Pre-Hospital Care Podcast
Eoin Walker 395 episodes Nov 12, 2026
Pre-Hospital Care Podcast features conversations with leading experts in and around pre-hospital care. It explores both technical and non-technical aspects of emergency and out-of-hospital medicine. The aim is to share inspirational and practical insights with listeners. Feedback and reviews are encouraged so that useful information reaches the audience.
Episodes
When Teams Perform Part 2: Human Factors, CRM and High-Performance in Pre-Hospital Care
High-performing pre-hospital care is never the product of technical skill alone. It is built on leadership, communication, trust, and the ability of teams to perform when the stakes are highest.In this special compilation episode of the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we revisit two of our most impactful conversations on what makes exceptional teams. First, Tom Hurst, Medical Director of London's A
When Resuscitation Ends: Death, Dignity and Compassion on the Front Line with Matt Hooper
Today’s episode explores one of the most difficult, and perhaps least discussed, aspects of pre-hospital care: how we care for patients when the goal is no longer simply to save a life, but to help someone die with dignity, compassion, and as little avoidable suffering as possible.I’m joined by Associate Professor Matt Hooper, an intensive care specialist whose career has taken him from emergency
Can We Make HEMS Safer? Inside the Science of Prehospital Critical Care with Prof Stephen Sollid
In this episode of the podcast, I’m joined by Professor Stephen J. M. Sollid from Norway to explore the clinical, organisational, and human factors that underpin safe, high-quality prehospital critical care. Stephen is a specialist in anaesthesiology, Professor of Prehospital Critical Care at the University of Stavanger and Secretary General of the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation. His career sp
When One Heart Changed a Nation: The Yellow Hearts Campaign with Hannah Gompertz
On Easter Sunday 2020, while much of the country was confined to their homes, Hannah Gompertz lost her grandmother to COVID-19. There was no opportunity for a normal goodbye. No family gathering, no comforting embrace, no chance to grieve together in the way families have always done. Like thousands of others, Hannah and her family were left to process an enormous personal loss in isolation, while
When Teams Perform Part 1: Human Factors, Leadership and CRM
In this compilation episode, we revisit two essential themes in high-performing pre-hospital teams: human factors and leadership with Clare Fitchett, followed by crew resource management (CRM) with Neil Jeffers.Through these conversations, we explore how leadership, communication, situational awareness, and decision-making influence team performance in complex, high-pressure environments. Clare’s
Communication Is a Clinical Intervention: Transforming Pre-Hospital Care with Ashley Voss
In pre-hospital care, communication is not a soft skill; it is a clinical intervention. The speed, accuracy, and clarity with which information is shared between pre-hospital teams, emergency departments, and specialist services can directly influence clinical decision-making, patient flow, and outcomes in time-critical illness and injury.In this episode of The Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we are jo
Leading Irish EMS: In conversation with Cathal O’Donnell on the Future of Pre-Hospital Care
What does the future of pre-hospital care look like, and what can we learn from the people leading its development? As we build towards the EMS2027 Congress in Ireland, taking place from 13–15 April 2027, I’m delighted to be joined by Cathal O’Donnell, Clinical Director of Ireland’s National Ambulance Service, for a conversation about the evolution of Irish EMS and the challenges and opportunities
The STEMI Trap: Are We Missing Heart Attacks? With Michael DeFilippo
Today on the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we’re tackling a topic that challenges one of the most deeply embedded concepts across Pre-hospital care. For decades, we’ve taught clinicians to think in binary terms: STEMI or not STEMI. Spot the ST elevation, activate the pathway, and move the patient toward reperfusion. It’s a model that has transformed care and saved countless lives. But what if that fr
When the Textbook Fails: Recognising SCAD and Posterior Stroke
Some of the most important diagnoses in pre-hospital care are the ones we least expect, conditions that challenge our assumptions, present outside familiar clinical patterns, and can be missed when we rely too heavily on traditional assessment tools.In this episode, we revisit two important conversations from the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast that highlight the consequences of diagnostic overshadowing
