Firstly, we would like to thank everyone for their great feedback after reading the first ever issue of Mouth 2 Mouth, the only National Newsletter For UK First Responders.

Anway, since we don't like to keep you waiting, we feel that it is about time to get the next issue ready.  If you want a newsletter that can be taken seriously and will provide you with all the latest responder news, we need your help.  If you have information with regards to new guidelines, would like to review a product or have any sort of content that can be included, get in touch with us.

You can tweet us on twitter - www.twitter.com/medatrain

You can talk to us on Facebook - Search for "Medatrain Responder", we're pretty easy to find

Or you can e-mail us at mouth2mouth@medatrain.co.uk

We want to make this next newsletter as succesful as the last one so we look forward to hearing from all you guys and girls.

Thanks again for your continued support and fantastic feedback!

Regards

www.medatrain.co.uk

P.S. Don't forget, if you're looking to refresh your suppies, whether it be First Responder Clothing or Defibrillators, make sure you check out our online store!

Good morning Responders,

I found an article this morning that really highlights the need for more awareness about the unpredictability of Cardiac Arrests and not just in the UK, globally.  The article below is another sad reminder as to how a Cardiac Arrest can striek whoever and whenever.  If there had been a defibrillator within close range, there may have been a much better ending but sadly, it was not the case.

"Popular Boston Football Figure Suffers Cardiac Arrest"

Boston-area students and soccer players are mourning the death of beloved 33-year-old soccer coach Ucal McKenzie (pictured).

McKenzie experienced chest pains while playing in a community league soccer game. He collapsed, was given CPR, but was unconscious when ambulances arrived.

No AED was available at the field, and a local news website reported that it took ten minutes for an ambulance with a defibrillator to arrive at the field.

McKenzie was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital."

This article was taken from www.cardiacscience.com.  To read the article in full, click here.

It is also a reminder as to how valuable your efforts as a responder are.  You may not have yet had to deal with a Cardiac Arrest but it is comforting to know that when one does strike in the UK, there is every chance that there may be a responder who could reach a patient and maybe save their life.

Keep up the good work!

Regards

www.medatrain.co.uk

The article below caught me by surprise this morning.  A report warns that the majority of all doctors after 2017 will be women, which will have huge implications for NHS workforce planning.

"Trends show female GPs could outnumber male ones in under four years, says the Royal College of Physicians.

With women more likely to want flexible working to fit with having a family, the NHS faces challenges which could affect patient care, the college warns.

It says the profession would be failing patients if it ignored such concerns.

The government's chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, said he would work with the profession to ensure women in medicine had "every opportunity" to progress their careers.

Female force

Since the early 1990s more than half of all new medical students have been female. Compared with the early 1960s, the number of men entering medical schools each year has doubled, but for women the number has increased 10-fold.

Women form a majority of entrants to most speciality training and women already make up 40% of all doctors, 42% of GPs and 28% of all consultants.

But the NHS will need more doctors to provide the same amount of cover if current trends continue, the college warns.

Specialties like general practice and public health medicine, with set hours, could become oversubscribed with women working part-time.

Meanwhile other specialities, like surgery and anaesthesia, that typically are less appealing careers to women because of the long hours and on-call commitments, would remain male-dominated with few women rising to the top.

Equality

The report says discrimination is no longer a barrier to the career progression of women doctors in the NHS - something backed by research.

A study in the British Medical Journal of UK medical graduates found although a smaller proportion of women than men progressed to senior posts, the career paths of women who had always worked full-time were very similar to those of men.

But there may be bitterness from colleagues about flexible working, says the RCP.

"The growth in part-time work may also impose increasing organisational complexity if full-time doctors, female as well as male, begin to feel that their goodwill and availability are being overstretched by the demands of others who want to work flexibly.

"More than the addition of extra crèches or more flexible child care will be needed to respond to these challenges."

Professor Jane Dacre, chair of the working group which produced the report, said: "More research is essential to find out how reorganising shift patterns and access to childcare facilities will affect the choices doctors make about how they work."

