AN AMBULANCE call handler, whose over-the-phone advice helped a couple resuscitate their newborn baby, has won a national award.
Jenny Coventry, who has worked at the control room next to Broomfield Hospital for ten years, was named the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch 'Dispatcher of the Year' after she took a call about a woman giving birth at the side of a road.
Jenny, of Lammas Drive, Braintree, said: "It was a breech birth and I had to talk the father through doing backrubs and mouth-to-nose breathing for the baby, as she wasn't breathing when she was born.
"Those kinds of calls are less frequent, where people need to be talked through something like a birth, but we have various sets of information and in those situations that helps – because you already know what you are going to tell them."
As previously reported in the Chronicle, the call she was nominated for was back in March when she guided Rayleigh resident Dan Shead through the traumatic experience when his wife, Karen, went into labour with their girl Isla Alice in their car as they raced to Southend Hospital.
And unlike on many occasions, she was able to find out what happened to Isla Alice, who was born a month premature weighing just 3lb 9oz.
"When I found out the baby had survived, it was amazing," she said. "We don't often hear the outcome of the calls, and it was so nice to meet the family, they were lovely."
The 36-year-old said the award took particular note of compliance to protocol – meaning that call handlers pass on exact information to callers, ensuring the right message is passed on.
Gary Morgan, head of the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), said: "It was great to see Jenny receiving the award and being recognised for her excellent work.
"She thoroughly deserves it, and with five of our staff from across the region making the final stage, this reflects the great work carried out across our control rooms."
Despite Jenny's recent awards success, she said she wasn't always confident that she would be successful in her role.
"I applied for the job but I didn't know if I would be any good at it," she said. "Luckily, since I started working there I have loved it.
"My parents are really proud of me for getting the award, and so are my colleagues, but I wish I could give the award to everyone on the team, as they all deserve it. But of course the best prize was hearing the news that the little girl had survived."
