A charity network of volunteer doctors and paramedics delivering advanced pre-hospital emergency care across the East Midlands.
Our dedicated volunteers respond to serious 999 calls across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. Our goal is to bring hospital-level care directly to patients when every second counts.
Your donations keep us running — funding essential training and equipment. Donate or get involved with EMICS today.
We do this because we believe in what we do. We believe in bringing all aspects of pre-hospital medicine to the point of illness or injury. We believe we make a difference to people's lives and that we should use our skills and experience to serve our local community when they need us most.
EMICS volunteer doctors are drawn from a variety of backgrounds including Anaesthesia, General Practice, Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine. All have completed several years of post-graduate work in hospital, the military or general practice before undertaking additional training to transfer these skills to the pre-hospital environment.
EMICS volunteer paramedics have at least five years' post-graduate experience, usually working for the local ambulance service, often as enhanced or advanced paramedics.
Each clinician lives or works in the East Midlands and responds in their local area. Their proximity to an emergency often means they can be first on scene — but the greatest benefit they deliver to seriously ill patients is their knowledge and experience. They work alongside NHS ambulance colleagues to deliver treatments that might otherwise be unavailable.
Many EMICS doctors and paramedics also work for regional air-ambulance services or act as strategic medical advisors or critical care providers to the ambulance service.
As we cover the whole of the East Midlands, 24/7, 365 days a year, we get called to a wide variety of incidents, treating over 25 patients each week. These include serious road traffic accidents, cardiac arrests, assaults, paediatric emergencies, drownings, burns, falls from height, climbing accidents and so on.
In some 15–20% of the call-outs, our clinicians are first on scene, putting extra pressure on their expertise and the equipment they carry. Around 25% of our responses are carried out using our Fast Response Vehicle (FRV), which carries extra specialist equipment and — with the right crew — gets upgraded to a Critical Care Car.
A significant percentage of patients are subsequently transported to hospitals throughout the region: Sheffield, Coventry, Lincoln, Kettering — with the majority going to Leicester Royal, Queen's Medical Centre Nottingham and Derby Royal. These movements are often supervised by an EMICS clinician.
Total emergencies attended by EMICS volunteers each year.
Types of emergency
A snapshot of the incidents EMICS volunteers attend across the East Midlands. Hover or tap any slice to see its share — the largest categories are road traffic collisions, cardiac arrests and penetrating trauma.
As a result of the types of emergencies we respond to, a significant percentage of patients are subsequently transported to various hospitals throughout the East Midlands — Sheffield in the north, Coventry in the west, Lincoln in the east and Kettering in the south. The majority go to Leicester Royal, Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham and Derby Royal, and these movements are often supervised by an EMICS clinician.
Without your support, our impact would not be possible.
Our Social Impact
We provide critical medical interventions at the scene of emergencies across the East Midlands. Our volunteer doctors and paramedics are equipped and trained to deliver hospital-level care, improving patient outcomes and supporting the NHS.
EMICS operates two different responding models. Some of our more highly-qualified doctors respond in their own cars with a full range of specialist equipment — costing close to £20,000 per kit including drugs and consumables. They use blue lights, are regularly assessed by our specialist blue-light driving assessor and cover their own insurance and fuel (with HMRC mileage covered).
The second model is the Fast Response Vehicle (FRV), where clinicians operate as a two-person crew on a shift basis. These crews are typically a doctor and a paramedic; the shift-based system provides EMAS with certainty over our responding capability. The FRV carries enhanced equipment, full emergency livery and communications, and with the right crew can respond at full critical-care standards.
Every numbered item below is laid out in the photo — tap or hover the kit cards to match them up.
Custom-made for each responder for the highest quality and safety. Reflective elements so they can be seen roadside, knee pads, waterproofing and protection from the elements. Our doctors also carry an Airwave radio for communication and a safety helmet for hazardous situations.
Selection of appropriate drugs supplied by EMAS and EMICS.
Life-threatening emergencies often require supplemental oxygen — a portable O₂ cylinder with several options for optimal delivery.
Recently upgraded — state-of-the-art Schiller DEFIGARD Touch 7 monitors with the latest defibrillation technology and wireless patient data transfer.
All of the smaller specialist bags fit inside or clip to the outside — our doctors are prepared for whatever situation they encounter.
Contains all the kit for various levels of airway support — sedation, intubation and taking over control of breathing where required.
Covid precautions mean that for any high-risk patient or aerosol-generating procedure, our doctors wear level 3 PPE to protect themselves.
For stabilisation of fractured limbs.
Everything needed to control life-threatening haemorrhage, including tourniquets and haemostatic dressings.
For the most serious injuries — Resuscitative Thoracotomy, emergency amputation, etc. Rare procedures, but our doctors are trained and prepared.
Everything needed for an emergency delivery or, very rarely, an emergency surgical delivery.
Kit to deal with serious burns, both thermal and chemical.
For emergency volume resuscitation or hydration.
For emergency IV or IO access to administer vital fluids and medications.
All of our doctors are trained for paediatric emergencies. Paeds-specific equipment in sizes ranging from newborn to teenager.
Over the last three years we have been trialling the use of an FRV running in parallel with our traditional responding model. This vehicle is a centralised resource for responders to work pre-booked shifts, giving EMAS a greater level of certainty over the support EMICS provides.
The FRV carries an enhanced level of equipment in addition to the Schiller Monitor and consumables already carried by individual doctors. This includes:
This additional equipment was funded by a grant from NHS Together, which also funded servicing for two additional years. With the right crew, the FRV can be upgraded to a Critical Care Car, delivering specialist care of the highest category.
Extremely compact, with the latest defibrillation technology and comprehensive monitoring. Easily portable to the scene and offers the most up-to-date clinical tools. Works wirelessly to download patient data to a secure server so we can analyse and learn from incidents.
Each monitor costs up to £15,000. If you'd like to help fund one, please get in touch.
From a single GP in Rutland in 1980 to a regional charity covering more than 6,000 square miles today — here's how EMICS got here.
Before mobile phones, digital technology or paramedics, Dr Tim Gray MBE joined the medical practice in Oakham (Rutland — the smallest county in the UK). Expanding the ethos of treating patients in the community and the local Cottage Hospital, Dr Gray made himself available on a voluntary basis to the Ambulance Service.
By 1984 several of his GP colleagues had joined him and The Rutland Accident Care Scheme (RACS) was launched — a charity providing doctors to work alongside the Ambulance Service treating seriously ill and injured patients both at the scene and en-route to hospital.
In 2004 the county Ambulance Services came together to form East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS). At the same time RACS amalgamated with Ilkeston BASICS in Derbyshire, run by Dr Andrew Davies. The new scheme covered the whole of the East Midlands and was renamed The East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme (EMICS).
In 1984, EMICS began as a small group of doctors providing vital pre-hospital care. 40 years later, EMICS volunteer doctors and paramedics continue to bring the hospital to the patient, responding to thousands of emergencies across the East Midlands.
EMICS responded to its 50,000th emergency call, marking a significant milestone — every response representing a life touched by EMICS.
EMICS expanded its coverage to include the entirety of Lincolnshire — adding over 2,700 square miles to its service area and bringing vital pre-hospital emergency care to even more communities.
2025 welcomed paramedics to the team of responders and introduced two-person crews on the Fast Response Vehicles, broadening skillset, capacity and safety at scene.
EMICS partnered with Central Medical Services (CMS) to increase operational capability — ordering drugs, restocking medical bags, and providing additional critical care cars so we can attend more callouts and reach patients faster.
Learn how we maintain clinical excellence in our clinical governance and policies section.
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