Sir Liam Donaldson said: "We will work with the leadership of the medical profession to ensure that women have every opportunity to realise their aspiration when they choose a career in medicine."

An expert group charged with looking at barriers to successful career progress faced by female doctors will report back in the next few months, he added.

Manpower

Michael Summers of The Patients Association said: "We need all the doctors we can get. Whether they are male or female and working full-time or part-time matters not."

He said more female doctors would mean more choice for some patients, including certain ethnic minorities that can only be examined by a female on religious grounds.

Najette O'Donnell, a medical student in London and member of the BMA's Medical Student Committee, said: "It is good to see that women are breaking down barriers in the NHS and are now entering medical school in large numbers.

"However, it is crucial that the health service adapts to any consequences that might flow from these changes and encourages people from all backgrounds into medicine.

"Issues such as speciality choices must be examined in detail now so that we don't face serious problems in the future."

The president of the Royal College of Surgeons, John Black, said: "Managing surgical cases is both highly unpredictable and technical, going some way to explain why there are fewer women going into surgery."

Dr John Heyworth, President of The College of Emergency Medicine, said: "Emergency Medicine, like many other specialties, is now attracting more women as working arrangements become more session-based and predictable.

"This report and its recommendations will be critical to help us prepare for the changing gender balance ensuring the ongoing development of a high quality Emergency Medicine workforce."

I agree with Michael Summers who says that "we need all the help we can get, male or female".  From meeting responders so far, I would say that it is probably 50/50 so I don't think the same trends will be followed.  What do you think? Leave your comments by clicking on the box below.

This article was taken from the BBC online.  To view in full click here

www.medatrain.co.uk

It seems that everything that you eat or drink nowadays can have both positive and negative effects on your health.  The latest rather amusing revelation comes from a Professor Murali Doraiswamy and he thinks that a weekly curry could have huge implications for your health....

"Eating a curry once or twice a week could help prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, a US researcher suggests.

The key ingredient is curcumin, a component of the spice turmeric.

Curcumin appears to prevent the spread of amyloid protein plaques - thought to cause dementia - in the brain.

But the theory, presented at the Royal College of Psychiatrists' annual meeting, has been given a lukewarm reception by UK experts.

Amyloid plaques, along with tangles of nerve fibres, are thought to contribute to the degradation of the wiring in brain cells, eventually leading to symptoms of dementia.

Professor Murali Doraiswamy, of Duke University in North Carolina, said there was evidence that people who eat a curry meal two or three times a week have a lower risk of dementia.

He said researchers were testing the impact of higher doses - the equivalent of going on a curry spree for a week - to see if they could maximise the effect.

Animal studies

Professor Doraiswamy told the meeting: "There is very solid evidence that curcumin binds to plaques, and basic research on animals engineered to produce human amyloid plaques has shown benefits."

"You can modify a mouse so that at about 12 months its brain is riddled with plaques.

"If you feed this rat a curcumin-rich diet it dissolves these plaques. The same diet prevented younger mice from forming new plaques.

"The next step is to test curcumin on human amyloid plaque formation using newer brain scans and there are plans for that."

Professor Doraiswamy said a clinical trial was now underway at the University of California, Los Angeles, to test curcumin's effects in Alzheimer's patients.

He said research had also examined turmeric's therapeutic potential for treating conditions such as cancer and arthritis.

Good diet

He stressed that eating a curry could not counter-balance the increased risk of dementia associated with a poor diet.

However, he said: "If you have a good diet and take plenty of exercise, eating curry regularly could help prevent dementia."

Professor Doraiswamy predicted it might be possible to develop a curry pill which had the same therapeutic effect.

However, Rebecca Wood, of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, stressed that people would need to eat a lot of curry - over 100g of turmeric curry powder - to get a clinical dose of curcumin.

She said: "Professor Doraiswamy's unpublished research applies only to animal models; his hypothesis has not been confirmed in human clinical trials.

