Sunday September 8 2024
Swindon & Wiltshire News
Wiltshire’s highway heroes Swift Medics will have a more visible presence at road traffic accidents across the county, following the donation of a BMW from franchise Dick Lovett.
The Hungerford branch of the Swindon-based dealership has presented the emergency doctors with a brand new BMW 3 Series Touring X drive to use when they are responding to emergencies.
The team of volunteer doctors provide potentially life-saving emergency care at the scene of serious road traffic accidents and other life threatening medical emergencies. They receive no funding from local or central government or the NHS.
They work alongside ambulance paramedics and air ambulance crews and are able to provide enhanced care, including stronger pain relief and surgical procedures – in effect bringing the hospital emergency department to the patient.
The donated car will enable the Swift Medics to carry more lifesaving equipment, attend incidents quicker and provide extended training to their new doctors.
It will also enable the team to promote their lifesaving work as it is the first time they have had such a large and visual item covered with their charity’s logo and website details.
And the BMW will also help keep these lifesaving volunteer doctors safe when they treat patients on roadsides and at night, thanks to its fluorescent branding, siren and fitted lights.
“Having a dedicated and branded car to use when we respond to emergencies will be hugely beneficial as we will be far more visible to the general public and to our colleagues in the emergency services, which in turn will help us help more patients more quickly,em” said Dr Jonathan Glover of Swift Medics.
“People may be surprised to know that there is no national funding for the pre-hospital, emergency care which charities like Swift Medics provide, so we are entirely reliant on donations made by our supporters and the general public – but this is the first time that we have been given a car.”
Julian Wraight, dealer principal at Dick Lovett BMW in Hungerford, said: “The emergency care provided by Swift Medics is invaluable to our local area.
“As they do not receive any national funding, the volunteer emergency doctors were using their own personal vehicles when responding to emergencies at significant personal expense – up until now that is.
“We are delighted to donate a new BMW emergency response vehicle which will be vital in enabling SWIFT Medics to continue providing out-of-hospital emergency medical care to our local community.”
