PARAMEDIC and family man Tim Painter has completed his final emergency call out with Marlborough ambulance service and is retiring after 35 years on the job.

Mr Painter joined the Wiltshire Ambulance Service in 1982 having worked previously as an electrician. Originally expecting to work temporarily as an ambulance technician, he went on to become one of the first people in the county to take the national paramedic course, and he has remained in the role, now with South West Ambulance Service, ever since.

Mr Painter, the son of a Marlborough policeman, has seen the paramedic role change over three decades, and believes that his holistic approach and local knowledge are two things that will be missed from the service following his retirement.

Mr Painter, 65, of the High Street, said: “I was walking down the High Street and a lady came up to me and told me that I had treated her daughter in Swindon eight years ago and she had been looking out for me for all those years. The same day a man came up to me and thanked me for looking after his friend on the previous Saturday night. To think that the woman has been looking out for me for eight years is amazing.

“My local knowledge is something that is not seen in younger paramedics coming into the service now. The service is more and more reliant on Sat Navs that can create quite humorous situations, including some younger paramedics getting stuck on the Roman Road between Axford and Swindon and getting stuck.

“In the old days we didn’t have the pain relief when we were extracting patients that we do now, so some of the memories of people crying and screaming will stay with me. We used to carry just gas and air and oxygen but now we have around 32 different drugs so our role has really changed."We used to taxi them all to hospital but now we treat and leave at home or put them onto a different care pathway.

“I get very involved in social problems including mental health and I am interested in treating the patient holistically. Some paramedics take the pulse and they do the checks and get the history but I make the time to actually speak to the patient and get the background to put the patient at ease.”

Mayor Lisa Farrell said: “As a council we can’t thank him enough for going above and beyond to help the community that he lives in.”

Mr Painter, is set to have a retirement party with his wife Naomi, two daughters and five grandchildren. He is looking forward to gardening and working on his classic car.

PARAMEDIC Tim Painter has completed his final emergency call out with Marlborough ambulance service and is retiring after 35 years on the job.

Mr Painter joined the Wiltshire Ambulance Service in 1982 having worked previously as an electrician. Originally expecting to work temporarily as an ambulance technician, he went on to become one of the first people in the county to take the national paramedic course, and he has remained in the role, now with South West Ambulance Service, ever since.

Mr Painter, the son of a Marlborough policeman, has seen the paramedic role change over three decades, and believes that his holistic approach and local knowledge are two things that will be missed from the service following his retirement.

Mr Painter, 65, of the High Street, said: “I was walking down the High Street and a lady came up to me and told me that I had treated her daughter in Swindon eight years ago and she had been looking out for me for all those years. The same day a man came up to me and thanked me for looking after his friend on the previous Saturday night.

"The service is more and more reliant on Sat Navs that can create quite humorous situations, including some younger paramedics getting stuck on the Roman Road between Axford and Swindon and getting stuck.

“In the old days we didn’t have the pain relief when we were extracting patients that we do now, so some of the memories of people crying and screaming will stay with me. We used to carry just gas and air and oxygen but now we have around 32 different drugs so our role has really changed.”

Mayor Lisa Farrell said: “As a council we can’t thank him enough for going above and beyond to help the community that he lives in.”

Mr Painter, is set to have a retirement party with his wife Naomi, two daughters and five grandchildren. He is looking forward to gardening and working on his classic car.