"We look forward to the results of the human curcumin trial at UCLA."

Dr Susanne Sorensen, of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "Indian communities that regularly eat curcumin have a surprisingly low incidence of Alzheimer's disease but we don't yet know why.

"Alzheimer's Society is keen to explore the potential benefits of curcumin in protecting the brain and we are conducting our own research into this area.

"A cheap, accessible and safe treatment could transform the quality of life of thousands of people with the condition."

Whether it works or not, I say that it's a great excuse for a weekly takeaway!!

The article was taken from the BBC online.  To view the full article, click here

www.medatrain.co.uk

Good afternoon all,

Below is some information on the new oxygen protocol.  It's a bit of a long read but it is worth it.

"The British Thoracic Society has developed new oxygen protocols using evidence-based medicine.  The new national guideline will provide clarity on emergency oxygen use in adults.

Oxygen is routinely given to seriously ill adults in a variety of emergency settings and it can save the life of patients with illnesses which have caused hypoxaemia.  It is essential to correct hypoxaemia quickly for these patients and the widespread use of targeted oxygen therapy will hopefully allow health care professionals to seriously ill patients and this may save lives.

AMongst healthcare professionals there is a widepsread belief that oxygen relieves breathlessness, yet there is no evidence thast this is the case, providing that oxygen levels in the blood re normal (which is true in many serious illnesses, even if breathlessness is present).  In fact, giving oxygen when blood saturation levels are normal will produce hyperoxia which may stimulate reflexes that actually reduce the blood flow to organs such as the heart and might therefore reduce the delivery of oxygen to these vital organs.

Unnescessary oxygen therapy can hinder the efforts of healthcare professionals by delaying the recognition of patiernt deterioration due to the false reassurance that can be provided by a high oxygen saturation reading.   Additionally, patients with some lung dieases, such as COPD, are sensitive to oxygen and an excess can have harmful consequences.

Before the widespread adoption of oximeters, oxygen saturation could only be estimated by clinical examination, which is unreliable, or by taking blood from the arteries, which is a specialist technique (and uncomfortable for patients).  This has meant that protocols have been developed to ensure that patients received sufficient oxygen.  Audit in several countries has shown that the protocols were rarely followed due to the complexity of the protocols and the lack of a standardisation of oxygen use within and between the units.

The introduction of oximeters, however, allows blood oxygen saturation to be monitored, allowing more accurate initial assessment of the patient's condition as well as ongoing monitoring.  This paves the way for more effective oxygen therapy, targeted at patients with a clear, clinical need*.

One Ambulance Trust is commencing on the New guidelines TODAY.  They feel that by running the guideline for CFR's alongside it's road staff will "reduce the risk of embarassment or conflict if a crew came into a room and immediately reduced or increased the flow of oxygen.

A significant change in the new guidelines is confirmed for suspiscion of paraquat poisoning.  The guidelines state that patients may be harmed by supplemental oxygen so avoid delivery unless SaO2 <88%.  Paraquat is no longer contraindicted*2.

There is no change to the way we deliver oxygen to children.  All children with significan illness or injury should recieve HIGH levels of supplementary oxygen."

In the new guidelines, it is now essential that each First Responder group has a pulse oximeter to establish the oxygen saturation level of the patients' blood.  If you want to know where you can get a quality finger tip pulse oximeter for the special price of just £39.95, visit the medatrain store at www.medatrain.co.uk.

* British Thoraic Society. 2008. Emergency Oxygen in Adults. Online (Available at http://www.brit-thoraic.org.uk/clinicalinformation/emergencyoxygen/tabid/219/default.aspx)

*2 Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee. 2009. Oxygen Update. Online. (Available at http://www.jrcalc.org.uk/newjrcalcguidance/oxygen_guideline_combined220409.pdf)

Hi All,

This message was posted to all of the members on the UK First Responder Forum (http://medatrain.proboards.com).  The clear message in this article is that your own safety is the most important thing to look after whilst you are responding.  If Ray had not taken the actions as he describes in this post, who knows what could have happened:

"Hi all, I thought I would let you mall know about a job I attended a couple of weeks ago. It shows how we all need to put our safety first.

