West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) representatives were extremely proud – and a tiny tad stunned – when fly-on-the-wall documentary Ambulance lifted a BAFTA last night (Sunday 13th May).
A few weeks into the 2nd series of the documentary to feature WMAS, representatives of the service were invited to attend the star studded ceremony in London.
The programme is made by Dragonfly TV, who are masters of the genre with much-loved shows like One Born Every Minute and Inside Birmingham’s Childrens Hospital (which a certain member of the B31 Voices family may have ended up appearing on!) also in their portfolio.
The programme, which was made by Dragonfly TV, and goes behind the scenes of West Midlands Ambulance Service and looks at the staff and patients who we help twenty-four hours a day.
Paramedic Katie Cartwright, who featured in the very first story of the first episode when she helped to save the life of a cardiac arrest patient was at the event, along with Rich Phillips who is a controller in the Emergency Operations Centre at Brierley Hill and Claire Brown from the Trust’s Press Office which co-ordinates the filming from a Trust perspective.
Kirsty Cunningham, Executive Producer, Dragonfly Television, said: “We couldn’t have made it without patients and their families, who we satellited into their lives at unknown times, allowing us to tell their stories. But really, this series goes to the heroes in green. It was our privilege to be able to capture the way they work with such compassion and care. It’s our love song to the NHS this series.”
Rich Phillips added: “I’d like to say a very big thank you to the whole service and Dragonfly. It’s fantastic getting a BAFTA. Wow, we just work in a control room and on ambulances, so thanks very much.”
Katie Cartwright, said: “On behalf of West Midlands Ambulance Service, we’d like to thank Dragonfly for portraying the ambulance service for what it really is. We’ve had an amazing time and can’t believe that we’ve won; we’re so excited.”
Anthony Marsh, Trust Chief Executive, said: “This is a fantastic achievement not just for those who have featured in the programmes but for all of our staff. What this programme shows is just how much effort our staff put into the job, wherever they work in the organisation.
Press Officer, Claire Brown said: “The programmes show just how amazing our staff are. Although the programmes can’t show everyone that works for us, whether on an ambulance, in a control room or in the many roles behind the scenes, it has given the public a real insight into what the ambulance service is really like. Thank you also to the hundreds of staff who have helped make the programmes possible.”
