The Medical Emergency Doctor’s Service (MEDSERVE Wales) was created in 1994 by a group of GPs who perceived the need for a doctor who could rapidly respond to a request for help from the ambulance service. Their remit was to attend road accidents and other incidents where the presence of a doctor at the scene could make a vital difference to the morbidity and mortality of trauma patients, particularly in locations and incidents where it was not possible to transport the patient swiftly to hospital.
In the UK there is no statutory duty to provide a doctor at the scene of an accident or emergency. If people are trapped, the fire and rescue service attends. If people are injured, the ambulance service attends and to protect life, property and control the scene, the police attend.
Nine times out of ten this covers what is needed, but there are occasions when the presence of a qualified and experienced doctor on scene is vital. This is where the role of MEDSERVE is invaluable.
Incidents that regularly trigger a MEDSERVE call include road traffic accidents where multiple vehicles are involved; where there are multiple or serious casualties; where the early confirmation of death would facilitate the removal of other casualties; where there are reports of fatalities; and where there are reports of entrapped casualties.
It is for these and similar situations that MEDSERVE exists in south east Wales - namely to provide a properly equipped, experienced doctor at the scene of the incident who can preserve life and give skilled medical aid between the time of the accident or cardiac arrest and the casualty arriving at the hospital.
MEDSERVE WALES doctors are specially trained to be work with the Ambulance and Fire Services in all conditions
How are they funded?
MEDSERVE is a charity which depends entirely on donations from the public to fund its important work. Unfortunately the scheme is not supported financially by the National Assembly for Wales, local government or directly by the NHS, and scheme members have to meet a lot of their day-to-day costs themselves. Doctors do not get paid for being available to respond for the ambulance service. It can cost up to £20,000 to fully equip a doctor. Each doctor carries an individual set of equipment, costing approximately £6,000: protective clothing, drugs and other vital equipment for use on the scene, as well as blue flashing beacons on their cars to enable them to get through traffic quickly and safely. All this equipment has been bought from public donations to the scheme. As a registered charity, it relies on the support of organisations and the public in order to fund its equipment.
Without financial help, MEDSERVE Wales cannot provide the 24 hour, 365 days a year medical cover for the people of south Wales.
The group is a registered charity – it was and continues to be manned by doctors who volunteer their time and expertise, with no direct NHS funding.
The scheme is also affiliated to the British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS), an organisation that co-ordinates groups such as this throughout the UK.
These doctors cover an area of approximately 1200 square miles, including Abergavenny and Newport in the east, Cardiff and the Vale, the M4 and A465 corridors, and extending to Neath & Swansea in the west.