Betfred British Masters 2019

We recently spent a week at the Hillside Golf Club, Southport for the British Masters. The event was hosted by Tommy Fleetwood. Although the weather was varied throughout the week, everyone was in agreement that the golf was superb. Indeed 65,000 people attended Hillside GC during the main event that ran from Thursday till Sunday. That is larger than a small town!

The Medic 1 team consisted of frontline staff, with a Paramedic and Emergency Medical Technician crewed ambulance to treat and provide emergency “blue light” transportation to hospital. A twin Emergency Medical Technician crewed ambulance were also at the event to provide additional support and emergency transportation. The addition of a 14 strong team of advanced first aiders meant that we were ready to deal with whatever medical emergencies arose.

Often people ask us if we deal with a lot of accidents at golf events; the answer is that we do not. Every care is taken to reduce risks to a minimum and therefore the number of accidents. Rope lines are monitored and will be moved if it is felt that visitor safety can be improved. Of course, we do see some ball strikes on occasions, but fortunately most do not lead to significant injuries. Over the course of a major golf tournament we can treat many patients experiencing worsening of pre-existing medical conditions or the onset of serious illness, for example cardiac problems, such as a heart attack.

During the British Masters, we treated 75 patients. We set up medical centres to assess, treat and monitor them. This allows most patients to return to the event, with minimum interruption and inconvenience. Medic 1 also cared for several acutely unwell patients and transferred them to the hospital Emergency Department to receive ongoing care. In most cases spectators were happily oblivious to all the behind the scenes activity and were able to enjoy the golf.

We all know that the NHS is stretched, often to beyond capacity, with Medic 1 on site at this and other major events, the statutory ambulance service is not burdened by additional work arising from event footfall and can concentrate on serving the people who live in the local community.

On Sunday afternoon Marcus Kinhult birded the last two holes to beat Matt Wallace by a shot. We had the winner and all just in time to watch a certain football match that was also being screened at Hillside.

Medic 1 are delighted to work at prestigious golf events throughout the UK. We really have earned the title of #Golfmedics