The PRONTO Study: How We Detect Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke with Prof Chris Price
Today, we’re exploring a critical challenge in stroke care: identifying patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) and getting them to the right hospital as quickly as possible.Mechanical thrombectomy can transform outcomes, but access depends on rapid identification and appropriate prehospital triage. Current clinical assessment and stroke severity scales have limitations, making it difficult to
Trauma Handover: When Communication Meets Pressure
A good clinical handover sounds simple. But when the environment is noisy, time is limited, cognitive load is high, and the stakes are significant, communicating the right information and ensuring it is understood becomes much harder.In this compilation episode, we explore the relationship between trauma handover, human factors, simulation and performance under pressure, bringing together two conv
CRASH-4: Can Early TXA Save Lives After a Fall with Prof Ian Roberts
A fall from standing height can have devastating consequences in an older adult. In this episode, Professor Ian Roberts joins the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast to discuss CRASH-4, a major randomised trial investigating whether giving intramuscular tranexamic acid (TXA) within three hours of injury can reduce intracranial bleeding, disability and death following symptomatic mild traumatic brain injury
Tactical Medicine Under Pressure: Trauma, Blood, Negotiation & De-escalation
In this special Pre-Hospital Care Podcast tactical medicine compilation, we explore the clinical, operational and human challenges of providing care in high-risk and austere environments.Steve Woods examines the management of ballistic trauma, including whole blood administration, pleural drainage and recognising injury patterns, before discussing an equally important topic: clinician self-care an
The Febrile Child: Recognising Serious Illness Before It's Too Late with Prof Damian Roland
Few presentations generate more uncertainty, anxiety, and clinical challenge than the febrile child. Every day, paramedics, emergency clinicians and critical care teams are faced with one of the most difficult questions in medicine: is this simply a self-limiting viral illness, or the early stages of a life-threatening condition?The challenge lies not in recognising the obviously sick child, but i
Humanitarian Medicine on the Frontline with Deb Swann and Roger Alcock
In this episode, Deb Swann and Roger Alcock take us behind the scenes of humanitarian medicine, sharing their experiences of working in two very different global health emergencies: the 2023 Türkiye–Syria earthquake response and the 2014–2016 West African Ebola outbreak.On 6 February 2023, a series of devastating earthquakes struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria. More than 59,000 people were
Debriefing Part 3: Building Trust, Accountability, and Excellence in High-Performing Teams with John Hiltz
In pre-hospital care, we spend a great deal of time preparing for the moments that matter most: cardiac arrest, major trauma, difficult airways, and emotionally challenging conversations. We train, rehearse, and work hard to achieve technical excellence. But what happens after the event may be just as important as what happens during it. Debriefing is a familiar concept in healthcare. We often thi
The Anatomy of Team Performance: Human Factors in Neonatal Resuscitation with James Yates
Every critically ill newborn represents one of the most demanding moments in healthcare. Within seconds of birth, teams may need to assess, communicate, prioritise, and intervene in an environment where the margin for error is extraordinarily small. Technical expertise is fundamental, but safe and effective resuscitation depends on much more than clinical knowledge alone. Communication, leadership
Bleeding, Coagulation & Blood Administration in Pre-Hospital Care
Major haemorrhage remains one of the most time-critical emergencies in pre-hospital care. When a patient is bleeding to death, stopping the haemorrhage is the immediate priority, but what happens next is equally important. What are we actually replacing?In this special compilation of The Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we explore the evolving science and practice of blood-based resuscitation in major t
Debriefing Part 2: How Debriefing Shapes Performance Under Pressure with Dr. Bridgid Joseph
Every resuscitation is different. Different patients, different teams, different environments, and often very different outcomes. But one thing remains constant: every clinical encounter has the potential to teach us something. The challenge, particularly in pre-hospital and acute care, is creating the time, space, and culture needed to turn those experiences into meaningful learning and sustained
The Pre-Hospital AI Question: Can AI Make Us Better Clinicians?
Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly in healthcare, but what could it mean for pre-hospital care? In this compilation episode, we bring together two conversations exploring how AI could support clinicians, improve decision-making, and transform the way emergency care is delivered.We begin with Zane Perkins, exploring AI-TRiPS, an AI Risk Prediction and Decision Support System for trauma ca
Before the Blade: The Critical 10 Minutes Before Intubation with Cosmo Scurr
The most dangerous part of an intubation is often not the moment the laryngoscope goes in; it’s the ten minutes before it ever leaves the tray.In this episode of the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we focus on The Last 10 Minutes Before Intubation: the critical phase where outcomes are often decided long before airway instrumentation begins. Joining us is Cosmo Scurr, Consultant Anaesthetist, bringing
When Training Meets Reality: The Science of High-Fidelity Simulation
High-fidelity simulation has become far more than an opportunity to practise clinical procedures in a controlled environment. For pre-hospital clinicians working in complex, unpredictable and high-stakes environments, simulation can provide something that conventional classroom teaching cannot: the opportunity to rehearse performance when the environment itself becomes part of the problem.In this
Debriefing Part 1: How Systems Build Excellence in Resuscitation Care with Ann Doll
Resuscitation is often seen as individual performance, but cardiac arrest care is ultimately a system outcome, shaped by training, communication, leadership, feedback, and the systems supporting the team.In this three-part debriefing series, I’m joined by David Hiltz as co-host, and in this first episode, Ann Doll from the Resuscitation Academy, to explore how high-performing systems turn resuscit
Fast or Right? Rethinking Decision-Making in Pre-Hospital Care
Decision-making is one of the defining skills of pre-hospital practice. Every shift requires clinicians to interpret incomplete information, navigate uncertainty, balance competing risks, and make consequential decisions, often under intense time pressure. But does faster decision-making necessarily lead to better decisions?In this compilation episode of the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we explore t
CRM in HEMS: Building Safer Teams Under Pressure with Neil Jeffers
In this episode, I’m joined by Neil Jeffers to explore Crew Resource Management (CRM) and why it remains one of the most important safety tools in aviation, healthcare, and pre-hospital care. We begin by tracing the origins of CRM, examining how a series of aviation accidents shifted the focus from technical proficiency alone to the human factors that influence decision-making, communication, lead
The Decision to Launch: Risk, Pressure, and Precision in HEMS with Diane Dollar
Today, we’re joined by Diane Dollar, a pilot whose career sits at the intersection of frontline HEMS operations, training, and the future of the aviation workforce. Diane is a professional helicopter pilot and check airman for a major air medical operator, with a background that spans tours, VIP charter, organ transport, and helicopter air ambulance missions. Alongside this, she continues to fly e
Running on Empty: The Science of Fatigue in Pre-Hospital Care
Fatigue is one of the most significant yet under-recognised threats to safety in pre-hospital care. Every day, ambulance clinicians make complex clinical decisions, drive emergency vehicles, and care for critically ill patients while working long shifts, overnight hours, and often with inadequate recovery. Despite decades of evidence demonstrating the impact of fatigue on cognitive performance, de
The Post-Cardiac Arrest Learning Gap: Turning Data into Survival With Matt Didcoe
Cardiac arrest remains one of the most scrutinised and resource-intensive presentations in prehospital care. We invest heavily in improving what happens in the moment, compression quality, airway strategies, defibrillation timing, and team coordination. Yet one of the most powerful determinants of system performance often sits outside the resuscitation itself: what we do with the data afterwards.I
Behind the Sirens: Burnout, Daily Stress, and Coping in the Ambulance Service with Dr Jo Mildenhall
In this episode of the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we're joined by Dr Jo Mildenhall to explore a critical and often under-discussed issue in pre-hospital medicine: burnout.Frontline ambulance staff experience some of the highest rates of sickness absence in the NHS, with stress, anxiety, and depression frequently cited as the cause. While much attention has traditionally focused on the impact of ma
A Second Chance at Life: Shane Bradley's Story
