Scottish HEMS: Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS): The first decade of national coverage with Ryan McHenry

In this episode, we explore the evolution and achievements of Scotland's Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS), a lifeline for critically unwell patients in rural and remote areas. The EMRS, established in 2004, has transformed emergency care in Scotland, expanding its reach nationally in 2010 and opening a second base in Aberdeen in 2019. This service operates within the Scottish Specialist Transport and Retrieval (ScotSTAR) division of the Scottish Ambulance Service, providing vital pre-hospital critical care and retrieval services.

Our discussion today centres around a comprehensive retrospective cohort study covering the first decade of the EMRS’s national service. We'll examine key findings, including the significant number of taskings, the crucial role of geospatial modelling in reducing transfer times, and the service’s targeted support for socio-economically deprived areas. We will delve into the critical factors associated with clinical deterioration and pre-hospital mortality and learn how the EMRS addresses these challenges. We'll also explore the future directions for the service and its ongoing efforts to improve emergency medical care and address health inequalities across Scotland. The paper that Ryan mentions in the interview on: Equity in the provision of helicopter emergency medical services in the United Kingdom: a geospatial analysis using indices of multiple deprivation can be found here: https://sjtrem.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13049-024-01248-4