BASICS effort in the snow
The recent snow and ice that has engulfed the UK has brought to the fore the efforts of a frequently unrecognised band of men and women who volunteer their skills on a daily basis 365 days of the year, 24-hours a day.
As members of BASICS (British Association for Immediate care), these doctors, nurses and paramedics have braved the appalling conditions to assist the UK’s ambulance services in reaching and caring for the ill and injured. Trained and equipped at their own expense and where available with charitable donations these individuals have some amazing stories to tell from the past few weeks.
Few can have been unmoved by the story of the 6-year old boy who fell through the ice into the lake at his home in Crookham Common near Newbury on Tuesday 6th January. BASICS Berkshire doctor and local GP Graham Stiff was shopping with his wife when ambulance control contacted him regarding the unfolding tragedy. Dr Stiff recalls “I arrived at the scene in about 10 minutes, shortly after the first ambulance crew. At that stage we were uncertain about what had happened but knew that a 5-year-old friend had seen the boy walk out and fall into the water. It was bitterly cold. We dragged down a boat to the water's edge and started to break the ice. Soon we were joined by Fire & Rescue teams in 'dry suits' and my role then changed to that of planning our resuscitation response once the boy had been found.”
Joined by the paramedic crew of the Thames Valley Air Ambulance Dr Stiff (who also volunteers as a doctor for the Air Ambulance) led the on-scene resuscitation efforts once the boy had been located after some 30-minutes of searching and the subsequent care during the air transfer to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
Typical of BASICS volunteers Dr Stiff then went on to his surgery to care for his own patients who had appointments to see him that evening.
Dr Stiff said ”This is an example of the worth of good immediate pre-hospital care and the teamwork between Ambulance, Police and Fire & Rescue services that led to the child being delivered alive into hospital.”
Dr Ian Morris, A Devon GP and member BASICS PLIMS has been battling through extreme conditions with snow chains to reach patients. He said that “at times there were so many calls due to the bad weather I was attending road accidents with no ambulance, police or fire service backup.” His colleagues have been similarly busy with one called to attend an accident where a 4x4 ambulance had skidded and ended up on its side after encountering black ice.
Dr Kelvin Wright, an emergency medicine consultant and BASICS SIMCAS volunteer doctor in the Sussex, Surrey and Kent area provided extraordinary resuscitative measures in a desperate fight to save a man’s life after he had disappeared under ice; the patient was so cold that routine treatments were unable to be performed and an incision was made into the mans neck providing a surgical airway followed by open heart massage with special re-warming measures in an unsuccessful attempt to restore life. Whilst the man unfortunately died Dr Wright is quick to praise the extraordinary team effort that made this extraordinary and potentially life saving effort possible.
Derbyshire emergency medicine consultant, Dr Pam Hardy is a volunteer BASICS doctor with BASICS EMICS in the East Midlands and has nothing but praise for her colleagues and other volunteers from first responder groups and mountain rescue teams who have been involved in not only providing emergency care to patients but on some occasions also transporting them to rendezvous with ambulances at accessible sites. She also commented on the commitment to her own safety by the ambulance service and her neighbours saying “Ambulance Control have been fantastic on checking we are safe throughout our journey and getting back home. One of my neighbours even offered me the use of his Landover so that I could continue to respond when the snow was too deep for my own car.”
The Chief Executive of BASICS, Mrs Ruth Lloyd said ”although I’ve been Chief Executive at BASICS since 2002 I am still amazed at what these guys do! Unfortunately this period of extreme weather has not been without hazard to our own members and we know of one doctor who slipped on ice whilst on a call and fractured his elbow”
About BASICS
A charity founded 25-years ago BASICS is a professional association for those interested in pre-hospital care and the UK’s leading training provider for pre-hospital care training.
All of the UK’s ambulance services have BASICS Schemes within their area providing trained volunteer doctors, nurses and paramedics and in some cases community responders who respond as needed to serious life threatening emergencies. Frequently unrecognised by the public or press these volunteers provide a level of care taken for granted across many parts of Europe and wider afield. Supported by charitable donations and more often than not out of their own pockets BASICS members provide vital life saving care 24-hours per day, 365 days per year in all weathers.