Enhanced Care
For certain situations, such as high-risk events or specific emergency response calls, an approach focusing on collaborative working with specialist Doctors and Paramedics coming together as a team is appropriate. By utilising this specialist team, we are able to “bring the hospital to the roadside or event” and perform procedures and decision making that may only otherwise be possible in a Hospital setting.
Jigsaw’s ‘Enhanced Care Teams’ are made up of the following:
- Senior/Consultant Pre-Hospital Care Doctor (with HEMS, BASICS background)
- Senior/Critical Care Paramedic
- Team Driver (qualified in emergency response driving and either a qualified Ambulance Technician or Paramedic)
Enhanced Care Team – Doctors
Team doctors come from a range of professional backgrounds: general practice, anaesthetics, emergency medicine, surgery and other specialities. All have had formal training in pre-hospital emergency medicine, and many of the team’s doctors hold either the Diploma or Fellowship in Immediate Medical Care (DIMC / FIMC), awarded by the Faculty of Prehospital Care Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Many of the doctors from acute specialities will have undertaken specific in-house training and assessment in how to undertake pre-hospital rapid sequence induction of anaesthesia, as part of the management of the severely injured patient.
Paramedics
Every team has, at least, one HCPC registered paramedic. They receive additional training to support them in the enhanced care team role and bring with them the additional skills and experience of senior level practice.
What Can They Do?
Our enhanced care teams have access to additional equipment and drugs in their rapid response vehicle which allow them to carry out additional procedures and clinical decision, such as:
- Advanced drug therapy, such as sedation
- Surgical airway techniques
- RSI (Rapid Sequence Induction) – carrying out a “General Anaesthetic”.
- Complex resuscitative techniques, such as performing a Thoracotomy
- The ability to carry out ‘Ultrasound’ scans
- Blood gas analysis
- Enhanced clinical decision making surrounding admission and specialist referral
