Meet Critical Care Paramedic James Samouelle

James is an experienced critical care paramedic who was part of the EHAAT team at the time Critical: Between Life and Death was filmed. During that time, he was involved in the care of both Grace and Jack, whose stories feature in the series. His role involved delivering hospital-level interventions at the roadside, supporting patients and colleagues alike in some of the most challenging circumstances. We caught up with him to reflect on his time with EHAAT, life on the HEMS team, and what the role means to him.

How long have you worked as a critical care paramedic?

I’ve worked as a critical care paramedic in both HEMS and non-HEMS services since the beginning of 2017. I’ve had the privilege of working for both EHAAT and LNAA (Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance).

What are some specific critical care skills you need in a HEMS paramedic role?

The key skills for being a good critical care paramedic are strong communication, the ability to process large amounts of information quickly on scene, and having a solid knowledge base in paramedicine. It’s also vital to be able to do the basics really, really well.

The more advanced critical care skills and medicines come with intense training on the job—but your foundation has to be strong. That’s what everything else is built on.

What do you most enjoy about working as part of a HEMS team?

Other than the obvious—being able to fly in a helicopter—I really value the continual learning, and the level of care we’re able to deliver to patients outside of hospital. It’s incredible to see the direct benefit of what we do, not just for our patients, but also their families and the ambulance crews we support on scene.

How do you prepare or rehearse as a team for some of the scenes you attend?

I often mind-map how I’d approach different types of incidents, just to keep my thinking sharp. As a team, we also carry out training sessions on every shift, focusing on the most critical interventions like anaesthesia and surgical skills. That regular rehearsal helps make sure we’re ready for whatever comes next.

What does working in pre-hospital critical care mean to you?

For me, being able to work in a pre-hospital critical care system is a real privilege. I get to carry out highly specialised and complex procedures, all aimed at delivering the kind of treatment that the ambulance service wouldn’t otherwise be able to provide on scene.

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