On the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we spend a lot of time discussing clinical decision-making, operational challenges, and the science that underpins emergency medicine. But now and again, it's important to step back and remember why we do what we do. Behind every dispatch is a person. Behind every set of observations is a family. And behind every successful mission is a story that often contin
The New Drug Landscape: Club Drugs, Novel Psychoactive Substances and Frontline Emergency Care
The illicit drug market is evolving faster than ever before. Novel psychoactive substances (NPS), synthetic opioids and increasingly potent club drugs are creating new challenges for pre-hospital clinicians, emergency departments and critical care teams. Patients are presenting with unfamiliar toxidromes, unpredictable physiology, and rapidly deteriorating clinical conditions that demand evidence-
Pain First: Rethinking Analgesia in Prehospital Trauma with Luca Carenzo and Urs Pietsch
Pain is one of the most immediate and universal experiences of trauma, yet in emergency and pre-hospital care, it remains surprisingly under-treated. Despite decades of awareness, oligoanalgesia, the inadequate treatment of acute pain, continues to affect patients in the very moments when compassionate, effective care matters most. Too often, the focus in emergency systems has been on processes: w
EMDR Therapy: An Evidence-Based Approach to Trauma with Dr Abigail Pamich
In this episode, we welcome Dr Abigail Pamich, an experienced Clinical Psychologist with more than 20 years of experience working in mental health and psychological therapy. Dr Abigail leads a private psychology practice in the UK, overseeing a team of 12 highly skilled therapists who provide evidence-based therapy remotely to clients across the UK and internationally.Together, we explore Eye Move
Evolving Shock in Major Trauma: A Prehospital Case Review with Michael DeFilippo
On today’s episode, we’re diving into a case study that captures the reality of modern prehospital care at its most demanding: a high-speed road traffic collision resulting in major trauma, an evolving shock presentation, and tension between competing priorities in the field. This case comes from Dr Michael DeFilippo, an Emergency Medicine and EMS physician, and it challenges us to think beyond pr
The Medico-Legal Handbook for Pre-Hospital Care
This special compilation brings together three of our most important episodes exploring the medico-legal aspects of pre-hospital care. From documentation and communication to legal responsibilities and ethical decision-making, this collection provides practical guidance to help clinicians navigate some of the most challenging situations they will encounter in practice.We begin with Mark Faulkner,
No Margin for Error: Decision-Making at the Edge of HEMS with Adele Dobler
In pre-hospital care, few environments demand more precise and timely judgment than within a HEMS system. Decisions are made rapidly, often with incomplete information, within dynamic and unforgiving conditions. It is an operational space where clinical urgency intersects with aviation risk, and where each intervention requires a careful balance between decisive action and the principle of doing n
Burns Masterclass with Krissie Stiles
What you do in the first few minutes after a burn injury can influence not only survival, but pain, healing, scarring, and long-term quality of life.In this special compilation episode, we've brought together both parts of our conversation with burns specialist Krissie Stiles into one comprehensive masterclass. Whether you're revisiting these episodes or listening for the first time, this
Communication Under Pressure: Pre-Hospital Lessons with Dr Stephen Hearns
Communication under pressure is one of the most critical and most fragile skills in pre-hospital care. When it fails, the consequences can be immediate and profound. In this episode, we explore why communication breaks down in high-stress environments, what that costs us clinically, and, crucially, what we can do to improve it. Joining me is Dr Stephen Hearns, one of the most influential figures i
Pre-Hospital Ultrasound: Practice, Decision-Making and Governance | Compilation Episode
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become one of the most exciting developments in modern pre-hospital care. From enhancing clinical assessment and supporting critical interventions to influencing transport and treatment decisions, ultrasound is increasingly finding its place in the hands of pre-hospital clinicians.In this special compilation episode of the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we bring to
Seeing the Whole Child: Paediatric Mental Health in Pre-Hospital Care with Kristina Maximous
