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


Day oneTraditional BASICSFollowing 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.’ALISTAIR QUAILEJonathan Bracken, special counsel, Bircham Dyson Bell, spoke on the concept of duty of care and the fear of liability for negligence. Providing the example of being on board an aeroplane and looking at where a doctor's duty of care lies should a passenger fall ill, Bracken highlighted the importance of recognising your limitations and not to make matters worse.James Pallett, senior clinical research fellow, emergency medicine, King's College Hospital, spoke on the epidemiology of trauma. Presenting a number of shocking figures, including the fact that trauma forms 7% of the NHS budget, he stressed the need for more reliable data surveillance systems.Practical developmentsMatthew Cooke, professor of clinical systems design, WMS and associate medical director, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, outlined the latest research in pre-hospital care. This was followed by Sir Keith Porter, professor of clinical traumatology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, who provided a much-anticipated talk on the consensus statements from the FPhC, on topics including patient handling, spinal injury and pelvic injury.Tim Harris, professor of emergency medicine and pre-hospital care, Barts Health NHS Trust and Queen Mary University London, ended the talks before lunch by exploring pre-hospital ultrasound. Outlining its many uses in the pre-hospital setting, Harris' talk was both informative and engaging.Breakout sessionsAfter lunch, a number of breakout sessions took place, including a talk by Andrew Lee, fire officer, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service, and paramedic, on changes in entrapment management. With the help of a stripped down Volvo, Lee was able to highlight areas of concern to bear in mind when carrying out extrication services.ALISTAIR QUAILEThroughout the day, students of all disciplines were invited to make presentations and compete for a prize generously donated by the FPhC. The inaugural event showcased a number of impressive proposed pre-hospital care programmes in the form of posters. The students were on hand to explain their ideas and the prize was awarded to Dr Matt Ellington of Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge. His poster, entitled “Medical Students: The Future of Pre-Hospital Care?” provided illuminating figures of average UK ambulance service response times with those being achieved by medical school students. As the winner, Matt received a cheque for £100. Students also gave oral presentations on pre-hospital care programmes and the developments of undergraduate programmes in the field.Myles Gibson Eponymous LectureFollowing the breakout sessions, the Myles Gibson Eponymous Lecture was delivered by Stephen Hearns, consultant in emergency medicine, Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley. Hearns’ lecture gave an overview of the Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS). He explained that having finished his training with the London Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, where he developed experience in pre-hospital trauma care and aeromedical evacuation, he attempted to utilise this experience in Scotland, where he has helped to develop the EMRS. The service he has managed to produce in Scotland is truly admirable, and delegates enjoyed being given an insight into the work he has done.Annual dinner and awardsThe annual dinner and awards were an occasion for old colleagues to catch up and celebrate the great work being undertaken in pre-hospital care by a number of individuals.The joint FPhC and BASICS Lifetime Achievement Award went to Dr Dick Herbert. Dick retired in February this year after a long career in pre-hospital care. He, along with Dr John Hall and Dr Barry Davis, founded the first West Midlands based Immediate Care Scheme in Kidderminster in 1981. Since then, he has played an instrumental role in the West Midlands Care Team.The annual Laerdal Award was presented to Dr David Zideman, a much-respected anaesthetist, past chairman of BASICS and the European Resuscitation Council, and honorary physician to the Queen. His award also served to recognise the invaluable role he played as Clinical Lead for Emergency Medical Care for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.‘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.”’Further BASICS awards were presented to Andrew Butler, Simon Brown, Henry Frydenson, Colin French, David Hickson and Caroline Williams.

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