No. The air ambulance service in Dorset is provided by another charity: Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance. They operate one helicopter medical team and 2 car-based paramedics covering both counties. We are are both funded by public donations - although our fuel bills are quite a lot lower.

BASICS membership is available to any healthcare professional with an interest in pre-hospital emergency care. Accredited responders in the South West are usually consultants or GPs who have completed an approved BASICS training scheme. Policy is set by the local Ambulance Service and regional BASICS scheme. Some schemes do allow other healthcare professionals to respond as solo medics or as as part of multi-disciplinary teams.

At present, only doctors can volunteer as BASICS responders in Dorset. This policy is set by South Western Ambulance Service (SWAST). We are aware that other schemes (e.g West Midlands CARE) and HEMS employ paramedics and nurses. This is reflective of the nature of their operations, time established, clinical governance and the availability of funding. We can not offer an expanded scope of practice for paramedics, nurses or CFRs and therefore we would just be replicating services already provided by SWAST. In some parts of the country the Community First Responder (CFR) programme is run by the local BASICS scheme. Here in Dorset, the CFR scheme is provided by SWAST.

Theoretically, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Coverage is dependent upon the number of BASICS doctors volunteering in the area - the more doctors we can get on the road, the more complete our coverage will be. We are not limited by daylight hours and we'll turn out in pretty much any weather condition - most doctors select their personal vehicles to reflect this. Our medics have plenty of stories about answering calllouts at dark o'clock in wind, rain and cold!

Paramedic practice has evolved rapidly since the first "Extended Trained Ambulanceman" qualified in 1985. Modern paramedics are now educated to degree or post-graduate level with a commensurate scope of practice. BASICS doctors were a key driving force behind the development of paramedic practice after realising the benefits of early patient treatment before transportation to hospital. Today, BASICS doctors can bring their enhanced skill set, clinical leadership plus years of experience out to patients who must receive treatment before their journey to hospital. They are trained in Advanced Life Support - including surgical interventions such as chest decompression, thoracotamies and emergency amputation. They can help with sedation when required or provide analgesia using stronger painkillers than those carried by the ambulance crew. Their scope of practice is a lot broader than many paramedics and their knowledge of the patient's future journey through the health service can help with making difficult decisions.

No. They donate their time, skills and use of their private car completely voluntarily. Some people just really enjoy their work! Where possible we provide funding for them to attend the mandatory training courses, purchase additional medical equipment and fit their car with blue lights. Drugs and medical supplies are provided by the NHS through South Western Ambulance Service.

Our medics are typically called out when a patient requires advanced emergency care. They may even be the first on scene. It is therefore vital that they can reach the patient as fast as possible. All BASICS responders receive Advanced Driver training from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAMS) before attending a Emergency Driver course with South Western Ambulance Service. Their private vehicles are fitted with all-round blue lights, sirens and carry appropriate insurance. The drivers and vehicles are re-tested every year by SWAST. The medics may only travel under Emergency Driving conditions when assigned to an incident by Ambulance Control. Sadly, this means joining BASICS is not a much of a wheeze for beating the holiday traffic!

No. South Western Ambulance Service currently provides an out-of-hours doctor service to provide medical care in the community. You may have seen the marked "Urgent Care" car out and about. These doctors provide a valuable service to patients who need to see a GP urgently but do not require the services of an Emergency Department. Some of our doctors may work as GPs but in their BASICS role they will only attend seriously ill or injured patients.

Although BASICS and HEMS seem similar they have different, complimentary capabilities. Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) usually carries a doctor/paramedic team and can deliver a pre-hospital anaesthetic to put critically-ill patients on to a life support machine. They also carry blood products which can be transfused to trauma victims. The helicopter can reach remote parts of the 2 counties quickly and likewise transport patients swiftly on to hospital. However, adverse weather may ground the helicopter and there are restrictions on night flying. Likewise, landing in dense conurbations can be tricky and may require a secondary transfer by ground vehicle for either the patient or HEMS team. On the other hand, a given area may have several BASICS responders available. They can be called out for patients who are seriously ill but do not necessarily need the full HEMS critical care capability, or if the helicopter is not available. They can operate 24 hours a day in all but the most adverse weathers. Being locally based in the community, BASICS medics can often be on scene first and initiate life-saving treatment whilst awaiting the arrival of the HEMS crew. Both BASICS and HEMS are funded entirely by charitable donations and are dependent on public support to continue operating.

Our responders are all consultants or GPs and therefore licensed to practice medicine without supervision. They have completed an approved BASICS pre-hospital emergency medicine course and are required to undertake further regular Continuous Professional Development. They are approved and annually assessed by BASICS South West who also provide clinical governance. Each responder has an honorary contract with and is under operational control of South Western Ambulance Service.

BASICS Dorset provides a service under contract to South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. Although it is providing a public service it is a private organisation and therefore not subject to the requirements of the Freedom Of Information Act 2000. Requests regarding the provision of pre-hospital medical services should be directed to South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. Please be advised that at no point will we provide patient-specific or patient-identifiable information except in the course of our legal requirements in cooperation with SWASFT, the Police and courts.