Paediatric mental health presentations are becoming an increasingly common part of pre-hospital and emergency care. Yet, many paramedics report feeling under-prepared when it comes to recognising and responding to psychological distress in children and adolescents. Unlike physical illness or injury, mental health concerns often present subtly, evolve dynamically, and sit within complex family, soc
Major Incident Management: Lessons from the Frontline
Major incidents challenge clinicians to balance speed, simplicity, and clinical effectiveness in highly dynamic environments. In this episode, Advanced Paramedics in Critical Care Keir Rutherford and Alec Wilding reflect on lessons learned from real-world major incidents and the findings of inquiries such as the Manchester Arena bombing. The discussion explores the early recognition of terrorist a
From Frazzle to Flow: Mental Focus, Rehearsal, and Peak Performance in Pre-Hospital Care with Dr Stephen Hearns
Today on the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, the discussion opens with a critical question: why do even highly trained clinicians struggle to perform under pressure, and what can be done about it? To explore this, we are joined by Dr Stephen Hearns, a globally respected clinician, educator, and author whose work bridges emergency medicine, human performance science, and high-stakes decision-making.Step
Grief and Bereavement: Understanding Loss in Pre-Hospital Care
Grief is an inevitable part of pre-hospital care, yet it remains one of the most complex and challenging aspects of our work. In this compilation episode, we bring together three powerful conversations exploring grief, bereavement, loss, and the role healthcare professionals play in supporting patients, families, and themselves during some of life's most difficult moments.We begin with renowne
From Black Hawk to HEMS: Decision-Making Where It Matters Most with Kodey Bogart
Today’s guest is Kodey Bogart, a pilot whose career bridges frontline combat aviation and the demanding, safety-critical environment of civilian helicopter operations. Dr. Kodey Bogart, AvD., is a former United States Army Warrant Officer and aviator who flew the Black Hawk on medical evacuation missions. A decorated combat veteran, she has been awarded two Air Medals and the prestigious Sikorsky
Aeromedical Medicine: The Flying ICU. Where Physiology Meets Aviation with Dr Ina Schmidt
In this episode, we are joined by Dr Ina Schmidt, Consultant Anaesthetist, Intensivist, Flight Physician, and President of ICARUS e.V., to examine what truly changes when critical care leaves the ground. Drawing on extensive experience at the intersection of intensive care and aviation medicine, Dr Schmidt discusses why aeromedical medicine should be regarded as a distinct speciality rather than s
Neurodivergence in Pre-Hospital Care: ADHD and Autism with David Birch
Neurodiversity is something paramedics encounter every day, whether we consciously identify it or not. It is present in the child who will not tolerate the blood pressure cuff, the adult who cannot answer questions in sequence, or the patient who appears agitated under blue lights but settles in a quiet room. Autism and ADHD are not rare edge cases; they are common neurodevelopmental differences t
After the Shock: Life Beyond Cardiac Arrest with Paul Swindell, Zoe Hitchcock and Noah Cohen
In this special three-part series, we move beyond the acute management of cardiac arrest and into the far less frequently discussed phase of survival: what comes after return of spontaneous circulation. While clinical focus often centres on early defibrillation, high-quality CPR, and post-resuscitation care, these episodes explore a different but equally important question: what does recovery actu
Not So FAST: Rethinking Stroke Recognition in Pre-Hospital Care with Shane Devlin and Ronan Walker
In pre-hospital care, few diagnoses carry the same urgency as stroke. But not all strokes present the way we expect, and that’s where the risk lies. In this episode, we explore the challenge of recognising posterior circulation strokes, using both clinical insight and lived experience. I’m joined by Shane Devlin, a registered paramedic and newly appointed PhD researcher focusing on posterior strok
Mastering the Pre-Hospital Airway: Assessment, RSI, SALAD & FONA
Airway management remains one of the most critical and technically demanding aspects of pre-hospital care. In this special Pre-Hospital Airway Compilation, we bring together leading voices in airway management to explore the fundamentals, controversies, and high-stakes realities of managing the airway outside the hospital environment.Across these conversations, we move from airway assessment and r
Right Patient, Right Time: The True Value of HEMS with Callum Sutton
In pre-hospital care, timing isn’t just important; it’s everything. The difference between a good outcome and a devastating one can come down to minutes and decisions, and few decisions are more critical than knowing when to bring advanced critical care to the scene. In this episode, we’re joined by Critical Care Paramedic Callum Sutton from Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) to explore a
