31 Mar 2020
Today we say a fond farewell to Graham Chalk, our Paramedic Education & Development Lead, who is retiring after more than 16 years of service with London’s Air Ambulance. Graham first joined us as an advanced trauma paramedic on secondment in 1997 and subsequently served the longest secondment in the history of our service.
In 2004 he returned in a different role, becoming London Ambulance Service Clinical Liaison Officer — working as the Lead Paramedic and the main point of contact between our charity and London Ambulance Service. Graham has personally selected, trained and mentored all paramedics who served with London’s Air Ambulance since 2004. In 2013 Graham won the Paramedic of the Year Award at the Association of Air Ambulance Awards of Excellence.
At the end of 2015 Graham became the paramedic education and development lead, with responsibilities in further developing the high standards of education, overseeing governance processes and continuing to promote high quality paramedic trauma practice.
In 2019, Graham went on to receive a Highly Commended Award from the Chairman of the Association of Air Ambulances for his long and dedicated career with us. On winning the award, Graham commented: “It is an honour to be receiving a Highly Commended award from the Chairman of the Association of Air Ambulances. I first joined London’s Air Ambulance on secondment in 1997 and it has been a privilege to have achieved so much with them over these years. These awards are particularly meaningful as the recognition is from peers who understand the challenges of the industry.”
London’s Air Ambulance would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Graham for all his hard work and dedication over the years. His specialist knowledge of trauma and advanced pre-hospital care has been invaluable not only to our service but all over the world. His experience, passion for teaching and disciplined approach has benefited the countless paramedics he has taught and mentored. His passion for pre-hospital care excellence, contributions to our clinical governance, dispatch process and everyday practices have benefited every patient that the service has treated. We wish Graham all the best in his retirement.
