International EMS systems: United Kingdom

This article will describe the access to, and delivery of, emergency medical care in the United Kingdom. We describe how UK Ambulance Services respond to emergency calls and how UK Emergency Departments are configured to provide emergency clinical care. Ambulance technician and paramedic training and clinical skill mix is outlined and UK emergency medicine training and the involvement of doctors in prehospital care is highlighted. We describe the strengths and weaknesses of current Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) in the UK and comment on future areas for improving and developing emergency patient care.