I was called to what we thought to be a collapse, on arriving on scene I was met by a Guy who was on the phone to control. After going into the property it was apparent to me that the patient had, had a cardiac arrest.

As I started to place my kit down I noticed that there were empty wine bottles on the floor and a couple of cork screws were also laying around. The guy who was on the phone told me they had been drinking all day and that he thought the patient was just asleep.

I was also told that control had asked for CPR to be done and the caller said Sod that I am not doing that I think he is dead. I then found out the the caller had also phoned his mates to tell them all about what was going on at his flat.

At this point I made my excuses that I needed something from my car and withdrew. I contacted control and informed them of what was happening and they contacted the police. Whilst on the phone another drunken person arrived to see what was going on.

After a few seconds the Paramedic arrived and I filled him in with the situation and we went in together. Just as we had got in the police arrived to deal with the people that had started to appear at the address.

The Paramedic put all the leads on the patient but there was nothing at all, he said the patient may have been dead for about an hour or so. It seems the caller had fallen asleep after drinking far too much and when he woke he thought the patient was just sleeping off the drink.

After giving my statement to the police ETC, I sat back and thought about the job. I spoke to the Paramedic and police and told them why I felt the need to withdraw from the address. Both parties told me that I did the right thing and my safety comes first.

I did feel bad for withdrawing, but I felt I was in danger at the time. I thought that if one of the drunks came in and didn't like what I was doing, a bottle or corkscrew could have been used as a weapon.

We all need to stay safe out there."

Thanks for the post Ray and to everybody that is First Responding out there, make sure you stay safe!!

Regards

www.medatrain.co.uk

Morning all,

This was posted by airmedtoday on Twitter.  I couldn't believe it when I read it so I though I'd share it with you.  I wonder what on earth the Traffic Warden was thinking???

AN AIR ambulance pilot got the shock of his life when he landed his helicopter in central London on an emergency call – and was given a parking ticket.

The ambulance was responding to a 999 call in Cavendish Square, Westminster, when the bizarre event occurred.

Despite giving life-saving aid to a stricken pedestrian, the £80 ticket was issued. Thankfully, the pilot was able to laugh about it.

Off-street parking is available in Cavendish Square – at a cost of £32 a day.

How bizarre!!!

The full artcile can be found at www.thelondonpaper.com.

Have a great day!

Adios

www.medatrain.co.uk

Good afternoon all,

This video should be of interest to you.  It discusses the opinion that First Responders are being used to help meet ambulance targets.  When a Responder arrives at an incident, the stopwatch is stopped... what do you think?

Interesting to see that they are able to respond on blue lights and get called out to traffic incidents.

The video is posted on the BBC, so good or bad points, its all good for raising the awareness of what First Responders and their duties are.

See the video here - http://tr.im/lfnB

Enjoy!

Adios

Good afternoon all,

I thought that this was a very interesting article.  Thanks to ParamedicUK (twitter) for posting it.  Could this work for First Responders? 

"PARAMEDICS on cycles are saving lives in Chester city centre during a pilot project.  Cycle response units are being used on Thursdays, Friday and Saturday as part of a six week trial in the city centre.  In many cases the bike can get to an incident more quickly than an ambulance.

Cycling paramedic Eric Forster said colleague Frank Allen had “brought back” a patient after responding to a cardiac arrest in Chester on the bike, which carries resuscitation drugs and an automatic defibrillator.  Eric said the cycle had a siren but an old fashioned bell was the best way of clearing pedestrians.

North West Ambulance Service unveiled the cycle response units at the Open Golf championship at Royal Birkdale and the Tall Ships event in Liverpool and the Wirral in 2008.  They are deployed at sporting and mass gathering where the use of a conventional ambulance would be hindered either by the layout of the venue or the large number of pedestrians attending the event.  A Manchester scheme has been well received by the public and provides the community with reassurance.

