Helen Maddison Coaching

07/10/2026

Watch this space for more information....

This is a conversation which needs to be had...

H x

06/10/2026

So having this conversation is not always the easiest.. But its always relevant and always needed... As said by a colleague in her fiction book around some of the real issues within the Ambulance Service and the trials and rewards of the job while trying to manage every day life as well.... I'll leave you with an extract from "The Thin Green Wedge' by Katy Varty (link for the book below)....

Nobody really talks about this part of the job, when the job ends – when you restock the ambulance, finish the paperwork, then go home.

But sometimes….

The job doesn’t end at that.

Sometimes it finds its way back to you when you least expect it. The moment you open your phone and find the job starting right back at you.

A news article.
A social media post.
A bystander video.
A comment section full of opinions from people who weren’t there.

And suddenly a job you’ve already lived through starts playing all over again.

Not always accurately. Not always fairly. But repeatedly.

For those of us in emergency service, ambulance, police, fire, coastguard, control rooms and beyond, that can be a difficult thing to explain.

Because while the world is watching a clip, reading a headline or debating what happened, we’re often remembering something very different.

The sounds. The smells. The people involved. The weight of decisions made in a matter of seconds. The reality behind the footage.

Most of us understand that this is the world we live in now. Information travels instantly. Everyone has a camera. Everyone has a platform.

It’s the sign of the times. But that doesn’t mean it comes without a cost.

Sometimes a post of a video or a headline can pull you up short when you least expect it.

A reminder of a day you’d already packed away.
A reminder of people you couldn’t help as much as you’d wanted.
A reminder that behind every clip being shared online were real people trying their very best in circumstances most will never fully understand.

This isn’t a plea for sympathy.

Its simply a reflection.

Because whilst the world sees content, many of us are revisiting a chapter we are still learning to carry.



https://amzn.eu/d/01C5kY1n - Link for book

06/10/2026

And this is the start of a bigger conversation…..

H x

🚨 New court measure introduced to help protect domestic abuse victims

A major change to the way domestic abuse is recorded in the courts has come into force, aimed at helping police, prisons and probation services better identify and manage perpetrators.

From Monday, October 5, courts are required to formally record when domestic abuse was a factor in an offence.

Domestic abuse can already be treated as an aggravating factor in offences such as assault and stalking, but previously there was no consistent way of recording this after an offender was convicted.

Under the new system, courts must state in open court when an offence involved domestic abuse. The information will then be flagged across police, prison and probation systems.

The change is intended to help frontline staff:
Identify previous domestic abuse offending
Better assess and manage risk
Recognise patterns of repeat offending
Provide more appropriate interventions for perpetrators
Help ensure victims receive the right support

Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones said the change would help address cases where “patterns of abusive behaviour have not always been recognised across the justice system.”

Domestic Abuse Commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs described the move as a “step change” in the ability to track domestic abuse perpetrators through the criminal justice system.

The Government says the measure is part of wider efforts to protect victims and tackle violence against women and girls, alongside additional victim support and expanded electronic monitoring for high-risk offenders.

05/10/2026

I’m sure this doesn’t just relate to the police but relates to all currently frontline in the emergency services….

Let me know your thoughts….

H x

05/10/2026

So this is something that needs to be discussed…. And for all emergency services….. it’s an awful trend which seems to be coming more prevalent….

What can we do to start this conversation and make some changes?

H x

We need to start asking some uncomfortable questions.

Yesterday, we were informed that another police officer had taken their own life. We were also told that the officer had recently been served with papers by Professional Standards.

We have now also been told that serving officers at that force have been warned that speaking publicly about what has happened could result in disciplinary action.

If accurate, that raises further serious questions.

In recent months, police officers and bereaved families have approached us drawing comparisons between what is happening within policing and the Post Office scandal.

There is a growing feeling that policing is destroying some of its own people.

When the public hears “misconduct investigation”, they may understandably assume serious wrongdoing. Yet we have heard accounts of lengthy, disproportionate investigations and careers being placed at risk over matters including private WhatsApp messages, memes and GIFs.

For many officers, policing becomes part of their identity. Threaten their career, reputation and sense of belonging after years of exposure to trauma, violence and death, and the consequences can be devastating.

Officers must be held accountable for wrongdoing. But accountability does not require a process that is disproportionate, unnecessarily prolonged or inhumane.

And officers should not be frightened into silence when legitimate questions need to be asked.

There is a much bigger story here.

It demands proper, independent investigation.

