Surrey Police Call Handlers Honoured in Special Presentation

Two Surrey Police call handlers who helped to deliver a baby girl in April were honoured with a special presentation by South East Coast Ambulance Service on Friday (9 June). Kerry Major and Rachel Hibbitt were presented with badges decorated with a stork in honour of the calm and professional way they dealt with the situation, which ensured that the baby was delivered safely and that her mother received the appropriate medical advice. The badges were presented by Emergency Medical Advisor Rebecca Jones and Operating Unit Manager Mark Bailey from South East Coast Ambulance Service, at the SeCAMB Headquarters in Crawley. Kerry and Rachel were on duty just before 1pm on 13 April when they received a call from a woman who said her sister was in labour and the baby was nearly out. One of the call handlers remained on the phone to the father of the baby while the other contacted the ambulance service to request an ambulance and ensure she was providing the right advice and instructions, which were relayed to the caller. The baby was born within seconds of the call being received. Kerry explained: “Rachel and I were relaying the instructions we were being given by the ambulance service over the phone. The baby girl arrived while we were still on the phone so then it was a case of making sure that both she and the mum were safe and well until the paramedics arrived to take over. “This is not a situation we would normally have to deal with in the contact centre and it certainly put our training to the test! Luckily the outcome was a healthy baby girl and both her and mum are doing well.” Rachel added: “Calls like these which have a happy ending make the job so worthwhile. I won’t forget that shift in a hurry – and what a story to be able to tell.” Head of Contact Sarah Durston added: “The call handlers did really well as this is not a call we would normally deal with without the ambulance service being on scene. The stork badges presented to them both on Friday recognise the calm and professional manner in which they dealt with what was a very frightening and stressful ordeal for everyone concerned, and they should be extremely proud of themselves for the way they dealt with this situation.” Presenting the badges, Rebecca Jones said: “Kerry and Rachel did a great job. They stayed calm and relayed all the vital instructions. We were delighted to hear that mum and baby were doing well and the girls should be very proud of the part they played in arranging the help she needed.”