The cycle responders aim to be accessible to the public, who readily approach them and engage them in conversation.  Some of the people who seek medical advice may be directed to hospital, whereas others who have no requirement to be transported to hospital are advised to go to the nearest Walk in Centre.

Cycling paramedics are required to complete a medical questionnaire and a cycle specific fitness assessment.

They also need to successfully complete International Police Mountain Bike Course (IPMBA)."

Do you think it is a concept that could work for First Responders.  I can see pro's and cons. In city centres & suburbs as it could sometimes be quicker than responding in a vehicle, especially during busy periods.  However, would you feel safe?  Does anyone already Respond on their bike??

Let us know by leaving a comment below or on our UK First Responder Forum - http://medatrain.proboards.com

The article was published by the Liverpool Echo, to view the artcle, visit - http://tr.im/l8OL

Have a great day!!

Adios!

www.medatrain.co.uk

Good afternoon all,

We hope that you had a great weekend!

Today we thought we would post another thread from the UK First Responder forum,  it is truly an unmissable read!

In an effort to inject a bit of humour into the Forum (as there has been some intense dicscussions recently!) "Firestreak" posted the following commentary on one of his recent call outs:

"I was recently called to a Cardiac Arrest where unfortunately the patient didn't make it. With my car, an FRV and A&E Ambulance outside the address, it was bound to attract some attention, especially with it being a warm sunny day and people were already in their gardens. As each vehicle left, a young lady in a neighboring house stood at her garden gate waving everyone off, which apparently is something she often does.

www.medatrain.co.uk

Morning readers,

We'd just like to give you a "heads up" on a new series of First Aid Training videos that we will soon be releasing through our channel on youtube  - http://tr.im/juIp

There's already a few interesting videos on the channel that you may want to share.  If you use FireFox and you want to download the videos, there's loads of free downloads, you can search from them on the FireFox database or on google.  I'd recommed using FireFox's own.

They will include basic First Aid Training procedures that, as Community First Responders, you will probably already know through your initial training, however they may be useful for brushing up on your skills!

If you want to use them on any of your websites/facebook profiles etc, we'd be more than happy for you to do so.  The main purpose of the videos will be to educate as many people as possible about the basics of First Aid.  If it helps to save one life, it will have been more than worth it!

If you've got any ideas for features that you would be interested in, let us know and we'll see what we can do.  Leave a comment by clicking on the "Comment" box below.

We'll let you know when the first one is available but it shouldn't be too long!

Have a great weekend!

Adios

www.medatrain.co.uk

Good afternoon First Responders of Britain!

Thanks to everybody thats befriended med-a-train on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.  We're finding it very interesting talking to you all and we're also very happy to be receving some fantastic feed back from you with regards to products that you have ordered from the store

If you're a Community First Responder with a facebook account, please feel free to add us as a friend and we will be more than happy to return the favour.  Our name on Facebook is Medatrain Responder  It's been especially useful for Responders that have specific requests or cannot find what they are looking for on the internet.  We're more than happy to help.  It's also a great way to keep in touch with the latest updates of Mouth 2 Mouth, the soon to be launched newsletter for UK first responders.

Keeping up to date with the times, we're also on Twitter.  If there's any other Twitterers out there come follow us and we'll return the favour again.  We like to be in touch with whats going on in the Responder Community.  All you have to do is search for Medatrain on Twitter and you'll be able to find us easily.  We've already got some interesting profiles following us that you may be intersted in following yourself so it's defintely worth checking out!

Don't forget, there's also the UK First Responder Forum which is absolutely free to join.  There's some great discussions on there at the moment and insights from medical professionals.  Make sure you check it out! - http://tr.im/kJMa

Stay tuned for more updates and keep your eyes peeled for Mouth 2 Mouth arriving in your inbox soon!

Adios!

P.S. Please feel free to leave a comment by clicking on the "comment" box below

www.medatrain.co.uk

The comment below was posted on our UK First Responder Forum:

(http://medatrain.proboards.com). 

