Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps

Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC; commonly known as the QAs) is the nursing branch of the British Army and part of the Army Medical Services.

History

Although an "official" nursing service was not established until 1881, the corps traces its heritage to Florence Nightingale, who was instrumental in lobbying for the support of female military nurses. In March 1902, Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS) was established by Royal Warrant, and was named after Queen Alexandra, who became its President. It replaced the Army Nursing Service, which had been established in 1881, and which from 1889 provided Sisters for all Army hospitals with at least 100 beds. In 1949, the QAIMNS became a corps in the British Army and was renamed as the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps. Since 1950 the organisation has trained nurses, and in 1992 men were allowed to join.

The associated Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Association is a registered charity. Queen Alexandra was President from 1902 until her death in 1925. The following year she was succeeded by Queen Mary.

Queensland Ambulance Service

The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) is the chief provider of out-of-hospital emergency care and ambulance transport in the state of Queensland, Australia. It falls under the control of the Queensland Health and is one of the largest ambulance service in the world.

The service provides a high level of emergency care and transport services to over 4.1 million people in Queensland, covering an area of 1.77 million square kilometres. They provide such services as emergency response, pre-hospital patient care, specialised transport services, coordination of aero-medical services and inter-hospital transfers.

Almost 4000 staff are employed by QAS, with almost 85% as front-line operatives, who together deliver their services from over 260 response locations across the state. In 2011/12, the service handled over 833,000 cases, answered over 160,000 triple zero calls and had an overall patient satisfaction rating of 97%.

History

Ambulance services in Queensland first began in 1892. Military medic Seymour Warrian held the first meeting of the City Ambulance Transport Brigade on 12 September of that year. Queensland's first ambulance station operated out of the Brisbane Newspaper Company building; the first officers possessed a stretcher, but no vehicle, and so transported patients on foot. A year after the establishment of the Brisbane centre, another was established in Charters Towers in north Queensland, eventually growing to over 90 community controlled ambulance centres.

QAS (disambiguation)

QAS may stand for: