The British Association for Immediate Care Scotland (BASICS Scotland) is an organisation involved with prehospital care. It has the aims of providing encouragement and aid with the formation of immediate care schemes and to provide training to support those working in prehospital care. It shares its origins with the British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS), which has UK wide coverage. In 1993, the British Association for Immediate Care began running prehospital care courses in Scotland, which were met with a warm welcome and it became clear there was a large audience for such education, especially in remote and rural areas of Scotland. This need for training and organisational leadership became clearer after the 1994 Scotland RAF Chinook crash on the Mull of Kintyre. This led to the training provided by BASICS to be modified for a more rural setting, and to the development of BASICS Scotland as a separate organisation in 2002.
BASICS Scotland's charitable activities span two distinct areas in relation to prehospital care;
Support of the voluntary responder network of doctors, nurses and paramedics who attend 999 emergency calls across Scotland, and The innovation and provision of high-quality education in the field of prehospital and emergency medicine.
History
BASICS Scotland originally formed as part of the British Association for Immediate Care, which was established in June 1977. Kenneth Easton, a General Practitioner, was the first chairman of the organisation. Initially it was formed from the existing schemes. The organisation then offered individual membership to doctors that had an interest in immediate care, such as those working in General Practice, Surgery, Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Anaesthesia and Critical Care. Associate membership was open to paramedics and nurses which later again changed to offering full membership recognising the changing roles of these professions.
In 1991, the organisation increased its involvement in educational activities, making available residential courses covering prehospital care and resuscitation. Since then BASICS Scotland has become fully independent from BASICS and has diversified its educational provision across Scotland.
Awards and honours
BASICS Scotland responders have received the Queen's Jubilee medals during the last three jubilee celebrations. A number of BASICS Scotland responders and board members have also received honours from Her Majesty the Queen. The MBE has been awarded; in 2013 to John Pritchard, in 2015 to Duncan Tripp, in 2019 to Colville Laird, in 2022 to Dr Cole.
The charity itself has been awarded the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Bronze and Silver Awards.
Prehospital responding
Prehospital volunteers
BASICS Scotland is an association of health care professionals, who undertake additional training as immediate care practitioners. The members provide their services in support of the statutory or voluntary ambulance services. These responders form part of the pre-hospital elements of the Scottish Trauma Network, in relation to this, they are considered Yellow Level responders, in relation to their scope of practice. BASICS Scotland in coordination with the Sandpiper Trust is also a keen promoter of first aid and emergency prehospital care.
BASICS Scotland responders, many of whom are general practitioners, are able to offer additional skills and resources to the other statutory and voluntary emergency services. Enhanced skills offered by BASICS Scotland responders may include:
oral endotracheal intubation
procedural sedation and advanced analgesia
sedation after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) fascia iliaca block intraosseous access DC cardioversion of dysrhythmias thoracostomy and drain insertion
BASICS Scotland responders are dispatched by the Scottish Ambulance Service control room, and many responders carry radios or telephones with tracking capabilities to allow control room staff to know when a responder is in close proximity to a 999 incident. These responders are integrated into the pan-Scotland trauma network. Responders who are medical doctors on the General Medical Council register may use emergency green beacons on their car to alert other road users intentions (although such lights do not provide exemptions from road traffic law).
BASICS Scotland responders have been present at many serious incidents across Scotland for many years, including: Bus crashes and other traffic collisions Mountain rescue incidents