It makes a very interesting read.  Let us know what you think, please feel free to leave your thoughts by clicking on the "comment" button at the bottom of the article.

In response to a couple of threads being posted on the forum with regards to Blue Lights and Uniform,  "Prontocab" posted the following:

"Firstly... Why?

Why do so many of you crave blue lights, sirens and a psuedo paramedic uniform?

Surely, if you want these things, it would be better to apply and hopefully join one of the Ambulance trusts near to you.

Or how about Joining St John? They may not do what the real paramedics do, but they do help in times of crisis, and are blue light trained (But only for times of crisis)

As a State Registered Paramedic, i look upon these posts and questions with some suspiscion. Wearing a uniform could be deceiving the patient that a qualified member of the ambulance service has turned up, not a CFR. This has certainly happened in my experience, and this assumption has not been corrected by the responders concerned. One example is as follows, Bedecked in their Green jump suits, with 'Duck tape' wrapped around their trouser legs, they were happy to go along with the patient and relatives assumption that these jokers were Paramedics. When we arrived, they even tried to see if we'd go along with it.

Fraid i passed on that one, and informed the relatives that we were the Paramedics.

So uniforms could serve to confuse the patient. Is this the aim? A uniform can give the impression you are more qualified than you are.

Blue lights are another bone of contention. Why do you want them so much? Is it the 'Starsky and Hutch Syndrome'? the problems associated with using blue lights are manyfold. Staff responders for the Ambulance service have had all sorts of problems, and these guys are qualified state registered paramedics, monitored by the HPC, and have undergone blue light training. Using them atop your car for responding can most certainly invalidate your insurance in a RTC, and the police won't be lenient in such cases. They aren't with professional blue light trained personnel. Having a badged vehicle also seems to serve to confuse. Once again, examples in the past have proved this. one particular scheme that did this certainly caused much consternation with the relatives of one particular individual as they thought the 'Paramedics' had arrived in their nice shiny response car, only to be told that they had to now wait for an Ambulance as all they could do was apply oxygen. Blue lights/batternburg vehicles can give the impression you carry more equipment, like an NHS trust Ambulance, than you actually do.

Such issues will only serve to confuse the public as to your role. Such posts only make proffessional crews think you are all wannabes, Walter Mittys in the making.

Now i know this doesn't apply to all of you, and no offence is meant, but you need to see it from a professional point of view.

Responder schemes exist due to the Government wanting to get a defib to a cardiac patient quicker. The Ambulance service was tasked with this, but no extra money was really forth-coming to achieve it. So instead of putting a paramedic on every street corner, they went fot the next best thing. Volunteers. Yourselves. Basic Defib and oxygen training meant the NHS could try and hit the targets the Government set, and at the cheap as well (You do volunteer). I'm not against these schemes, not one iota, but the fact is that there was never talk of uniform or blue lights when these schemes started. It just makes me draw the conclusion that some CFRs are starting to get ideas above their station and training and that is worrying.
Now some people are sure to say that things have changed and they need these items, but all i can say is that on a local level, uniform and bluelights would be more confusing than helpful and could cause friction between ambulance crews and responders. As i post this, no schemes in my area wear uniform or have blue lights, and the relationship between the professionals and the volunteers is excellent. We all know how we can help the patient to the best of our abilities."

Do you agree with "Prontocabs" comments or do you have a slightly different take on things, let us know by either leaving a comment below or posting a reply at http://tr.im/kDpe

www.medatrain.co.uk

Welcome to the new med-a-train blog.  We'll do our best to keep you updated with everything that's going on with med-a-train, including the UK First Responder Newsletter and new products/offers that we think you're going to be interested in.

This week, we thought we'd give you a little bit of a preview as to what's going to be included in the first issue of "Mouth 2 Mouth" (what do you think of the name?!), the monthly newsletter that we have created for all of the UK First Responders.  Firstly, we're running a little behind schedule. We had originally planned to send out the Newsletter today.  However, we've come discovered loads of great content that we want to include. So, it's taken us slightly longer than anticipated to finish. 

