Northamptonshire volunteer doctor call-outs to car accidents and medical emergencies lowest in East Midlands

Volunteer doctor call-outs to events like medical emergencies and car accidents in Northamptonshire were the lowest in the East Midlands.
EMICS volunteer doctor Dr Leon RobertsEMICS volunteer doctor Dr Leon Roberts
EMICS volunteer doctor Dr Leon Roberts

East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme released its annual figures this week, which revealed Northamptonshire had the smallest amount (26) due to the county not having as many doctors compared to other areas.

Call-out rates in Northamptonshire did increase slightly when compared to the same period last year.

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In response to the call-out data, chair of EMICS, Dr Tim Gray said: “The doctors responding on behalf of EMICS continue to show enormous support and enthusiasm for the scheme and I am so impressed by their dedication.

"We work closely at all times with the East Midlands Ambulance Service who mobilise our team of doctors, coordinating their efforts alongside other emergency medical personnel at all times of the day and night.

"However, we could be responding to even more emergency call outs if we had the funds to replace the two retired team members.

"There are also doctors waiting to join the scheme who are keen to volunteer and have the experience and skills to save lives but are awaiting sufficient funds to pay for their specialist equipment.”

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All EMICS doctors receive no payment for their work with EMICS, working voluntarily over and above their normal general practice or hospital work. The scheme currently consists of 24 doctors from many medical backgrounds and specialities.

They work alongside and in support of paramedics and crews from the East Midlands Ambulance Service, as and when they are available.

All the doctors involved volunteer in their holidays and spare time to attend emergency situations – often performing lifesaving interventions at the scene of a wide variety of incidents such as road traffic collisions and medical emergencies.

Operating at the request of and in support of staff from the East Midlands Ambulance Service, last year EMICS doctors were called out on 1,531 occasions and were required to deliver pre-hospital emergency care on 1,277 of those occasions.

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The number of call-outs relates to the period between April 2017 and March 2018 and represents a reduction of 154 calls on the same period the previous year.

This reduction in call-outs is likely to be due to the fact that there were 26 doctors responding in the previous year compared with only 24 currently.

Call-outs by region were as follows:

Leicestershire had the highest rate with 691, followed by Lincolnshire with 342, then Derbyshire with 194, Nottinghamshire with 186, Rutland with 92, and lastly Northamptonshire.

Call-out rates in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire increased slightly on the same period last year but in Rutland they remained exactly the same and in all other areas, call rates were reduced.