Emergency Medical Retrieval Service

Emergency Medical Retrieval Service
Established2004
HeadquartersGlasgow airport
NHS regionScotland
Budget£2 million
Websitewww.emrsscotland.org Edit this at Wikidata

The Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS) is part of ScotSTAR retrieval service. The EMRS provides aeromedical critical care retrieval and pre-hospital care to people in Scotland[1][2] in the form of two retrieval teams (North and West). The service provides patients in remote and rural areas with rapid access to the skills of a consultant or senior doctor in emergency medicine, intensive care medicine or anaesthesia, and facilitates transfers to larger, better equipped urban hospitals.[3] The EMRS functions supplementary to the regular Scottish Ambulance Service Air Ambulance service. Unlike air ambulance services in other parts of the UK, EMRS has no dedicated aircraft but both EMRS North and West are funded by the Scottish Government. The EMRS has featured on the Channel 5 documentary series Highland Emergency, which charts the work of rescue services in the Scottish Highlands.[4]

EMRS North team (in Aberdeen) is on base between 0800 and 1800, and EMRS West team (in Glasgow) are on base between 0700 and 2300, for immediate deployment; outside these hours the teams are on-call and will take at least 30 minutes longer to deploy.[5][6]

Services are provided in partnership with the Scottish Ambulance Service utilising road transport, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The EMRS operates as part of ScotSTAR, the Scottish national retrieval service, sharing a bespoke base at Glasgow Airport.[7]

  1. ^ McHenry, Ryan D.; Moultrie, Christopher EJ; Cadamy, Andrew J.; Corfield, Alasdair R.; Mackay, Daniel F.; Pell, Jill P. (22 August 2023). "Pre-hospital and retrieval medicine in Scotland: a retrospective cohort study of the workload and outcomes of the emergency medical retrieval service in the first decade of national coverage". Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine. 31 (1): 39. doi:10.1186/s13049-023-01109-6. ISSN 1757-7241. PMC 10463457. PMID 37608349.
  2. ^ Moultrie, C. E. J.; Corfield, A. R.; Pell, J.; Mackay, D. (1 May 2017). "46 Forecasting the demand profile for a physician-led pre-hospital care service using a mathematical model". BMJ Open. 7 (Suppl 3). doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-EMSabstracts.46. ISSN 2044-6055.
  3. ^ "What we do". Glasgow: EMRS. Archived from the original on 11 April 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  4. ^ "Spin Doctor (EMRS Newsletter)" (PDF). Glasgow: EMRS. January 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Gallier, Jonny. OG028 ScotSTAR Referral (PDF).
  7. ^ "Emergency Medical Retrieval Service". Emergency Medical Retrieval Service. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.