Magpas Air Ambulance, a UK charity that delivers advanced, pre-hospital critical care 24/7 across the East of England has successfully delivered a pioneering training programme for six Defence Medical Command (DMC) paramedics, drawn from across the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.

As a formal sign of the charity's ongoing support, Magpas Air Ambulance signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2021 and went on to become the first air ambulance charity in the UK to receive the Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.

The four day DMC paramedic course is believed to be one of the first programmes of its kind in the UK, designed specifically to prepare military paramedics to work alongside Magpas Air Ambulance’s Advanced Paramedics, as part of their Continued Clinical Exposure (CCE) and operational readiness requirements.

The programme builds on a successful collaboration between Magpas Air Ambulance and the Defence Medical Command, which has already seen military paramedics undertake three-week operational placements with the charity's pre-hospital emergency medicine teams.

Throughout the course, candidates received advanced pre-hospital critical care training, including learning how to assist with procedures such as sedations, operating specialist equipment used by Magpas Air Ambulance clinicians and skills such as team leadership and human factors. The training culminated in a series of high-fidelity simulations and practical assessments, designed to replicate the complex and time-critical environments encountered both in civilian pre-hospital care and on military operations.

Following successful completion of the course, the military paramedics will undertake regular clinical shifts alongside Magpas Air Ambulance’s team of Advanced Paramedics; responding to critically ill and injured patients across the East of England.

This new initiative supports Defence Medical Command personnel in maintaining and developing the advanced clinical skills required for operational deployment, including roles within Medical Emergency Response Teams (MERT), while also providing additional clinical resilience and support for Magpas Air Ambulance operational teams.

Andy Smith, Clinical Operations Manager at Magpas Air Ambulance, said "For many years civilian critical care and military medicine have shared knowledge, innovation and experience, often learning from one another during some of the most challenging clinical environments imaginable. This programme represents the next step in that relationship."

"By providing military paramedics with exposure to advanced pre-hospital critical care and structured mentorship alongside our Advanced Paramedics, we are helping to develop clinicians who can confidently lead and deliver care in complex and austere environments. Ultimately, the greatest beneficiary is the patient, whether that patient is on a roadside in Cambridgeshire or on operations overseas."

One of the participating Defence Medical Command paramedics added, "The course has provided invaluable exposure to advanced clinical decision-making, human factors and critical care interventions that are difficult to replicate elsewhere. Working alongside experienced Advanced Paramedics has helped bridge the gap between training and real-world operational practice, giving us greater confidence and capability for future deployments."

The programme is expected to run for a minimum of three years, before more military paramedics will attend placements and training in the future.