Emergency Services Day: Saying Thank You to the People Behind 999

Every year on 9th September, Emergency Services Day, also known as 999 Day, gives us an opportunity to recognise the extraordinary contribution made by the people who respond when the rest of us are facing some of the worst moments of our lives.

The choice of date is particularly appropriate: the ninth day of the ninth month, 9/9, representing 999, the telephone number that has connected people in Britain with emergency help since 1937.

For most of us, dialling 999 is something we hope we will never need to do. But when illness, injury, fire, crime or another emergency strikes, knowing somebody will answer that call is enormously reassuring.

Emergency Services Day celebrates the work of the NHS ambulance service, police, fire and rescue services, coastguard and other emergency responders, including the many volunteers and charities working alongside them.

It is also a chance to remember that behind every uniform is a human being.

Paramedics and ambulance crews regularly encounter people who are frightened, seriously ill or badly injured. Police officers can find themselves dealing with dangerous and distressing situations with very little warning. Firefighters enter environments the rest of us are desperately trying to escape from, while coastguard and rescue teams may head out in dreadful conditions because somebody needs their help.

Then there are the people we don't necessarily see.

Emergency call handlers have the demanding job of remaining calm while speaking to people who may be panicking, injured or witnessing something traumatic. Dispatchers and control-room staff must make rapid decisions about where limited resources are needed most.

These jobs can take a considerable physical and emotional toll.

For That's Health, 999 Day is therefore not only an opportunity to thank emergency workers for looking after our health and safety. It is also a reminder that their own health and wellbeing matter, too.

Long shifts, interrupted sleep, traumatic incidents and the pressure of making potentially life-changing decisions can all have consequences. Emergency workers deserve access to good physical and mental health support without stigma or embarrassment.

There is another way we can show our appreciation: use the emergency services responsibly.

999 should always be available for genuine emergencies. Using NHS 111 and other appropriate services for urgent but non-life-threatening health concerns helps ensure ambulances and emergency departments can concentrate resources where they are most urgently required.

So, this Emergency Services Day on 9 September, That's Health would simply like to say:

Thank you.

Thank you to the people answering the phones, driving the ambulances, treating patients, fighting fires, keeping people safe, carrying out rescues and responding to emergencies at every hour of the day and night.

We hope we never need you.

But we're extremely grateful that you're there when we do.

Incidentally my sister spent several years working as a 999 operator. 

Say Aphasia says: "Free charity places for the 2024 Brighton Half Marathon - helping support those living with communication disability"

Say Aphasia is the only aphasia charity set up by people with aphasia for people with aphasia.

Say Aphasia is once again a charity partner for the Brighton Half Marathon, which takes place on 25 February 2024. 

If you're thinking of tackling this mostly flat course with beautiful views, they'd love you to join their friendly team in raising awareness of aphasia and funds for their charity. To grab one of their 50 free places, visit www.sayaphasia.org/bhm2024

Say Aphasia is a Brighton-based charity currently offering drop-in groups across England and Wales and was set up over seven years ago. 

It's the only aphasia charity launched and operated by people with aphasia for people with aphasia. 

Colin Lyall, founder of Say Aphasia and all of the peer leaders for their drop-in groups are living with aphasia. This really challenged their thinking as an organisation because they had to consider how to adapt all their processes, and all forms of communication used by their peer leaders, and it is constantly evolving.

 Every single form of communication which those of us who do not have aphasia do on autopilot, has to be altered to suit the needs of each peer leader individually. For example, feeding back about their group in a meeting. Each peer leader helps people understand the ‘communication ramps’ required to  be put in place to support their participation.

They believed from the beginning that it was vital to have peer leaders who have aphasia because they are the people with the lived experience and are in the best position to support their group members learning to live with aphasia, offering encouragement and hope. 

They truly understand the aphasia journey. For the peer leaders themselves, it's often their first work role since acquiring aphasia and helps them acquire new skills and develop confidence; potentially opening up opportunities in other areas of their lives.

What is aphasia?

Aphasia occurs as a result of an injury to the brain, like a stroke. It affects access to language, resulting in difficulties following conversations, speaking, reading and writing. 

People's language can be affected to different degrees so not everyone's aphasia looks the same. For everyone who has aphasia however, it's lifelong and means the person living with aphasia, their friends and family will need to adjust to a new way of communicating. 

Aphasia frequently results in loss of employment and a reduced social network, leading to isolation for the person living with aphasia. Aphasia isn't an uncommon condition, affecting over 350,000 people in the UK, however the majority of the population hasn't even heard of it.

What does Say Aphasia do?

Their 15 drop-in groups provide a safe, relaxed space for people living with aphasia to meet other people who also have aphasia and to try out different ways of communicating with people who understand. 

The charity and the groups offer a sense of community for people living with aphasia. Showing that there is hope, while developing people's confidence, reducing isolation and improving well-being.

Given how few people know what aphasia is or how to adapt their communication when talking to someone who has aphasia, another important aspect of the charity’s work is to raise public awareness and understanding. The more people who understand aphasia, will make it easier for those living with it to do the everyday things we take for granted, such as ordering a coffee or buying a bus ticket.

If you would like to run the Brighton Half Marathon for free, and raise money for Say Aphasia, please contact sarah@sayaphasia.org or visit www.sayaphasia.org