London's Pedalling Paramedics

Tom Baverstock and Laura McAllister share their lives as cycling paramedics

When did you become a cycling paramedic?

Laura: I joined in 2017. I’ve always cycled, so when I discovered I could work as a paramedic on a bike, I jumped at the opportunity. I enjoy being outside and working in whatever weather is thrown at us — and luckily we have great kit and uniform that keeps us warm and dry throughout the cold winter months.

Tom: After nearly ten years working on an ambulance, I was ready for a change and a new challenge, so joined the Cycle Response Unit. I really enjoy cycling, so I was always keen to get on the team.

The London Ambulance Service has had cycle paramedics for over 10 years now. How has it evolved?

Tom: Over the years the team has expanded and changed, just as the city itself has. We have roughly 50 members of staff at any one time on the unit, with about 100 members of staff trained as cycle paramedics across the service. We have teams in the busy central pedestrian areas and also out at Heathrow Airport. We also have cycle paramedics working in our 999 control rooms, operating on our clinical hub; they play a crucial role in assessing and signposting patients to the most appropriate point of care or service in their local community for their needs. We also have paramedics on e-bikes working half their shifts at GP surgeries, working closely with GPs, learning lots about primary care and also helping to deal with patients in the community.

Did you cycle before joining the team? And did you have any specific training?

Laura: I regularly cycle and before joining the team I used a bicycle as my main form of transport. I’ve really always enjoyed cycling and have completed multi-day tours across Europe. To join the Cycle Response Unit we had a week-long induction course on specific skills to help us ride with heavy panniers. This included riding up and down steps, balancing while turning corners, group riding through heavy traffic, and correctly mounting and dismounting the bike while keeping it stable. Every year we also complete a mountain bike training day, where we have a BMX trainer who helps us improve bike handling skills on different types of terrain.

How quickly do you get to the patients?

Tom: The average response time to calls is six minutes.

How do you find your way round? Do you use sat nav?

Laura: Each team gets to know their areas like the back of their hand. In addition to which we also have a map on the top of our rear panniers!

How do you join?

Tom: The team recruits experienced paramedics, who have experience working solo. And those who do apply must also be fit, competent and experienced cyclists. It’s an interview, a cycling proficiency assessment and also a ‘cycling workforce assessment’ — or what others may refer to as a fitness test! Pass all of those and you then get invited to attend that week-long Public Safety Cycling course, testing your proficiency in cycling knowledge, legislation including the Highway Code, fitness, road cycling, low-speed cycle skills and group riding to national standards. Pass that and you can go on the waiting list for a vacancy!

What are the main advantages of paramedics on bikes?

Laura: Using a bicycle to respond to 999 calls in London has multiple advantages, specifically to do with traffic and also how densely populated the city is. Our teams can often get to the patients quicker than an ambulance because of the traffic or road layouts. We are able to manoeuvre the bike around this and get to the patient first. We even have jobs in office buildings.

I responded to one incident recently where a fast-response car got to scene at the same time as me, but they then had to walk 10 minutes with heavy kit, whereas we were able to ride our bikes, fully-equipped, through the building itself to get to the patient. We can nip through small alleyways and shortcuts throughout the city. We even get jobs at London Underground stations, or at the main railways, where we can cycle down the platform or take the lifts down to reach the patient, with all our kit ready to administer immediate medical treatment.

We’re often the quickest to the most ill patients in congested areas, starting life-saving treatment before others can get there. For the less seriously ill, we reduces ambulance usage and the intake of patients into A&E departments — resolving over half of all incidents at the scene — which saves time and money for the NHS and patients.

What bikes are you riding? Any special or unique features?

Tom: Mine is a Specialized bike, with adaptions to be able to carry up to 75kg worth of kit in total. It has hi-vis panniers, a siren and blue lights. Most of the bikes when fully loaded with equipment — along with the uniform each team member wears, including the stab vests, boots, etc — can easily weigh as much as 70kg. We have had, and currently use, various different brands of mountain bikes, from the likes of Specialized, Cube and Saracen, and we replace them once they reach the end of their working lives, with sites staggering the time when it comes to renew their fleet. So, although the bikes may superficially all look similar throughout the team, currently we don’t have the same brand or manufacturer’s bikes across the service. This means we aren’t tied to one brand or manufacturer, which provides resilience in case there’s a recall or similar. It also creates a competitive environment when we look to replace the fleet.

What sort of medical kit do you carry?

Tom: Our kit is very similar equipment to that found on the ambulances, fast-response cars and motorcycle response units. It includes an ECG monitor, a defibrillator, maternity packs, advanced airway management kits, personal protective equipment, bandages and dressing, and much more.

Laura: Basically everything you need to help start delivering good quality care at the scene of an incident. We can attend any 999 calls ranging from minor injuries to major trauma falls anywhere in the city.

What areas of the city do you operate in?

Tom: We are currently based in the West End, Victoria, the City, Islington and Camden, St Pancras, Kingston and at Heathrow Airport. We also work at events including Twickenham rugby matches and mass participation events such as the London Marathon. So please do give us a wave if you see us out and about.

How far do you cycle per shift?

Tom: It is not unheard of for members of the team to clock up 100km in a single shift!

And how many jobs do you reckon you attend each year?

Laura: Roughly 16,000 calls a year.

This article was originally published in London Cyclist winter 2021, London Cycling Campaign’s exclusive member’s magazine. Join as a member today for quarterly copies of London Cyclist delivered to your door, free legal advice, discounts in independent bike shops across London, and much more…