The BEEP Fund was set up in April 1994 to develop the service then provided by Penrith and District Accident Scheme. Dr Theo Weston [pictured left], who was in at the beginning, and is still BEEP Chairman said:- “We felt there was a need to take this a step further. We bought more sophisticated equipment and a dedicated vehicle (the Immediate Response Vehicle) which was capable of carrying this equipment to wherever it was needed. This vehicle is kept in Penrith and attends road traffic accidents and many other medical emergencies in the area.”
Since then BEEP has certainly moved on from 3 Drs and a 15 mile operating radius from Penrith we now have 8 highly trained Doctors, whose own cars are equipped with Blues and Twos and emergency equipment, in addition to the dedicated response vehicle. BEEP now covers Cumbria from Kendal up to the Scottish Borders.
BEEP now really is taking A&E to the patient
The BEEP Fund Doctors [4 of them pictured below] have now had specialist training in enhanced pre-hospital emergency care & can provide an extra level of medical intervention not normally available until the patient reaches hospital. This stabilises the patient much sooner than would otherwise be the case & therefore improves their chances of a better long term outcome.
BEEP was also a founding member of BASICs NW [British Association for Immediate Care NW]. This is a confederation of similar BASICs teams across the region which has the aim of standardising procedures across the various teams. BASICs NW is also affiliated to the national BASICs organisation.
BEEP running costs are about £36000 per year. That it is still running after almost 24 years is a testimony to the generosity of the people of Penrith and Eden District. If you feel you could help us please visit our website at www.beepfund.org.uk
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| The BEEP car |
Some of the equipment carried in the vehicle/s is listed below.
- Ultrasound scanner
- An MRL Pic monitor/defibrillator to monitor the heart, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, temperature and blood pressure
- An AED defibrillator
- A ventilator device
The car also carries oxygen, entonox, splints, collars, intravenous fluids and other supplies as well as being fully kitted out with emergency lights, siren, reflective stripes and a radio. More up-to-date equipment is continuously being bought or used to replace old stock as equipment improves or use by dates pass.