>
> Are you sure that the Doctors were part of BARC. At the Motor racing
> events
> I attend the medical cover is along the following lines.
>
> 1. St Johns
>
> 2. County Ambulance
>
> 3. Rescue units owned by people like BARC or BRDC etc (the motor racing
> clubs) These are staffed by exmarshalls with lots of additional
> training in
> extrication / medical care etc. They have all been excellent when I have
> worked with them.
>
> 4. The doctors
> These are employed by the circuit rather than any of the above.
Wrong. the employer is the club. Confusion can arise when the circuit also owns the club, as
happened in the eighties with Brands Hatch Racing.
The
> club who
> is hiring the circuit for the days racing pays for the medical
> services, of
> which the doctors are one part. They are organised from the circuit
> medical
> centre, rather than by the racing club or the rescue units.
> The doctors are distributed between the medical centre, the rescue
> units,
> the FD (fast doctor) car, and high risk spots on the circuit.
Hmm. If enough. Usually, there are three doctors max at clubbies, and I am frequently on my
own at sprints. And I'm using my own car.
> There are occasional training days, but some people will have little
> prehospital or extrication experience. In fact, in a similar way to the
> apprentice method suggested by BASICS some years back, I have
> unashamably
> used it as a place to learn much more about prehospital care.
> Especially as
> it is a relatively controlled environment, well staffed and you always
> have
> back up (within 2 mins) from an experienced race doctor.The circuit I
> attend
> requires at least 4 docs present for racing to take place (there are
> usually
> 5 or 6), but for meetings such as Superbikes there is a minimum of 11
> docs!!!!! This should be borne in mind if we decide that only BASICS
> docs or
> equivalent can be used - in reality it is not possible at the present
> time.
> It relies on making the numbers up with MB.ChB's yet ensuring that
> there are
> at least 2 people with the appropriate skills and experience. As help
> in the
> form of the FD car can arrive in less than 2 mins
The RAC blue book requirement for car events is 90 seconds, and this should be tested at
some stage during the day.
(max) together with 2
> rescue vehicles this is probably OK (IMHO). I agree that appropriate
> skills
> are needed as I have attended 2 incidents involving spinal injury this
> year
> and there has been one death, but whether it is essential that everyone
> has
> all the skills to the highest level at a motor racing cicuit is
> questionable. In terms of registration, I am a member of the RAC as a
> registered doctor. Surprisingly this is not essential, and it appears
> that
> the only qualification required is just being a doctor.
Again, this is down to numbers. For example, one doctor who has attended the Grand Prix at
Silverstone for many years as a resuscitation expert is a gynaecologist, and I know of several
'drug company' doctors, psychiatrists, radiologists and many GPs who are not advanced
trained who are regulars at motor sport events.
> 5. The paramedics
> There are paramedics on a county ambulance for the big meetings.
> However,
> there are regular paramedic "enthusiasts" and some employed directly by
> the
> circuit, who work regularly at the circuit, with the same docs who
> regularly
> attend. The elements of familiarity and experience are therefore in
> place
> for good teamwork. This of course is only possible at a regular event -
> Goodwood was not - which may have led to some of the problems mentioned.
Beware! Many of these paramedics may best be described as self-styled. Remember that the
term paramedic is not a reserved one, and anyone may use the term. On one occasion I was so
incensed by the level of skill displayed by a pair of 'providers' that I refused to work with
them.
> 6. Helicopter
> Only at big events
>
> 7. Mobile Resus van
> For touring cars meetings
...and never used properly, to the best of my knowledge.
> I read with interest the comments regarding appropriate experience.
> Most of
> the people I work with at the circuit have an anaesthetics, A+E, or
> surgical
> background. They are all enthusiastic about the racing and get "paid"
> about
> £80-100 for the day (8am-7pm). In other words, you'll only get
> enthusiasts
> at that price (I'd do it even if they did not pay because I love the
> racing!)
>
> Motor racing is an excellent environment to learn / experience
> prehospital
> care in a relatively controlled environment. I encourage my fellow
> SpR's in
> A+E to come down and join in, some of whom are now joining in. It's only
> really worth doing if you love the racing, but if you do, it's a great
> day
> out - and you might learn something.
More importantly, you also get the opportunity to see the incident occurring, vital for learning
about reading the wreckage.
Best wishes,
Rowley Cottingham
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