VOLUNTEER medics who help with emergency responses in rural parts of Devon have been awarded a £5,000 grant to invest in life-saving training and equipment.

BASICS Devon, whose volunteer medics include a GP from Chudleigh, have been granted the cash by Devon Community Foundation for training and demonstration kits to be used by their volunteers to promote and teach basic life support skills in the most remote and disadvantaged communities.

It will also support volunteers with equipment, pre-hospital training and education and help towards a new initiative, the Community Defibrillator Programme.

In rural Devon, access to immediate pre-hospital emergency care remains a critical challenge, and many in the community are unsure how to respond during emergencies before medical responders or an ambulance arrives.

BASICS Devon is dedicated to tackling this issue by offering specialised emergency response services along with training and education.

The charity’s emergency volunteer responders play a critical role in ensuring the safety and well-being of individuals in remote and underserved areas.

One of the volunteers is Dr Simon Scott-Hayward, from Chudleigh, a GP with expertise in urgent and emergency care who also works as primary care medical director for South Western Ambulance Service.

A BASICS Devon spokesman said: ‘We have pinpointed areas in Devon that have a longer response time than other communities, and we are focused on resolving this.

‘We’ve also found many of the most disadvantaged areas across Devon have limited or no access to defibrillators, an issue we are committed to help addressing.

‘We want to thank Devon Community Foundation for this amazing funding as it will empower communities to help in emergencies, share knowledge and skills between voluntary organisations, and ensure everyone has the opportunity to learn lifesaving skills, therefore improving outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.’

Cardiac arrests remain one of the highest callouts.

In 2024, BASICS Devon volunteers attended 371 callouts,105 at night, first on scene at 35per cent, 55 of these were cardiac arrests.