Rapid Response Units

When you call 999 in a medical emergency,the paramedic may arrive in a specially equipped rapid response car rather than the traditional ambulance. That's because it's the medical skills of the paramedic that saves lives, not the vehicle they arrive in. It's the speed in which that paramedic gets to the patient and the treatment given on arrival that influences survivability, not the time it takes to get to hospital.

The Scottish Ambulance Service uses Rapid Response Vehicles in many parts of the country to ensure the fastest possible response to 999 calls. The vehicles deliver an early intervention for emergency patients before they are transported to hospital by A&E ambulance.

Different types of vehicle are used as Rapid Response Vehicles to best suit the area they operate in. In urban areas, estate cars are mostly used, whereas in some rural areas 4x4 vehicles are more appropriate. Each vehicle carries all the life saving drugs and equipment that a normal ambulance uses, however they do not transport patients to hospital. Once an A&E ambulance arrives, the paramedic will transfer the patient to the care of the ambulance crew, so that the patient can be transported to hospital. This means that the paramedic is available to attend the next emergency call, rather than be tied up for some time travelling to hospital and back.

In rural areas, where journeys to hospital are longer and so the ambulance will be out of area for longer, the use of Rapid Response Vehicles ensures that a paramedic always remains in the area to respond to emergencies. Similarly, in urban areas, where the number of 999 calls is highest, Rapid Response Vehicles achieve an even faster response whilst the ambulance is on its way.

Early intervention can be the difference between life and death in some emergencies and it is the function of the RRV paramedic to stabilise every patient rather than rush them immediately to hospital. This may take up twenty minutes, depending on the nature of the medical emergency. In 99% of the cases they attend the emergency is over once the RRV paramedic arrives.