Rapid response car for Devon emergency volunteer doctors

The BASICS Devon charity said the rapid response car would enable it to save lives

Volunteer doctors in Devon are using a dedicated rapid response car for the first time to reach patients.

The charity BASICS Devon said volunteers could reach remote communities in all weathers, in most cases "before the ambulance".

Doctors said the vehicle would help save lives across "one of the more rural counties in the country".

The 4x4 vehicle was paid for with a £44,000 grant from the County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal.

'Good use'

The Skoda Kodiaq has high-visibility and reflective markings, blue lights, sirens and a dash cam.

The charity said the vehicle would enable volunteers "to access critical, isolated, sick, and injured patients across one of the most rural counties in the country ... and, in most cases, arrive before the ambulance".

Dr Simon Scott Hayward, volunteer immediate care doctor and chairman of BASICS Devon, said it had "already been put to good use with 31 shifts".

He said: "With winter setting in, we are pleased to have a vehicle fit for purpose, both practical and safe."

Chief executive of the County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal, Robert Bertram, said: "These volunteers are the unsung heroes of emergency care."

He added that the donation would give patients "the best possible chance of survival and recovery".