Ambulance UK February 2022

NEWSLINE
AMBULANCE UK - FEBRUARY
HELP Appeal funds
new rapid response
vehicle for BASICS
Devon
Thanks to the HELP Appeal
- BASICS Devon, a network
of volunteer doctors,
who support the South
Western Ambulance Service
NHS Foundation Trust at
emergency incidents, have
launched their very own rapid
response vehicle to support
their emergency responders
across Devon.
BASICS Devon is one of a
national network of 32 regional
schemes across the UK, which
operates under the umbrella
of the British Association for
Immediate Care. The new
vehicle has been made possible
after the group successfully
bid for a total of £44,000 from
a grant of £250,000, which
is given to the Association
every year by the County Air
Ambulance HELP Appeal - the
only charity in the country
dedicated to funding NHS
hospital helipads.
The vehicle has hi-visibility and
reflective markings; fitted with
communication and navigation
equipment; blue lights, sirens,
and a dash cam, to ensure its
volunteer doctors can drive
safely to an emergency incident.
The 4 x 4 Skoda Kodiaq, is now
active across Devon, carrying
volunteer doctors, to the
scene of critically ill or injured
patients in the community or
at the roadside. This vehicle
also provides the opportunity
for education in pre-hospital
medicine to other healthcare
professionals.
This will be the first scheme
response vehicle for BASICS
Devon. Having their own
emergency response vehicle
to access critical, isolated,
sick, and injured patients will
help to ease pain and suffering
and save lives across one of
the most rural counties in the
country. It will enable their
volunteers to reach remote
communities with ease, safely
and quickly, in all weather
conditions and in most cases
arrive before the ambulance.
Since January the volunteer
doctors have responded to 415
call outs, 144 of which were at
night, arriving first on the scene
at 31% of them.
BASICS Devon volunteer
Immediate Care Doctor and
Chair, Dr Simon Scott Hayward
said: ‘The doctors are all so
pleased with the vehicle. It has
already been put to good use
with 31 shifts, responding to
callouts across the county. With
winter setting in, we are pleased
to have a vehicle fit for purpose
both practical and safe. It is
also a platform for clinicians
interested in pre-hospital care
to attend as observers. The
recent branding of the car we
hope, reflects the community
that we serve. We would like to
thank our funders and everyone
that helped to get the car on
the road.’
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive
of the County Air Ambulance
HELP Appeal added: “These
volunteers are the unsung
heroes of emergency care
– giving up their free time to
support their local ambulance
service. This donation ensures
they have the highest standard
of transport at their disposal to
ensure they can treat patients
quickly and safely, giving them
the best possible chance of
survival and recovery.”
Last year, BASICS Devon
also secured £39,000 from
the County Air Ambulance
HELP Appeal’s annual grant of
£250,000 given to the British
Association of Immediate
Care. It was used to equip
members’ existing vehicles for
an emergency role, such as the
installation of CCTV technology
and winter tyres. The funding
also enabled one new doctor
to join the scheme after their
vehicles were equipped to
reach emergency incidents. This
has helped with callouts in the
North Devon area enabling the
scheme to reach more people in
the community to save lives.
The HELP Appeal was created
12 years ago by the County
Air Ambulance Trust. It is the
only charity in the country
dedicated to funding NHS
hospital helipads. To date it
has funded over 40 helipads,
which have received almost
20,000 landings, including at
Derriford Hospital, Plymouth
and the Royal Devon and Exeter
Hospital. The HELP Appeal
relies solely on charitable
donations and does not receive
any government funding or
money from the National
Lottery.
SAS
SAS’s Mobile Testing
Units deliver 2 million
tests
The Scottish Ambulance
Service’s Mobile Testing
Units (MTUs) have reached
the monumental milestone
of delivering 2 million tests
across Scotland, since the
service was launched at the
end of August 2020.
As the country faces further
challenges with the Omicron
variant of the Covid-19 virus,
the MTUs have been delivering
15,000 tests a day, helping the
country to tackle the newest
threat in the ongoing pandemic.
The MTUs have been one of
biggest projects ever carried
out at the Scottish Ambulance
Service (SAS) and is one of
the key measures in place to
support the UK’s action plan
against COVID-19. There are
now 39 SAS-run MTU teams
across the country and more
than 1100 people employed
by the Scottish Ambulance
Service, providing a vital service
to Scotland.
The MTUS can be dispatched
quickly across the country
so people in urban, rural and
remote areas have easy access
to a coronavirus test. The
location of the units, which are
22
For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com