BASICS Devon, a network of volunteer immediate care doctors, has been working hard to create its strategy for the next five years. 

This is a significant milestone for the local lifesaving charity, that is completely voluntary led and a really exciting time for its Devon community.

Dr Simon Scott-Hayward, Chair for the past eight years said: “This year we mark the fantastic achievement of the charity which turns 30 years old. 

“At the heart of our charity are our amazing volunteers who have been providing immediate care to the people of Devon, some of them for all of this time. 

“Together with the board of Trustees, I am immensely proud of our charity and its volunteers. 

“As we reflect on this birthday year, we celebrate the huge achievements and also look forward to how we can develop the charity to face the current and future pressures. 

“We share in the document our ambitious plan for the next five years which aims to build on the original charity objectives, our renewed vision, mission, and organisational values.” 

BASICS Devon strives to be the county’s leading volunteer pre-hospital immediate care charity, improve patient outcomes, relieve suffering and save lives.

Through a networked team of volunteers, they aim to improve patient outcomes and save lives through the delivery of emergency care and education across Devon and surrounding areas.

The charities key priorities will be to respond to medical and trauma emergencies, to provide education to its volunteers and to its communities and to generate funds to achieve its vision.

There are currently 14 volunteer doctors in the BASICS Devon team and the responders help save lives and ease pain and suffering. 

They are all senior NHS doctors from a variety of clinical specialties, between them they have more than 200 years of NHS experience. 

The team has specialist training in pre-hospital medical care, responding in their own vehicles, which are equipped and insured to respond under blue light emergency conditions. 

The charity also has its own rapid response vehicle to help reach the vulnerable and isolated across Devon, especially vital to reach agricultural incidents and to navigate across the moors.

During the last few years, the charity has developed greatly with the dedication and pure ambition of the volunteers on the frontline and the board of Trustees. 

The charity relies solely on donations to fully equip and train their team. 

With the health service in such demand, BASICS Devon doctors can help treat patients before they reach the hospital. 

They give people immediate access to specialist pre hospital emergency medical care at the scene. 

People are struggling to receive immediate medical care in an emergency across Devon, especially in the rural, isolated parts of the county such as North Devon that are more than an hour's drive from their nearest hospital.

The doctors can administer urgent drugs to the terminally ill, in the community. 

They are the only voluntary service that offer this type of specialist pre hospital medical care with higher clinical input, resulting in preventing hospital, GP admissions and readmissions.

You can read the full strategy to find out more by visiting: www.basics-devon.org.uk/documents 

To get in touch with the team at BASICS Devon call 01752 936299 or email: [email protected] or visit: www.basics-devon.org.uk .