Blind people to be told code for identifying medic crews

Blind and partially sighted patients will be able to identify ambulance crews thanks to a new scheme that has been introduced in the capital.

Dean Buttery, a medic with the London Ambulance Service, came up with the idea after noticing that blind people felt threatened during emergencies because they could not identify individual paramedics.

Under the scheme, crews will provide a unique code to patients who question their identity, which can be verified with the LAS emergency call centre.

Mr Buttery, who once worked for the police, was off duty when he came across an elderly blind man in need of assistance. “I tried to help him, explaining that I worked for the ambulance service, but had no way to prove it.

“When I was a police officer, I had a warrant card with the word ‘police’ in braille, and I realised the LAS had nothing similar.”

The scheme was developed after meetings with the Royal National Institute of Blind People and Michael Page, its new business manager, said: “It’s really important that blind and partially sighted people have confidence in the identity of any person who comes to their door.”