Surrey student receives top ambulance award

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Katie Clark was presented with the Voluntary Ambulance Service Person of the Year award by Baroness Browning at the House of Commons.

In February 2011, Katie was working at the Beefeater Bar and Grill in Harlow Mill when an elderly woman collapsed after choking on her meal.

Katie explains: “She collapsed in the doorway to the toilets and stopped breathing. I gave her chest compressions for about 15 minutes and when the paramedics arrived I cleared bystanders from the area and tried to keep members of her family calm.”

Both an air and land ambulance arrived at the scene but, despite the best efforts of doctors and paramedics, the woman died later in intensive care. The woman's family was so grateful to Katie for everything that she did in such difficult circumstances that they invited her to the funeral.

John Newman, President of the Ambulance Service Institute, says: “Katie showed great maturity in coping with an extremely distressing situation. Although the outcome in this case was not a happy one, I hope the family can take some small comfort from knowing that this lady received all the help that could possibly have been given.”

Katie is now determined to pursue a career in health care: “I was very distressed by what happened. But I know I can use my first aid skills in future to be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.”