Magpas FAQ’s
What is a Helimedix team?
Magpas Helimedix Team’s are a specialist pre-hospital response and retrieval team who have undertaken specific advanced training through Magpas for their role. These individuals are equipped to provide a full range of life saving medical interventions. The team comprises of a Doctor and a Paramedic drawn from a pool of appropriately trained individuals.
Magpas Paramedics are volunteers or seconded from the Ambulance Service. Doctors are volunteers or seconded from the NHS, or the Armed Forces. Magpas also supports and hosts a number of Doctors and Consultants in training, Magpas is internationally renowned for its ground breaking training program which is considered the bench mark for pre-hospital emergency medical training in the UK. Magpas currently has around 50 active Helimedix Team members who provide:
- On-scene medical support
- On-line medical support
- Special incident medical support
- Major incident medical support
Where are the Helimedix Teams based?
The Magpas Helimedix Team is based centrally at RAF Wyton to provide the optimum service to the population of Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire, from this base Magpas Helimedix are ideally placed to respond to any serious incidents in the East of England. Magpas Helimedix have the use of several dedicated transport platforms and use the most appropriate form of transport for the incident and location.
How are Helimedix Teams activated?
Magpas Helimedix teams are activated via the control rooms of the Ambulance Service, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service or Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
What does ‘on scene’ medical support mean?
This refers to deployment to the scene of an incident to provide direct medical support. On-scene medical support may involve the full spectrum of pre-hospital critical care at the scene as well as in transit care during the journey to the most appropriate hospital. On-scene support most commonly involves major trauma patients who are trapped at the scene.
Helimedix Teams will respond to requests from an Ambulance Crew or Fire Officer for assistance at the scene of a serious incident. In practice, Magpas Helimedix Teams are deployed between one and five times each day.
How are Helimedix Teams activated?
There are two main ways the Team can be activated:
(i) An automatic paging system
(ii) Direct telephone or radio contact from Ambulance, Police or Fire control.
Helimedix Teams also have the authority to ‘self-activate’ on the basis of information received over the radio or from other sources. Again, the team will typically contact Ambulance, Fire and Police control to seek further information as they deploy.
How are Magpas Helimedix Teams insured?
All members of Helimedix become members of Magpas. They are provided with third party liability and personal injury insurance (full details can be obtained upon request). Individual doctors must also be members of a medical defence organisation and they must inform that organisation of the nature and extent of their immediate care activity. Magpas has considerable experience of this and none of our volunteer doctors have ever had an additional premium added to their policy on the basis of Helimedix activity.
Ambulance service paramedics are indemnified by the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts when they undertake duties on behalf of the Trust. Volunteer duties with Magpas are currently considered by the Trust as equivalent to normal Ambulance service duties.
Why did Magpas develop Helimedix Teams?
Since its inception in 1971, Magpas has set the standard for the model of an Immediate Care Scheme and was a founding member of BASICS. Initially Magpas involved a large number of locally based volunteer Doctors (typically General Practitioners) who agreed to undertake training and carry additional equipment enabling them to respond to medical emergencies. As Magpas and the NHS Ambulance Service have evolved, many volunteer Doctors now come from hospital backgrounds such as Emergency Medicine or Anaesthetics.
Who can apply to join the Helimedix Team?
The entry criteria for Doctors are:
(i) Fully Registered Medical Practitioner who is also licensed to practice medicine.
(ii) Four years post-registration experience. At least 4 months of this should be in the practice of Emergency Medicine or Critical Care.
(iii) Diploma in Immediate Medical Care (Dip IMC) of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Doctors who are prepared to commit themselves to the Helimedix Training Programme but who do not have the Diploma may join the training programme provided that they undertake to complete the Diploma within 18 months of completing the Helimedix Course. Support is provided for this.
(iv) Documented evidence of pre-hospital care experience is considered desirable.
(v) Provider status in ALS, APLS and MIMMS is considered desirable.
(vi) Commitment to Magpas Helimedix as evidenced by a written undertaking to complete the entire Helimedix Training Programme
(vii) Successful completion of the Magpas Helimedix Course
Paramedics are integral to the EMT concept and they are expected to play a full part in the EMT Training Programme. They are not simply there to assist the doctor. Magpas therefore has high expectations of the paramedics and expects them to complete the same training programme as the doctors.
The entry criteria for paramedics are:
(i) State Registered Paramedic who is currently employed by the East of England Ambulance NHS Trust.
(ii) Four years post registration experience.
(iii) Commitment to the Helimedix Team as evidenced by a written undertaking to complete the entire Helimedix Training Programme
(iv) Diploma in Immediate Medical Care (Dip IMC) of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Paramedics who are prepared to commit themselves to the Helimedix Training Programme but who do not have the Diploma may join the training programme provided that they undertake to complete the Diploma within 18 months of completing the Helimedix Course.
(v) Provider status in PHTLS, PHPLS (or PEPP) and MIMMS is desirable
The East of England Ambulance NHS Trust runs MIMMS courses and has in the past provided financial support for paramedics who wish to undertake the Diploma in Immediate Medical Care. Helimedix paramedics are encouraged to take the Diploma during the Helimedix Training Programme. Magpas provides a diploma preparation course for Helimedix Paramedics and Doctors
How does the EMT cover the whole of Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire from RAF Wyton?
RAF Wyton (near Huntingdon) is centrally situated for Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. Experience has shown that with all types of deployment (land and air) it is possible to get anywhere in the area within 30 minutes. Often, it is possible to get there in less time and still undertake critical (in many cases lifesaving) interventions.
What about deployment to other counties in the East of England?
The current Magpas constitution allows for the provision of immediate care in the immediate areas surrounding Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. Requests for assistance further afield are carefully reviewed by the duty Helimedix Team and the availability of helicopter transfer and retrieval are taken into account. Magpas Helimedix regularly provided emergency medical care cross all six counties which make up the East of England.
How are Magpas Helimedix funded?
Magpas is solely reliant on the generous donations of you the public. It costs in the region of £750,000 per annum to offer this life saving service to the East of England. If you would like to keep this incredible service running please donate now.
