Woman's life saved by her GP and his colleagues

A Burwash woman had dropped off her repeat prescription request at her GPs  and on returning to her car, collapsed at the wheel as she prepared to move off colliding with three other vehicles, one of them belonging to her GP Dr Bruce Packham who is also an immediate care doctor with SIMCAS and was surprised to be called from seeing patients to a multiple car accident in his own surgeries car park not having heard the collision.

The Sussex GP said “I was called by the receptionist who said there was a multiple car RTC in the car park and that the driver didn't look very good, I grabbed my stuff and indeed the woman, one of my patients, did not look very good - she wasn't breathing and had no pulse and was still sat in the front seat of her car, wearing her seatbelt with the engine running.”

Joined by doctors, nurses and receptionists from his surgery team the woman was successfully resuscitated using the surgeries AED previously donated by the Friends of the Surgery. Responding to a 999 call two ambulances and the air ambulance promptly arrived despite ice and cold and all worked together to stabilize the woman who although alive remained unconscious and in a critical condition.

Due to the icy conditions and the woman’s critical condition she was evacuated by the air ambulance direct to Ashford Hospital in Kent for specialist assessment and treatment in the coronary care department.  To facilitate a safe transfer the air ambulance team anaesthetised the woman prior to take off and transferred her complete with her GP notes printed off in the surgery whilst the woman was prepared for transfer.

Dr Packham was full of praise for the teamwork from all involved, which included police, surgery staff, ambulance and air ambulance services. 

SIMCAS is the voluntary BASICS scheme serving the peoples of Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

4th Jan 2010