Thanks to donations, we’ve recently been able to support ‘on the job learning’ for NHS medical staff in Leeds by helping to fund a new ambulance response vehicle for the West Yorkshire Medic Response Team (WYMRT).

This is a charity helping to deliver pre-hospital emergency care to critically ill and injured patients. It serves as a training base for staff who work on the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and respond, on a voluntary basis, to emergency requests as members of BASICS (British Association for Immediate Care). 

Hospital Doctors, who are keen to extend their career into pre-hospital care, will join the education and training group within WYMRT and experience hands on emergency care on the road, alongside a supervising senior Doctor and a Paramedic. This unique opportunity to get practical experience outside of a clinical setting, helps NHS staff to learn on the job and progress in their career path.

We contributed £25,000 to replace an emergency response vehicle, which was also supported by a generous donation from BASICS (British Association for Immediate Care). Since January 2021, this new emergency response car has been responding to emergencies in the city and beyond – usually at very busy times on weekends.

Andrew, a Paramedic who works with the West Yorkshire Medic Response Team said, “It’s a great opportunity to work alongside Doctors where we can understand each other’s roles, and this can only be good for high quality patient care.”

Paul Onion, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Leeds Teaching Hospitals has been with the West Yorkshire Medic Response team for over 10 years. He says, “The scheme provides junior doctors with the opportunity to gain on the job training by joining a senior doctor and senior paramedic to safely develop their clinical skills. The new vehicle has ensured a better and safer response to incidents and allows us to carry more specialist equipment. It has significantly improved our abilities to deliver critical care to the people of Yorkshire.”