Each month, we will be including a feature article.  This month, med-a-train were invited to the (bear with me because the title is quite a mouthful!) "Development Workshop Conference to consider the viability and value of forming a National Association for Community First Responders (CFRs)".  The conference took place on the 29th April and we think that you are going to be very excited about what discussions took place and what the outcome was!  We've got a great report from the event and you'll find out all about it in this months issue of Mouth 2 Mouth.  We've got reports from the various fundraising events taking place in the CFR community including Steve Blethyn's "Long Way Down" and L.I.V.E.S "CPR for L.I.V.E.S" events.  We've got product reviews, Responder Group profiles and much much more so stay tuned and keep checking your inbox!  We'll let you know when you should be expecting a copy,  it will be in the next few days, we can't wait!

So that's the newsletter out of the way.  We hope that you're all looking forward to that.  If you would like a copy and havn't yet registered on the mailing list, send an e-mail to mouth2mouth@medatrain.co.uk and we'll make sure that one gets sent to you.  By the way, it's totally free!  We're already looking for features, events, groups etc to feature in our next issue as we hope that it will be a monthly newsletter, providing we have enough content.  If you feel that you would be able to contribute, let us know - mouth2mouth@medatrain.co.uk.  If we publish anything that you send in, we'll send you a free First Responder Round Neck T-shirt to say thank you!

Next, with the warm weather approaching, our newly released line of First Responder Clothing is really taking off.  We've just received our new batch of Polo T-Shirts and we think that they're absolutely fantastic.  They're perfect for wearing causally or sticking on to respond in and they look great.  You can get one for under £10 as well, have a look and let us know what you think - http://www.medatrain.co.uk/userimages/procart4.htm.  The First Responder 3/4 length lightweight jacket has also been very popular and we're not surprised, especially compared to some of the other prices out there!

Are any of you going to RIAT (Royal International Air Tatoo) this year.  If you don't already know, it's going to be held on Sunday 19th July.  Some of us went last year and felt that it was a very good day out .  If you're interested, have a look here - http://tr.im/kbMt 

Finally, if you want to chat with other First Responders from across the UK, visit our forum at http://medatrain.proboards.com.  It's specifically for First Responders and there's some great topics on there to get involved with. You don't even have to register to post in the General Forum, and if you do register, it's completely free anyway, give it a go!

The next time you'll be hearing from us is when you're stuck into reading the first issue of Mouth 2 Mouth.  We hope that you enjoy it as we have worked very hard to get it together and it's shaped up to be a fantastic read, well worth the effort.  So, until then, keep up the good work!

Adios!

http://www.medatrain.co.uk

We are currently in the proces of creating a Newsletter which (we hope) will be sent out to Community First Responders throughout the UK. We want this newsletter to be a fdantastci success and thorugh it, Responders will be able to keep up to date with the latest goings on in the Responder Community.

For this newsletter to work, we need some interesting content which means that we need your help! So, if you have anything that you feel could be included in a newsletter, send it to us at info@medatrain.co.uk. It can be absolutely anything, from amusing call outs to new products that you think could be useful.

As an incentive, for every article that you send and is included, we will send you a First Responder T-shirt absolutely free. So, not only do you get your article seen by Responders throughout the UK, you will also be able to attend call-outs in style!

Send any info or articles you have to info@medatrain.co.uk.

MEDICAL students are getting a head start saving lives after forming a community first responder team.

The trainee doctors at Keele University's Medical School have formed the team to gain important experience while providing a valuable service to the community.

Seven students are volunteering on the scheme, which covers the campus and Keele village, with a further five soon to complete their training.

First responder schemes, provided in conjunction with West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS), are already established in other parts of North Staffordshire.

Team leader David Rawlinson, a fourth year medical student, volunteered as a first responder in his home city of Sheffield so was eager to get involved in the scheme at Keele.

