A History Lesson In the years immediately after the Second World War, the number of cars increased rapidly, but road quality and driving skills were often poor. These factors contributed to a marked rise in road accidents. Unfortunately, the victims of these accidents received only rudimentary care at the roadside and as a result, many died unnecessarily. A Yorkshire GP, Dr Ken Easton, realised that many lives could be saved if expert help were to be made available at the scene of serious accidents. In 1949 he began to provide emergency roadside care along a 15 mile stretch of the A1. This worked well and so he began to tour the country, introducing many doctors to the new concept, known as 'Immediate Care.' Gradually other schemes were established throughout Britain and in 1977 a nation-wide co-ordinating organisation was created, called the British Association of Immediate Care Schemes (BASICS.) This name was later changed to the British Association for Immediate Care.                               BASICS logo There are currently around 80 schemes in the UK, all of which are entirely voluntary. Almost 2000 doctors belong to BASICS, these members providing expert medical assistance across approximately 50% of the country. BASICS aims to:

BASICS

A History Lesson In the years immediately after the Second World War, the number of cars increased rapidly, but road quality and driving skills were often poor. These factors contributed to a marked rise in road accidents. Unfortunately, the victims of these accidents received only rudimentary care at the roadside and as a result, many died unnecessarily. A Yorkshire GP, Dr Ken Easton, realised that many lives could be saved if expert help were to be made available at the scene of serious accidents. In 1949 he began to provide emergency roadside care along a 15 mile stretch of the A1. This worked well and so he began to tour the country, introducing many doctors to the new concept, known as 'Immediate Care.' Gradually other schemes were established throughout Britain and in 1977 a nation-wide co-ordinating organisation was created, called the British Association of Immediate Care Schemes (BASICS.) This name was later changed to the British Association for Immediate Care.                               BASICS logo There are currently around 80 schemes in the UK, all of which are entirely voluntary. Almost 2000 doctors belong to BASICS, these members providing expert medical assistance across approximately 50% of the country. BASICS aims to:

- Promote excellence in Immediate Care through training, research               and the publication of books and journals   - Encourage the formation of new schemes   - Enhance co-operation between the emergency services   - Foster links with equivalent organisations in other countries, to         encourage co-operation and also to facilitate the exchange of         both ideas and experience.