Absolutely great to hear that state registration is under way - however the
Committee for Proffessions suplementary to Medicine do not recognise non
IHCD.  After 20 years of using skills now recognised as being those of a
Paramedic, and a few extra's pertinent to remote areas, does that mean that
as  mountain/ski rescuers we will be  "cowboys" of the future ?
David Gunn, Glencoe, Scotland
10/06/00 18:24:38 GMT Daylight Time
e-mail address:[log in to unmask]
Personal web on mountain trauma: www.madasafish.com/~davygunn

----- Original Message -----
From: Stephen Waspe <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2000 7:53 PM
Subject: Re: Motor racing medicine / Re: Is there an accident?


> Paramedic in the "Guides" is defined as anyone having passed a course
> approved by the Secretary of State, so all those in possession of an IHCD
> ticket are fine.  By September 1st this year Paramedics will become State
> Registered and closure of title will soon follow.  In 18 months or so no
NHS
> Trust will be allowed to let anyone practice as a paramedic unless they
are
> registered.
>
> I am still concerned over the lack of control over the "Medical Charities"
> and from that I exclude St. John who have adopted a very professional
> approach over the last few years, and have yet to see proposed legislation
> to combat the cowboy ambulance chasers.
>
> Perhaps by refusing to work with these characters we could scare a few
Event
> promoters into using the right people.
>
> We are getting there but it's taking a long time........
>
> Regards
>
> Steve Waspe
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Rowley Cottingham <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Cc: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, June 26, 2000 9:48 PM
> Subject: Re: Motor racing medicine / Re: Is there an accident?
>
>
> >
> > 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
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
>



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