Emergency Response, the backbone
of our work

• We are the only emergency doctors available for the South Western Ambulance Service Trust (SWAST) in Wiltshire, Swindon and Bristol
• We are a voluntary service
• Time is given freely by the doctors and support staff
• Training and equipment are all funded by kind donations to the charity

What a SWIFT Medics Doctor brings:

• A well trained, experienced doctor who will frequently lead the team to manage multiple casualties
• Experience in prioritisation of casualties ensuring that the right patient arrives at the right hospital at the right time and by the right means of transport. This has a vital influence on recovery and survival
• Certain specialist emergency surgical procedures at the roadside for treatment of immediately life threatening conditions, relief of pain and pre-hospital anaesthesia to stabilise the critically injured patient
• SWIFT Medics doctors offer extra equipment, drugs, knowledge and experience from medical training adapted for use out of hospital
• SWIFT Medics doctors can provide hospital level care at the scene to patients who are trapped
• A SWIFT Medics doctor helps ensure every minute counts at the very beginning of 'the golden hour'

It is often thought that doctors can be called from hospitals if required.
This is not the case.

Call-out procedure:

South Western Ambulance Service takes 999 calls from the public, the police or fire service.

By carefully selected questioning, within 30 seconds the ambulance service will have a good idea of the location, type and seriousness of the incident. They will know which type of response to organise. Their options include:

• Paramedic responder in car
• Emergency ambulance
• Air Ambulance
• Doctor (SWIFT Medics)
• A combination of the above 

This will depend on location, type of incident and availability of resources.

                                                                       

SWIFT Medics Dispatch Criteria:

SWIFT Medics operate a standard set of call out criteria as it is well proven which types of incident would benefit from the presence of an experienced doctor urgently. These may include:

• Serious road traffic collisons 
• Cardiac arrests
• Major trauma (e.g head injuries and severe burns)
• Critically unwell patients (e.g life threatening asthma and suspected meningitis)
• Limb amputation or entrapment
• Seriously ill or injured children
• Obstetric emergencies involving trauma or pre-term imminent birth
• Multiple casualties 
• Near drowning