque, which means victims could lose vital seconds of treatment.

Beyond barriers

But people may not realise "what the impact of any delay would have on the patient" - losing quality of life, paralysis or even death, said Mr Barot.

He added the event in Leicester was because emergency staff wanted to better understand the beliefs and sensitivities of different communities.

But it was also vital for people to be aware of the actions paramedics need to take to ensure that a patient survives.

"This summit is really about getting beyond formal training... and actually consulting and engaging with communities and saying how can we get beyond some of the barriers that may be perceived or actual," Mr Barot said.

Advertisement

A spokesman said cultural misunderstandings could cost lives



E-mail this to a friend Printable version

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
East Midlands Ambulance Service
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites


TOP LEICESTERSHIRE STORIES
Toy charity makes Christmas plea
Arrest after stolen cable seized
Train fares to go up in new year

FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS
Window (Nasa) Inner space
Making the space station just a bit more like home
Mina and Toral Battling back
'My mum's breast cancer experiences helped me to cope'
2010 World Cup logo World Cup wobble
Will South Africa 2010 be hit by a downturn?
Skip to top

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Explore the BBC

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
Americas Africa Europe Middle East South Asia Asia Pacific