BASICS and the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care International Conference 2013

The British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS) and The Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care (FPhC) International Conference took place this year at the Copthorne Hotel, Dudley on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 October. The conference, entitled “Back to the Future”, looked at the origin of pre-hospital care, leading up through to the latest developments in research and practice.

Aimed at all levels of pre-hospital practitioner, the delegates were made up of GPs, consultants, paramedics, EMTs and students. This year also saw the inclusion of sessions specifically for first responders and first aiders, looking at airway management, history and handover issues of scene safety.

Following a welcome from BASICS chairman Richard Steyn, lifetime member Kenneth Hines delivered the opening talk on the historical roots of immediate care. Outlining the formation of BASICS in 1977—when it was then known as the British Association of Immediate Care Schemes—through to its development as an organisation that provides immediate medical care nationally, Hines captured the ethos of BASICS perfectly in his closing comment: ‘We've gone from a bunch of enthusiastic doctors to a highly skilled professional body.’