05/10/2026

Exactly this……

Men who abuse women... physically, mentally, emotionally... are often some of the nicest, most charming, friendly men you'll ever meet.
And that's exactly how they get away with it.
They smile in public. They hold conversations with ease. They seem respectful, well-mannered, maybe even generous. To the outside world, they're the "good guy." The one everyone likes. The one no one would ever suspect.
But behind closed doors? It's a different story.
That charm turns cold. That "gentle tone" becomes condescending.
That kindness flips into manipulation. The same man who compliments strangers can go home and slowly break down a woman's confidence until she no longer recognizes herself.
Abuse doesn't always show up with bruises. Sometimes it looks like silent control. Like guilt trips. Like gaslighting her until she questions her reality. Like isolating her from friends and family with a smile on his face and "good intentions" in his words. It's emotional warfare... dressed up in charisma.
And the worst part? When she finally speaks up... people don't believe her. Because he's so nice. Because he would never. Because he seems like such a great guy. So she stays quiet. Or worse, she starts to wonder if she's the problem. That's how deep emotional abuse runs.
This is why so many women stay longer than they should. Not because they're weak, but because psychological abuse is confusing. It's a cycle of love and harm... of "I'm sorry" and "You made me do it." It's being made to feel crazy for having boundaries.
It's having your pain questioned because he smiles in public and only shows his darkness in private.
So let's stop equating niceness with goodness. Let's stop assuming someone can't be an abuser because they're well-liked or successful or soft-spoken. Abusers don't wear name tags. They don't always yell. Some of them walk through life with perfect masks... and leave destruction behind closed doors.
Believe her when she says something's not right.
Support her even when it doesn't "look" like abuse.
Because sometimes the most danaerous man in the room...

05/10/2026

Well its been a while and have a few new followers this last few weeks so thought it was probably about time I introduced myself to you all again - so for those of you who know me feel free to scroll right on past!!!!

I'm Helen... yeah fairly obvious! I

've worked for the ambulance service since 1996 and been a Paramedic for the last 25years - have done a lot of job roles as a Paramedic including working in our Training school, Frontline, Frontline management and currently working part-time within our Emergency Control Room. I'm also a Somatic Trauma Informed coach, Brainspotting Practitioner and Mind Coding practitioner as well.

But qualifications are only part of my story.

But outside of work.. well I'm Mam to an amazing daughter who I can't believe is 19 and has gone off to Uni and is having an amazing time taking her photography to another level. And also mam to two fur babies (Springer Spaniels) - so Alfie is 12 and starting to show his age a bit, and Charlie is 7 and tbh not sure he's ever going to get any more sensible than he is now... and the pair of them do give me more than a few grey hairs and more than my fair share of stress..

I have also made a major purchase earlier this year of a (new to me) Camper van... the boys love it and we've had a few trips away.. and hopefully it will get used more next year!

Other stuff - again some of you will know this - my partner Andrew died 5 years ago - we had been together 11 years and dealt with all life normally throws at you including two transplants in Cambridge and then numerous trips to and from hospital - he died suddenly following a brief illness associated with transplant surgery and left a big hole in mine and K's life. Its taken a long while for both of us to learn to truly live alongside such a loss but 5 years on, while he's in my thoughts every day, life is moving forward and all the work I have been doing I'm going to start using consistently, and there's lots of new things coming up... time to be happy on many levels!

So there we go - that's me up to now.... and thank you for joining me on my journey

H x

04/10/2026

With October being Domestic Abuse awareness month its a good time to have this conversation....

In all the Emergency services, and NHS trusts, and tbh in all roles that come into contact with dealing with members of the public we come into contact with people who are suffering from Domestic Abuse... would you know the signs to watch out for? 🤨

And at the same time its worth remembering that not all cases of domestic abuse have physical signs... (Please see an eye out for further posts around a conversation around no visible bruises later in the month)..

And also just because we work in these professions.... it doesn't make us bullet proof in our own lives and because of the jobs we do it can often be even more difficult to reach out to someone about what's going on at home or behind closed door.

It can be easy to dismiss someone feeling controlled, underdetermined, being constantly put down etc especially when they are a Paramedic or a Police Officer for example....

Lets increase awareness, lets start the conversation, and make it 'normal' to support everyones personal safety and Mental health no matter what their profession....

H x

09/07/2026

Mental Health within the Emergency Services seem to be getting ?worse, ?not acknowledged…. Or is that just me?

Would love to know your thoughts…. And what support your organisation has in place….

Let’s make Mental health for our emergency services and Armed forces a talked about subject,,,,,,

H x

08/07/2026

Happy Paramedics Day to those of you who are Paramedics, and those of you who support paramedics (at work, at home…) to all of our extended Green Family..

Just know the job you do day to day is amazing, it’s tough, but it’s so very worthwhile…. Proud to be a part of this family since joining the Ambulance service in 1996!!!! 😳

Big shout out to this amazing family today

H x