The Medic One flying squad was launched in 1980. From its inception, the primary function of the Medic One team is to provide a team of emergency medical and nursing specialists to deliver advanced pre-hospital care in Edinburgh, Lothian and the Borders region. The team can be requested by any of the emergency services or dispatched directly by the Scottish Ambulance Service. The composition of the team is usually an Emergency Department Consultant and middle grade Doctor as well as one or two experienced Emergency Department nurses. 

Medic One’s primary role is to care for major trauma patients who need advanced medical care on the roadside. Sometimes severely injured or unwell patients cannot wait to be transported to hospital and, in these cases, Medic One brings the Emergency Department to them. Medic One also performs a vital function as the designated Major Incident Response for south east Scotland.

The medical equipment and drugs carried by Medic One are similar to those used in the Emergency Department, allowing the team to undertake advanced medical care, like emergency anaesthesia or emergency surgery, at the scene. Equipment both for adults and children is carried and is constantly updated inline with the latest medical research and innovation.

The intervention of Medic One in south east Scotland has not only saved many lives, but also helped trauma patients survive with a meaningful quality of life.