So this is the end of our first full operational year here in Dorset. BASICS doctor SB05 answered the first call from South Western Ambulance Service in July 2018 to attend a cardiac arrest in the Bournemouth conurbation.

Since then, our responders have attended 93 patients across the county and in neighboring Hampshire. The total number of call outs is over 110 including occasions when medics were stood down en-route. Due to the time-critical nature of our service it is often prudent for ambulance controllers to mobilise medics based on information in the 999 call. Once an ambulance clinician arrives on scene they may decide that the patient doesn't require enhanced care. In this case our medics will be stood down and be ready should another, more serious incident need their attention.

Unsurprisingly , the majority of calls were to patients within the Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch urban area which is where half the population of Dorset lives and where our only responder is based. There have been a few long-distance hikes across the county towards Dorchester and Cranborne.

During this period we attended 32 Road Traffic Collisions, 19 cardiac arrests and 4 stabbings. On 3 occasions we were called out to assist the Coastguard by seeing and treating patients rescued by RNLI lifeboats. Our medics have worked with Dorset police, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire & Rescue and Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance.

Over the last 18-months the charity has made inroads towards achieving Registered Charity status. We have held several medical education evenings for the local pre-hospital community covering topics from drowning to wound care to obstetric emergency care. This has provided a revenue stream for the charity as well as building relationships with our local emergency crews and trainees. Some of them were even keen/daft enough to run a Spartan race to raise funds for us! We also received a grant from the national BASICS charity which provided essential equipment and additional training for our medics.

Looking towards the next year, we are looking to raise enough funds to register with Charities House. We'll also looking to recruit and equip another doctor to increase our coverage out to Central and West Dorset. We will be continuing the education events and running other fundraising appeals within the local communities that we serve.

In the meantime, from the Chair and team at BASICS Dorset we thank everyone who has supported us in achieving all that we have so far. Merry Christmas and have a happy, healthy and productive New Year.