In the 'Your Lives in Their Hands' series we’ll be shining a light on people who play life-saving roles in the NHS, or those who are pioneers in their field.

This week the M.E.N speaks to paramedic Tom Swift, who works for the North West Ambulance Service.

The shifts are long and the call-outs are unpredictable.

But paramedic Tom Swift wouldn’t have it any other way.

Tom, 26, works for North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and is part of the huge team that responds to 1.3million 999 calls per year.

Paramedics like Tom have an uncensored insight into our society.

As Tom says, ‘they see it all’.

They are of course highly skilled when dealing with people injured in traumatic events including car accidents or explosions.

But much of their time is now dedicated to dealing with shortfalls in social care and mental health support.

Paramedics and technicians help the elderly, the homeless and the vulnerable when they have no one else to turn to.

“It’s amazing really that we have this service where you’re in trouble and you call a number, and within 10 minutes someone is there to help you,” says Tom.

“If you’re not breathing someone will turn up with thousands of pounds worth of equipment that can save your life, and it’s all free.

“That’s what the ambulance was set up for and some people do take it for granted.

“A lot of people call an ambulance when they think there’s no other option.

“We’re seen as the service that can fix everything.”

(Image: Joel Goodman)

Tom, originally from Northwich, says he was drawn to the challenge of being a paramedic.

As a youngster he’d a job in a petrol station but was bored by life behind the till.

Being part of an ambulance crew where every shift is different appealed to him, and he signed up to a foundation degree to do his training.

“I was drawn to the challenge and the unknown aspects of the job,” he says.

“And it’s a good thing really because a day is never the same when you’re a paramedic.

“I remember my first job with NWAS clearly. It was a woman who’d been hit by a bus on Deansgate.

“It was quite hard because that’s the point when you’re in control.

“You’ve gone from being a student where people are there to help you make the decisions and then it’s all on you, really. It was a wake up call.”

Tom is based at the ambulance station in Manchester, meaning they’re usually the first crew called to incidents in the city centre.

At weekends this often entails dealing with drunk or disorderly revellers at kick-out time.

“There’s a world out there that most people don’t realise exists", he says.

“I love Manchester but like most cities you do see a dark side to it after a certain point in the night.

“We do get some aggravation sometimes. People see us in a uniform and they associate us with authority.

“The best way to deal with drunk people is to get on their level.

“If you make sure you’re not telling them off and be polite the vast majority of people will be fine with you.”

(Image: Joel Goodman)

The ambulance service is usually the first emergency service people contact when concerned about a homeless person.

Tom says they notice a spike in 999 calls when a strong batch of ‘Spice’ is being dealt and consumed in the city centre.

“Spice is the biggest reason why we get called out to the homeless.

“It fluctuates - one month the Spice will be ‘weaker’ so you don’t get as many call outs.

“But when a bad batch comes out we notice an increase in call outs, and people have died after taking Spice.

“When it first came out we were getting calls every five minutes to someone in town who was unconscious.

“The public are more aware of it now so that happens less.”

Withholding judgement is a key part of the job too.

“I would never turn up and judge someone who’s taken Spice though because you just don’t know what’s happened to them.

“If you judge people it’s going to affect the way that you treat them.

“Sometimes it’s hard to stay impartial when you see someone who has done something that perhaps they shouldn’t have done.

“But we’re all human at the end of the day and we all make mistakes.”

(Image: Joel Goodman)

There is one shift Tom will never forget, and that was night of the Manchester arena attack in 2017.

“I’d finished my shift at 7pm and then later on that night I heard something was going on at the arena.

“I sent a text to a nurse who I knew to find out what was going on and she said there were 14 dead.

“I rang up NWAS and asked if they needed anyone to come in.

“That night really opened my eyes. In this job people can be cynical and say they don’t really like it.

“But when push came to shove, there were 10 people stood at the gate waiting to go out in an ambulance that night.

“At least we know if something does kick off you know there are always people who will come in to help off their own back.

“I came in at midnight and worked through until midday.”

Tom says that even after four years in the job, there are times where he feels unsure or even overwhelmed when he arrives at the scene of the job.

(Image: Joel Goodman)

He explains: “One of the biggest things I’ve learnt in this job if you’re ever unsure, take it back to basics.

“You get trauma jobs where people are a mess and you’ve just got to keep it simple and not complicate it.

“If you start panicking what hope has anyone got?

“There’s so many situations you turn up to where people are going wild, either because they’re in pain or because they’re worried about a loved-one.

“If we started doing the same it would be bedlam.

“Don’t forget we’ve been in these situations over and over again.

“For your lay person who’s not used to it, it can be the worst experience of their life.

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“Communication is 90pc of the job really. If you can talk to people you’re almost there.

“Just an ambulance turning up is enough to make that situation better for people without doing anything medical really.

“The vast majority of what we do is talking and reassuring that person.

“You do meet some really nice people too who are really thankful.

“Thanking a crew has a massive effect on us.

"When you get thank you letters it validates the job that you do and it shows that you’re doing something right.”

And as for the long hours, that's something all paramedics have to deal with.

He adds: "It doesn’t matter who you work with, trust me, after 12 hours you’ve had enough of them.”