A local charity has been supported by the Lions Club of Rutland.

The volunteer team at the Lions Club of Rutland have handed over a cheque to the hard-working doctors, paramedics and emergency carers at the East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme (EMICS).

EMICS is a network of volunteer doctors with specialist training in pre-hospital emergency medicine who assist East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) at the scene of life threatening emergencies. EMICS doctors provide advanced specialist skills at the point of accident or injury, where they are needed most. 

A spokesperson for the Rutland Lions said: "Not many people know this, but there's a team of volunteer medics looking out for the people of Rutland and beyond. Listening to Dr Tim Gray MBE at the recent monthly meeting of the Lions Club of Rutland at The Admiral Hornblower, members discovered that a small group of doctors and paramedics cover some 4,000 square miles of the East Midlands, in all weathers, at all hours of the day or night, 365 days a year."

EMICS doctors are dispatched alongside usual NHS resources to the most serious incidents in the region and arrive at scene carrying all their own kit and medications, funded entirely by the charity. 

This is why support from local fundraisers and organisations, such as the Rutland Lions, is critical to the continued success of the group.

"When we first started, we were told 'you probably won't be needed,'" said Tim, founder member of EMICS (East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme), which now answers 1200-1500 calls for help per year. 

Working primarily with East Midlands Ambulance Service the charity also supports the Air Ambulance, Police, Fire and Rescue Service, and even Mountain Rescue in the hillier areas of its territory, such as the Derbyshire Dales. 

Tim explained: "You don't delay the patient getting to hospital, but you stabilise them to aid recovery. It's all about giving them a chance – getting the right patient to the right hospital with the right treatment. Information is transmitted wirelessly to the receiving hospital, so they are ready for you when you get there." 

Despite describing some very traumatic scenes in his slideshow, Tim's gentle humour made it palatable, for example when facing a patient impaled by a broom handle the medics had to treat it like a very large splinter. 

This was a fascinating, eye-opening talk and the Lions were delighted to hand over a cheque for £1,000 to help the charity with its work. It receives no government or NHS funding but depends entirely on donations, all of which go towards the expense of equipping volunteer medics – which costs approximately £20,000 for each fully trained doctor or paramedic. 

If you'd like to make a donation or learn more about the charity's work, visit the EMICS website.

Alternatively, find out more about the Lions Club of Rutland here. The local group is a part of a worldwide network of volunteers who support local, national and global charities, undertake humanitarian work and much more.