Ken's story - A passion for saving lives
Like most people who create something extra-special, Ken Lumley was driven to do so by spotting something that could be better.
The emergency trained nurse and Paramedic left his NHS role to follow motorsport champion Colin McRae and his World Rally Championship (WRC) team around the globe, as their medical support. And that was when it dawned on him that the average event didn’t offer that same level of on-hand expert help.
Yet, in his opinion, it should, because access to emergency medical care within seconds or minutes can, quite literally, save someone’s life.
Deciding to fill this gap, Ken founded Medics UK in 2003, and he has never looked back since.
Ken has decades of experience in providing first-line healthcare, having spent some time providing medical services offshore on ships and oil rigs, as well as also serving as an accident and emergency (A&E) nurse and rapid response NHS paramedic during his career.
Used to working in the most demanding of environments, he bought his first medically kitted Land Rover on returning from the WRC, and started the business, which is grounded in offering the highest standard of trained and accredited medical support for sporting and entertainment events.
We now have hundreds of medical experts on our books and service some of the world’s biggest sporting and entertainment gatherings, as well as offering a range of training courses for clients ranging from local authorities to individuals wanting to update their skillset.
“I’ve always been a great believer in pre-hospital and emergency medicine,” said Ken.
“Because very often it is the care someone receives in those vital seconds and minutes that can make the difference in terms of how and if they ever recover.
“It’s the fact that I can actually make an instant difference to someone’s life in this way that motivates me to do what I do.
“In this vein, I passionately believe this is why events need a regulated, genuinely excellent service, so that the people attending have the reassurance that they are in the safest of hands.”
In addition to event medical support, in 2013 and in conjunction with Middlesbrough Council, Ken set up Safe Haven, a groundbreaking company working in collaboration with NHS services in parts of the UK, to provide triage care to people as an alternative to attending A&E, to help ease the strain on such public services.
Again, he was motivated to make a real difference to frontline medical care.
“Nothing fazes us,” said Ken. “We’ve dealt with all sorts of situations, from cardiac arrests to really bad jockey falls; serious motor sport crashes and footballers getting knocked unconscious or fracturing limbs.
“Whether someone is taking part or in the crowd, we can ensure they are far more likely to survive.”
He added: “I’m very proud of the people we employ.
“The fact that we’ve been going for so long and have grown every year during that time, from covering a small village fete in the beginning, to working on events like the Yorkshire Marathon and the Tour de France, and supporting organisations like The Jockey Club, suggests we’re getting something right.”
We make events reassuringly safe
Most people enjoy attending concerts, sporting events and festivals.
In fact, for many, soaking up the atmosphere at such large-scale gatherings is among the highlights of each year.
Being able to do so safely, reassured that if something goes wrong, expert help is at hand, is something perhaps sometimes taken for granted.
At Medics UK, we take it very seriously indeed.
Way beyond first aid
Our extensive team is made up of consultants, nurses, doctors and paramedics, with real frontline experience of dealing with casualties in the most challenging situations.
This enables us to go way beyond First Aid, to offer rapid response emergency event healthcare that can – and often does – make the different between life and death, full recovery or otherwise.
From the players and performers themselves, to members of the public attending an event, we can deal with everything from heat-related fainting to heart attacks and serious sporting injuries.
All our medical personnel are registered with the Care Quality Commission. Not just volunteers, they are trained experts in pre-hospital care, and we work with the same medical equipment and medicines as any ambulance service in the UK.
We even have two specially-designed event ambulances, imported from Spain. Smaller than a normal ambulance, they are more nimble at events taking place on a variety of terrains, as well as boasting the latest communications gear, equipment and medicines.
With around 700 trained medical professionals on our books, we can scale up to meet any event need, at any time, and are trained to respond to everything from a lost child to a major terrorist incident, all within the latest UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines.
Clients include
Our clients include everyone from the Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland and Darlington local authorities, to Harrogate Town, York City and Carlisle United Football Clubs and Doncaster Knights Rugby and National Hunt Horse Racing Meetings including the Chester Races. Major artists whose events we’ve supported include Lionel Ritchie, Tom Jones, Kylie Minogue and Britney Spears and we have also covered parts of the annual Tour de Yorkshire cycling race, Run for All events across the UK, the Yorkshire Marathon, speedway, and even film sets like Downton Abbey.
Our event planning and risk assessments are overseen by a former senior logistics planner for the Ambulance Service and we can advise event organisers on the level of medical cover they need to comply with HSE guidelines.
If you’re organising an event, represent an organisation needing expert medical training for its people, or an individual wanting to gen up, get in touch.
