Much like the rest of the world, the charity sector has been hit hard by Covid-19. EMICS combines two elements which have had to adapt, our medical response and our charity management.
Alongside the increase in their usual workload, EMICS doctors continue to respond throughout the pandemic. Our doctors had to adapt quickly to updated PPE guidance from Public Health England to ensure they could continue responding safely to patients. We had to source extensive PPE, deliver it and train each responder on its use. We are hugely thankful to organisations that supported us through this difficult time, Rutland Plastics, Landrover Jaguar and several NHS Trusts to name a few. Different incidents require different levels of PPE and we liaised with EMAS to ensure all pre-hospital services were working at the same standard. Once we were established with PPE we ran simulation sessions in full kit to ensure we could respond efficiently when time really mattered. Beyond this, some of our volunteer doctors have even been involved in teaching Covid-safe CPR to their colleagues.
As with all charities we have seen our income drop but as such a small charity this effect is more pronounced. EMICS relies entirely on fundraising efforts and charitable donations. We usually raise money by holding events, speaking at gatherings and members of the public nominating us as their chosen charity. Obviously because of Covid the majority of these events have all been cancelled. As a result we have had to adapt. We have increased our social media presence, promoted our link with Amazon Smile and gratefully received donations from “virtual events”.
The impact of Covid-19 has been huge, but we continue to deliver the best possible care, when patients really need us. But we look forward to resuming our fundraising programme soon and getting out and about to events.