Frailty, Falls, Delirium & Handover: Navigating Complexity in Geriatric Emergency Care
This geriatric compilation explores the intersecting challenges of frailty, falls, and delirium in older adults, core issues in both pre-hospital and acute care. Frailty increases vulnerability to injury and poor outcomes, with falls often resulting in hospitalisation, loss of independence, and increased mortality. Alongside this, delirium remains common yet frequently under-recognised, often trig
Rethinking Resuscitation: The Case for Physiology-Led Care with Mark Faulkner
In today’s conversation, we move beyond the idea of simply recording numbers in the cardiac arrest patient. Instead, we explore how physiological data can be used to guide real-time resuscitation, helping clinicians understand what is happening inside the patient, how interventions are working, and where care should go next. Joining us as the guest to discuss this is Mark Faulkner. Mark is an Adva
Pre-Hospital Maternity Care: Optimising Outcomes for Mothers and Newborns
In this episode, we explore the critical factors shaping maternal and neonatal outcomes in the pre-hospital environment, bringing together expert insights from Camella Main, Dawn Kerslake, and Stephanie Heys. Camella, a Consultant Midwife with over 12 years’ experience across both hospital and pre-hospital settings, shares her perspective from her roles with the London Ambulance Service and East M
High Fidelity Simulation in Pre-hospital Care: Training for Reality, Debriefing for Impact with Ben King
Today on the Pre-hospital Care Podcast, we dive into the growing role of high-fidelity simulation in improving clinical performance, team coordination, and patient outcomes in pre-hospital care systems. Simulation has moved beyond an educational luxury to become a strategic tool for preparing clinicians for the unpredictable and high-stakes nature of pre-hospital emergency medicine. In this episod
TBI Compilation Series: The Battle for Brain Survival
In this compelling compilation series on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), the conversation unfolds through the combined expertise of Mark Wilson and David K. Menon, offering a layered exploration of one of medicine’s most complex and high-stakes challenges. Across these episodes, listeners are guided through both the immediate realities of head trauma and the deeper physiological battles that follow.
Fatigue on the Frontline: Evidence, Risk, and the Reality of EMS Work with Professor Daniel Patterson
In this session, we’re joined by Professor Daniel Patterson, one of the leading international voices on fatigue, safety, and evidence-based policy in Emergency Medical Services. Daniel is a PhD-qualified researcher, Nationally Registered Paramedic, and Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. Daniel’s work sits at the intersection of frontline EMS practice, sleep science, a
Paediatric Critical Care: High-Stakes Decisions, Real-World Practice
This Paediatric Critical Care Compilation brings together three of the most important conversations we’ve released on the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast. Caring for critically unwell or injured children in the pre-hospital environment is rare, high-stakes, and cognitively demanding, and getting it right matters.In Part 1, we speak with Anna Dobbie on Paediatric Assessment in Critical Care with a focus
REBOA Beyond Haemorrhage: Physiologic Control in Deep Shock With Jon Barratt & Halden Hutchinson-Bazely
In this episode, we explore how REBOA can become an integrated tool for deliberate physiologic support in profound shock. REBOA is a word that immediately commands attention in pre-hospital care. For many teams, it represents the edge of capability, a high-stakes intervention reserved for catastrophic haemorrhage and profound shock. Many clinicians still think of it primarily as a haemorrhage-con
Trauma Fundamentals in Pre-Hospital Care: Chest, Pelvis & Spine
Today’s episode, Trauma Fundamentals: Chest, Pelvis & Spine, brings together a curated compilation of three core areas of major trauma that every pre-hospital clinician must be confident in managing.In this episode, we revisit thoracic trauma with Dr Geoff Healy, exploring the life-threatening pathologies that demand early recognition and decisive intervention. We then move into pelvic trauma
Beyond the ED: A Vision for Emergency Medicine in the Community with Tony Joy
In this episode, we examine the evolving model of Community Emergency Medicine (CEM), a quietly transformative approach that is reshaping how urgent and emergency care is delivered. With increasing pressure on emergency departments and prolonged ambulance handover delays, CEM offers a different paradigm: delivering high-quality emergency care directly to patients in their homes, communities, and c
Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Prehospital Medicine: From First Principles to Final Hours
This three-part series from the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast explores the evolving and critical role of ambulance clinicians in palliative and end-of-life care, from first principles through to the final hours of life.In Part 1, we introduce key concepts of palliative and end-of-life care alongside a dedicated specialist team. We examine the differences between generalist and specialist palliative ca
Finding a Different Path: Changing Careers in Healthcare with Laura Hall and Kelly Wright
For many clinicians, the traditional pathways of healthcare offer purpose and stability, but they can also feel restrictive, misaligned with evolving identities, or incompatible with a life that values adventure, education, and time outside conventional systems. Changing direction within or adjacent to healthcare is rarely a single leap; more often, it is a series of deliberate steps shaped by cur
Where Wilderness Medicine Meets Conservation with Kelly Wright
In this blog audio, we interview Kelly Wright. In the piece, we examine the multifaceted and increasingly precarious role of National Park rangers, portraying them as both frontline first responders and long-term stewards of fragile ecosystems. The narrative positions rangers at the intersection of public safety and environmental protection, highlighting how their responsibilities extend far beyon
Neck of Femur Fractures: Contemporary and Future Directions in Pre-Hospital Care with Emma Moore
In this episode of the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we explore the evolving management of Neck of Femur (NOF) fractures, one of the most common and operationally challenging presentations in pre-hospital care. With an ageing population driving a rising incidence, these injuries represent a significant clinical and systems burden, requiring both rapid assessment and increasingly sophisticated early m
Choosing Your Critical Care Adventure with Kelly Wright
In this piece, Kelly Wright explores how choosing a nursing specialty is less about prestige or opportunity and more about aligning personal characteristics with the realities of the clinical environment. She argues that long-term satisfaction and sustainability in nursing depend on an honest assessment of one’s personality, lifestyle priorities, and stress tolerance, rather than external expectat
From Burnout to Flourishing: Rethinking Paramedic Wellbeing with Paige Mason
Today on the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we are joined by Paige Mason, MA, a researcher, paramedic, and educator whose work reframes how we think about wellbeing on the front line. In this episode, we unpack her work and what it means for individual paramedics, teams, and services striving to build resilient, healthy, and sustainable careers in pre-hospital care.Paige is a Primary Care Paramedic wi
The Physicality of Healthcare with Kelly Wright
In The Physical Toll of High Adventure Healthcare, Kelly Wright examines the often-unacknowledged physical and psychological cost of working at the sharp edge of medicine. Drawing on experience from flight nursing and hospital-based practice, she describes how cumulative occupational stressors steadily erode clinician health, threatening both well-being and career longevity.Kelly outlines how heal
Reframing Resuscitation: From Termination to Withdrawal of Life Support with Darren Braude
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains one of the most emotionally complex and ethically challenging events in pre-hospital care. Families can transition from normality to devastating loss within minutes, while clinicians must make rapid, high-stakes decisions that often leave a lasting emotional impact. Traditionally, EMS practice has centred on the moment of “termination of resuscitation”, a cli
Six Months of Search and Rescue (SAR) with Laura Hall
In this episode, Laura Hall reflects on a six-month journey as a volunteer with a Search and Rescue (SAR) team operating in a remote region of Colorado, offering listeners a grounded insight into the realities of wilderness emergency response. The discussion outlines the breadth of skills required to function effectively in SAR, from technical rope rescue and casualty care to drone operations, nav
TBI: The Battle for the Injured Brain with Professor David Menon
Professor David K. Menon joins us for an in-depth exploration of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). As the Founding Director of the Neurosciences Critical Care Unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Professor Menon has been instrumental in shaping modern understanding of TBI physiology, monitoring, and management.In this episode, we break down intracranial pressure physiology in a way that translates directly
