Honour for Leamington paramedic who saved a life while on holiday

Lucille Hobbs, who works for West Midlands Ambulance Service, was on a ferry returning from the Isle of Wight when a fellow passenger suffered a cardiac arrest.

Ms Hobbs stepped up to help and carried out basic life support for 20 minutes while the ferry turned around to return to dry land.

Once back on the isle, she continued to work with members of an ambulance crew until the patient responded and could be taken to hospital. It is understood that the patient is now recovering well.

Last week she was awarded a Chief Officer’s Commendation for her efforts at West Midlands Ambulance Service’s Long Service Awards, held in Telford.

Speaking at the ceremony, chief executive Anthony Marsh said: “Today is a fantastic opportunity for all of us to say a really big thank you to all of our staff, regardless of the role they fulfil in the organisation.

“Four and a half thousand staff doing a fantastic job every single day. West Midlands Ambulance continually outperforms almost every other ambulance service in our country and I think that’s a real testament to the hard work, dedication and commitment of all of our staff in the organisation.”