David, aged 23, said: "It can be difficult for medical students to gain experience in a pre-hospital environment, so this was one way to get around that while at the same time helping the community.

"We discussed it with the West Midlands Ambulance Service and it turned out that Keele was a good place to base a scheme. There is a similar first responder team at Cardiff University, but the training provided by WMAS is in a different class.

"The scheme allows medical students to practise skills that they wouldn't be able to do in hospital, which will help them gain experience for their future careers.

"There was a big response when we asked for volunteers, with about 50 people replying."

Helen Price, aged 24, from Manchester, is a second year medical student who has nearly completed her first responder training.

She said: "It's really good experience for me, because I'm looking to go into emergency medicine. I don't think I would have got an opportunity like this anywhere else in the country.

"In some ways, being a medical student is irrelevant, because first responders have a different approach to patients."

The first responders attend 999 calls and carry life-saving equipment such as defibrillators. Once trained, each first responder is expected to volunteer for at least 16 hours a month.

WMAS trains the teams but they must fund themselves.

The Keele team is raising £10,000 for a vehicle, uniforms and other equipment.

Andy Garner, dean of the faculty of health, said: "I think it's an absolutely fantastic initiative. The students are getting the chance, early on in their training, to improve their skills, and lifesaving skills at that. I think we're going to extend this across the faculty, so nurses, physiotherapists and pharmacists get the chance to benefit."

David added: "Different students have different term dates, and medical students tend to move around a lot, so we are looking to recruit people from different departments. We're also looking to recruit staff who live on campus who can volunteer over the summer."

Anyone interested in joining Keele Community First Responders should email email@keelecfr.org.uk

For the full article, click here

This clip is from the TV show "Bondi Beach".   It is a few years old but shows how a Cardiac Science Defibrillator can save people's lives.  This is a real life situation.  Click here.

First Responders play a massive role in saving the lives of thousands of people every year.  Anyone (providing you are 18-70 and have a drivers license) can become a Responder and make a huge difference to their community.  If you would like to know more, have a look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kMcZg4_Ocg

There are thousands of First Responders throughout the UK.  These people are devoted and hard working members of the community that donate their own time and money into saving the lives of others.  There are many responder groups spread out accoss the UK and yet there is no real connection between any of them.  You will find groups on Facebook that are dedicated to First Responders but not everybody has a facebook account and there are rarely any posts made on the boards.

Therefore, we decided that it was about time that a newsletter was created.  This newsletter will be sent out to all UK First Responders and will hopefully include upcoming dates, changes to regualtions and some interesting articles which will hopefully help Responders to connect with other Responders throughout the UK. 

If you are a responder and would like to be added to the mailing list, or if you have any content that you would like to be included in the Newsletter, let us know.  Send an e-mail to info@medatrain.co.uk!

One of our main aims at medatrain.co.uk is to create a meeting place for Community/Ambulance First Responders throughout the UK.  

For those of you that are already active on the forum, you will notice that we have had a complete revamp and we haver installed a system which is far easier to use and is not scattered with distracting (and annoying!) adverts.

Please feel free to sign up (100% free) and have your say about the latest events and news in the world of CFRs.

To the members of the old site, I'm afraid that you will have to re-join as we do not hold details for your usernames and passwords etc (otherwise I would have added you myself).  However, it is really quick and easy and you will be able to enjoy a far better forum once joined.

Thanks again and I apologise for the inconvenience caused.  See you in the new forum!

Kind regards

Forum Admin

At med-a-train, we don't want first aid to be an after thought, we want it to be an exercise that everybody can get involved with.  We want to make sure that any clients enjoy our courses as it means that they are more likely to take in and remember the information.  This means that you can be confident that you are getting it right when it comes to using First Aid in a real life situation.  Our courses are instructed by highly experienced individuals who have many years experience in the first aid and medical sectors.

As a result of our fantastci training services, we have had a fantastic start to the training programme.  We have already had a fantastic selection of highly satisfied clients including Estate Agents, Golf Clubs, Hotel Chains and even one of the largest employers in Derby!

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