Joanna Thompson

Paramedic Practitioner, Sunderland GP Alliance

I initially started my career in the ambulance control room taking 999 calls but my heart always lay with being a paramedic. I completed my paramedicine degree and worked frontline as a registered HCPC paramedic and student mentor for the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS). I left the ambulance service in 2018 and pursued a career as a forensic paramedic, completing a specialist forensic medicine course and working on behalf of Northumbria Police. I progressed within police custody to senior forensic paramedic and managed a small team of paramedics and nurses. In changing to this career path, I was able to enhance my existing skills and gain new skills. During lockdown, I utilised my rest days and help manage the covid response line as a clinical support manager (CSM). It was at this point, that I decided that I wanted to utilise all of my skills that I had gained over the years and made the decision to move into primary care. 

My move into Primary Care was one of the hardest and challenging things I have done however it has also been one of the best – Within Sunderland GP Alliance I have responsibility for the Allied Patient Intervention Team and bridge the gap between mental health, safeguarding and substance misuse, alongside, I also run my own clinics as an Paramedic Practitioner and see a range of patients with acute and chronic conditions and help to alleviate some of the appointment pressures from the General Practitioners.

The Allied Patient Intervention Team work closely together and interlink with each other. We have regular meetings and put forward ideas that will shape the way for the Allied Healthcare Professional’s within primary care and deliver the best possible care to our patients. Our patients are at the heart of everything we do. 

We have innovative ideas as a team and look forward implementing these into primary care in the near future.