If we had a pound for every time we had a phone call (on the day of the event) that the provider booked for that particular event has not turned up.. and can we bail them out! … well I can tell you! – we would be loaded!

We do our very best to bail people out when they have been let down… but why not book with the reliable, professional and dependable companies in the first place!

Its no joke!

For an event organiser who has spent years, months or weeks working day and night to organise an event, the last thing you want is to be let down on the day and have the event ruined by an event medical cover provider not turning up!

Top Tips to Prevent YOUR event being ruined by lack of medical / first aid cover!…

1) Confirmation over the phone means nothing! – At Jigsaw Medical Services we provide all of our event customers a written confirmation of their booking which confirms their written quotation and resources/staff booked for the event!

2) Cheap is NOT always cheerful! – Yes billybob down the road may be able to bring his first aid kit to your event, but not only does this not constitute adequate first aid cover. It also leaves you hoping they turn up! – its best to leave it to the professionals!

3) Paying nothing means you may in fact get nothing! – Charitable medical providers are often called upon to provide medical cover for events, however! volunteers are exactly that – what if they decide not to come to their voluntary job that day? – Yes you have to pay for services from Jigsaw Medical Services but our staff are full-time paid professionals who not only have a moral obligation to turn up, we have a legal one!

4) Another of the issues we commonly face is providers actually turning up to an event, albeit with a lack of equipment, insurance, staff or vehicles! As an organiser of an event, it is your responsibility to ensure you have adequate provision. Should this fail to turn up, your event could be at risk of being suspended / cancelled by the local authority, police or ambulance service! – So once again, our advice to you is… use the professionals!

Why go through, days, months or even years of planning to have it all ruined by inexperienced, unreliable or unprofessional medical providers? – Call the professionals at Jigsaw Medical Services Ltd and let us take care of your first aid & medical needs!

Well, the answer to that question depends on a number of things…

Every event, regardless of size should have at least basic first aid cover, however the level of this cover will depend on a number of factors and the guidance set out in the HSE’s Event Safety Guide (Purple Guide).

The main ones are:

• Expected visitors / staff etc
• Type of event (ie music event or garden fate)
• Expected attendance groups (ie: rival teams or family’s)
• Distance from local hospital
• Probability of injury / illness (ie: sporting or motor sport event, music/dance event)

The ‘Event Safety Guide’ will produce a score which will then correlate to the recommended level of cover (demonstrated in a table). It is important however to contact an experienced event medical cover provider, who will be able to offer advice on recommended levels of cover – referring to the ‘Purple Guide’.

Many events are sufficiently covered without ambulance (transportation) vehicles and staff on-site are able to reduce the impact on the NHS ambulance service and A&E’s by treating on-site or recommending alternative pathways. Again, this will depend on the type and size of event.

It must also be considered that should an ambulance capable of transportation be present, will it be able to safely leave site with a patient without impacting on the level of cover at the event. The usual answer to this question is NO – so do you really need it? Well many motor sport and large events require the presence of an ambulance due to the potential requirement for a rapid transfer to hospital! – you are much better obtaining some advice from the professionals…

Please contact us for free advice and quotation: 01829 732 615 or visit our website or specific event medical cover page.

What does the HSE Say?…

Your duties as an event organiser

You must have plans in place to respond effectively to health and safety incidents and other emergencies that might occur at an event. For example, provision must be made for first aid cover and event medical cover. The emergency plan needs to be in proportion to the level of risk presented by event activities and the potential extent and severity of the incident.

What you need to do

Consider the key risks to the event and those people present.

Using the resources available to you onsite, develop emergency procedures to be followed by staff and volunteers in an emergency, eg a fire or structural failure.

Include contingencies to deal with incidents and situations as varied as an entertainment act cancelling at short notice, severe weather, or the unavailability of key staff in your team.

You will also need to consider your response to more serious emergencies, including major incidents that will require the help of the emergency services and implementation of their regional emergency plans (which may not be specific to the event).

For all but the smallest events with low risks (or those in fixed venues with established procedures), draw up and discuss your plans with the police, fire and rescue service, ambulance service, emergency planning and, for fixed premises like stadiums and arenas, the venue management. Find an appropriate first aid provider for the event site, they will support you in this medical planning process.

The detail and complexity of any discussions should be proportionate to the risks involved. Both organiser and emergency services should be clear about who will do what if there is an emergency or major incident.

First aid and medical assistance

As well as workers, HSE strongly recommends that you include the visiting public in your first aid, medical and ambulance needs assessment. You should balance onsite event medical cover and first aid cover provision against existing local NHS and ambulance service provision and capacity.

Except for small, low-risk events where ambulances may not be required, and at events where they are not onsite, plans should be drawn up in conjunction with the local NHS ambulance service to clarify how patients will be taken to hospital.

What do we think?

As you will be aware, organising an event is difficult – the last thing you want to be worrying about is the provision of first aid and event medical cover. There are so many suppliers out there, some of which are ‘weekend hobbiest’ and others are professional companies providing registered and qualified clinicians.

Jigsaw Medical Services Ltd is a specialist in event medical cover, we are not an ambulance service or patient transport service – we are a focused and professional event medical provider. We are able to provide a full service from free quotation and planning, right through to debriefing following your event. We are accessible, dedicated and full-time staff from a number of clinical, training and managerial backgrounds – call us today on 01829 732 615 for a chat about your event requirements. Whether it be a festival for 100k + or a village fate!