The Suffolk Accident Rescue Service (SARS) is a registered

charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

supported by donations, which assists the

East of England Ambulance Service The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) is an NHS trust responsible for providing National Health Service (NHS) ambulance services in the counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, in th ...

NHS Trust in providing medical care at the scene of accidents and emergencies in

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

and surrounding counties. The organisation relies on volunteer

medical professionals A health professional, healthcare professional (HCP), or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated as HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physi ...

and Allied Health Professionals to provide this service on an entirely voluntary basis. The headquarters are in

Woolpit Woolpit ( ) is a village in the English county of Suffolk, midway between the towns of Bury St. Edmunds and Stowmarket. In 2011 Woolpit parish had a population of 1,995. It is notable for the 12th-century legend of the green children of Wool ...

. It is an affiliated member of the

British Association for Immediate Care The British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS) is an organisation which has the stated aim to encourage and aid the formation and extension of immediate care schemes. The ''British Association for Immediate Care'' was founded as a charity in ...

Purpose of the organisation

SARS was established in 1972 as a group of doctors willing to give up their spare time to assist at the scene of trauma and medical emergencies. In 2011, SARS opened its membership to paramedics and other health professionals. The service continues to train and equip participating members. By 2017 the charity had answered around 17,000 calls - an average of more than 1 call each day over the previous 45 years. All SARS members are volunteers who receive no payment or expenses for responding to emergency calls and the work is undertaken without any charge to the patient, ambulance service, UK tax-payer or National Lottery funding.

Awards and nominations

* In 2023 paramedic Steve Murrow was nominated for East of England Ambulance Service Volunteer of the Year award.

Pre-hospital Care Network in the East of England

This charity is one of many Pre-hospital care providers in the East, which has an established trauma network – the first to be fully operational in the UK. Other Pre-hospital care providers that they work and train alongside are: *BASICS Essex Accident Rescue Service (BEARS) *BASICS Hertfordshire * Essex & Herts Air Ambulance * Magpas Air Ambulance *

East Anglian Air Ambulance The East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) is an air ambulance providing Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) across the English counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. The appeal to fund the service was launched in t ...

The East of England teams commonly end up working alongside crews from Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance,

London's Air Ambulance London's Air Ambulance Charity is a registered charity that operates a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) dedicated to responding to serious trauma emergencies in and around London. Using a helicopter from 08:00 to sunset and rapid re ...

and The Air Ambulance Service, along with other BASICS charities.

References

External links

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New car for Suffolk Accident Rescue Service after County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal grant

Life-saving medical volunteers determined to keep services running during COVID-19 crisis
{{authority control Emergency medicine organisations Organisations based in Suffolk First aid organizations Organizations established in 1972 Health charities in England Health in Suffolk