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Pre-Hospital Providers 

 

Image of an ambulance South Western Ambulance Service
The South Western Ambulance Service provides the cover for all emergency (999) calls for all of Devon and Cornwall. This is a large rural area with only three cities and a small resident population.

All of the land ambulance services are controlled from a central Control Room in Exeter. Also present in this control room is the dedicated Helimed Dispatch Desk for the air ambulances from Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Image of Cornwall Air Ambulance Cornwall Air Ambulance
Cornwall has a widely scattered population, remote and isolated communities, and in the summer months, road networks that become congested very easily, making the use of conventional ambulances more difficult. The beaches, cliff tops, moorland and the sea attract many people, some of whom participate in water sports and some more extreme sports, a vital part of our tourism and leisure economy, but which also increases the incidence and severity of accidents.

From its base at Newquay Cornwall Airport, Cornwall’s air ambulance helicopter can reach any part of the county within 20 minutes, and the Isles of Scilly in 28 minutes. This dedicated purpose built and highly equipped aircraft flies at 140mph, and on average arrives on scene within 12 minutes of a 999 call. The use of the air ambulance can significantly reduce the time taken to convey seriously ill and injured people to hospital thereby potentially saving lives.

Cornwall Air Abmulance

Image of Devon Air Ambulance Devon Air Ambulance
The Devon air ambulance covers the whole of the county of Devon which includes the Picturesque, but unpredictable moorland of Dartmoor. There is also a wide section of coastline ranging from sandstone cliffs to wide expanses of beach where treacherous rip currents can be found. There are two air ambulances, one of which is based at Eaglescott airfield in North Devon and the second which is based at Exeter Airport. The aircraft can for example get to Plymouth from Barnstaple in under 25 minutes.

Devon Air Ambulance Trust

Image of BASICS team at work

British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS)
BASICS is a national charity with local schemes. In the South West Peninsula there are four schemes, which are all charitable organisations. They provide a network of volunteer doctors with special training in the emergency management of trauma and medical conditions outside hospital. They respond to incidents at the request of ambulance control in their own cars, which are equipped with blue lights and sirens.

Most of the work is in helping casualties of road traffic collisions, especially those who are trapped and seriously injured.

The doctors are available on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week and perform this role in addition to their "day jobs" which are predominantly in General Practice, Anaesthetics and Emergency Medicine. 

For more information see www.basics-southwest.org.uk

 
 
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