Building Resiliency in Responders with Laura Hall
In this episode, Laura Hall addresses the often-overlooked impact of secondary trauma on emergency responders and healthcare professionals, emphasising the need for meaningful mental health support and long-term resilience. Drawing on personal experience, the discussion challenges the effectiveness of traditional debriefing models, highlighting how well-intentioned but poorly designed institutiona
Pre-hospital ECPR: Pushing the Boundaries of Resuscitation with Nikki Hewitt
In this episode, Alec Wilding is joined by Nikki Hewitt, a clinician who has been among the first Paramedics in the United Kingdom to deliver pre-hospital ECMO as part of London’s Air Ambulance (LAA), Endovascular Cardiac Arrest Team, known as ECAT. This represents one of the most significant steps forward in resuscitation science within the pre-hospital environment, and Nikki has been at the cent
Pre-hospital ECPR: Pushing the Boundaries of Resuscitation with Nikki Hewitt
In this episode, Alec Wilding is joined by Nikki Hewitt, a clinician who has been among the first Paramedics in the United Kingdom to deliver pre-hospital ECMO as part of London’s Air Ambulance (LAA), Endovascular Cardiac Arrest Team, known as ECAT. This represents one of the most significant steps forward in resuscitation science within the pre-hospital environment, and Nikki has been at the cent
7/7 Bombings: The UK's Worst Terrorist Attack in History - Part 3
In the final episode of our three-part series marking the anniversary of the 7/7 London bombings, we hear from paramedic Sam Sinclair, who was deployed to Tavistock Square following the fourth and final explosion. This episode brings the series to a close by focusing on the realities of frontline decision-making at a major incident scene and the lasting impact such experiences have.Sam recounts ar
Sepsis Unmasked: ‘What Pre-Hospital Teams Should Know’ With Dr Ron Daniels
In this episode of the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, we’re joined by Dr Ron Daniels BEM, one of the most influential voices in the global fight against sepsis. Ron is an NHS Consultant in Intensive Care in Birmingham, the Executive Director of the UK Sepsis Trust, and a key member of the Executive Board of the Global Sepsis Alliance. His work has played a central role in shaping national and internat
7/7 Bombings: The UK's Worst Terrorist Attack in History, Part 2
In Part 2 of our special three-part series marking 20 years since the 7/7 London bombings, paramedic Adam Desmond shares a deeply personal and unflinchingly honest account of responding to the attacks at King’s Cross. This episode centres on the realities of working at the epicentre of a complex, evolving major incident and the lasting impact such events have on those who respond.In conversation,
Novel Psychoactives and The New Drug Landscape: A Conversation with Dr Caroline Copeland
Today, we’re diving into an increasingly urgent and complex area of frontline medicine: novel psychoactive substances and synthetic drugs. Over the past decade, the drug landscape has shifted dramatically. Potent synthetics, unpredictable chemical variants, and rapidly evolving supply chains are creating new clinical challenges for ambulance crews, HEMS teams, and frontline responders. These subst
7/7 Bombings: The UK's Worst Terrorist Attack in History - Part 1
In this opening episode of a special three-part podcast series marking 20 years since the 7/7 London bombings, we begin with a personal testimony from me on the World Extreme Medicine podcast. This episode is hosted on the Pre-Hospital Care Podcast, with kind permission from the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, hosted by Will Duffin.Part 1 focuses on the immediate response: arriving into uncertaint
Interoperability and Outcomes: NATO Trauma Management on the Battlefield with Anita Podlasin
Today, we’re exploring a fascinating and complex topic: the differences and disparities in trauma management systems across NATO nations during the Afghanistan conflict. Coalition operations in Afghanistan brought together militaries with very different medical doctrines, training, and resources. While all aimed to deliver life-saving care in challenging environments, the way pre-hospital trauma w
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) with Laura Hall
In this episode, Laura Hall explores Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) and the underlying physiology that drives altitude illness. As atmospheric pressure falls with increasing elevation, the body struggles to absorb adequate oxygen, triggering symptoms that often begin as headache, nausea, fatigue, and a “hangover-like” malaise. While these early features are common and often benign, Laura highlights
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