Emergency Medical Retrieval Service
Encyclopedia
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It provides patients in remote and rural areas with rapid access to the skills of a consultant in emergency or intensive care medicine as well as facilitating transfers to larger, better equipped city hospitals. The team respond to calls 24 hours a day, utilising both helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s and fixed-wing aircraft.
Formation & Operation
The EMRS was formed in 2004 after a consultation between NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the Scottish Government Health Department and the Scottish Ambulance ServiceScottish Ambulance Service
The Scottish Ambulance Service is part of NHS Scotland, and serves all of Scotland. It is a Special Health Board funded directly by the Scottish Government Health Department....
. The EMRS initially operated only in the Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
and Clyde area. The success of the service saw its operating zone expanded throughout the West coast of Scotland and the EMRS now operates from Stranraer
Stranraer
Stranraer is a town in the southwest of Scotland. It lies in the west of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire.Stranraer lies on the shores of Loch Ryan on the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland...
in the South to Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
in the North. The EMRS is currently based at Glasgow City Heliport
Glasgow City Heliport
Glasgow City Heliport is a heliport located in Glasgow, Scotland, approximately from the City Centre. The Heliport is located at Stobcross Quay, within the grounds of the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and directly across the River Clyde from the Glasgow Science Centre and BBC...
.
In March 2010, the Scottish Government announced that due to its continuing success, the service would be further enhanced by the addition of a second team, operational from October 2010. This will increase the number of participating consultants and Doctors from eight to fifteen. The EMRS will still be based at its existing base and will cover all of remote and rural Scotland with expected annual running costs to be in the region of £2 million.
Resources
The EMRS has, at its disposal, aircraft from the Scottish Ambulance Service's Air Wing and the helicopters of the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's Search & Rescue squadron, Rescue 177, based at HMS Gannet
HMS Gannet SAR Flight
HMS Gannet SAR Flight is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron based at RNAS Prestwick in Scotland. It operates three Sea King Mk5 helicopters in the military and civilian Search and Rescue role across Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland...
, Prestwick Airport, near Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. Approximately 25% of missions are undertaken by Rescue 177. The service responds to seriously ill and injured patients, often in remote locations, who require early critical care interventions and quick transfer to a better equipped, urban hospital.
Background
The EMRS functions supplementary to the regular Scottish Ambulance Service Air Ambulance service. Unlike air ambulance services in other parts of the UK, both services are funded by the Scottish Government.The EMRS feature occasionally on the Channel 5 documentary series Highland Emergency
Highland Emergency
Highland Emergency is a British television documentary series following the work of the emergency services in the Highlands of Scotland. It is broadcast on Channel 5 in the UK....
, which charts the work of rescue services in the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
.
Context
Many other countries with large populations in rural or inaccessible areas have developed similar schemes. For example, the Royal Flying Doctor Service of AustraliaRoyal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia is an emergency and primary health care service for those living in rural, remote and regional areas of Australia...
operates on very similar lines to the EMRS. New Zealand
Emergency medical services in New Zealand
Emergency medical services in New Zealand are operated by three organisations. In each case, the service consists of both volunteers and paid staff, and is subsidised by the government of New Zealand through NASO a government department combining the Ministry of Health and the Accident...
and Canada have also developed similar patient retrieval services in support of their rural health care practitioners.
Awards
March 2010 saw the EMRS win the Secondary Care Team of the Year category in the British Medical Journal awardsBritish Medical Journal
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
. This award recognised hospital teams that demonstrate improved outcomes of medical & surgical conditions.
See also
- NHS ScotlandNHS ScotlandNHS Scotland is the publicly funded healthcare system of Scotland. Although they are separate bodies the organisational separation between NHS Scotland and the other three healthcare organisations each commonly called the National Health Service in the United Kingdom tends to be hidden from its...
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
- Scottish Ambulance ServiceScottish Ambulance ServiceThe Scottish Ambulance Service is part of NHS Scotland, and serves all of Scotland. It is a Special Health Board funded directly by the Scottish Government Health Department....
- Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom
- Air ambulanceAir ambulanceAn air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport....
- Air Ambulances in the United KingdomAir Ambulances in the United KingdomThere are a number of air ambulance services in the United Kingdom using either helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft. Thirty helicopters, all operated by commercial companies and funded by charitable organisations, cover England and Wales...