Their achievement to date has meant that the Bransgore & District Community Responder scheme is to be expanded to include Sopley and Ripley with a further area also likely to be included before too long. The Responder group started operating about 18 months ago. Trained and despatched by the ambulance service they attend medical emergency calls where a life may be at risk, and provide basic life support care until the arrival of the ambulance with its trained paramedic crew. Since then they have attended several hundred calls and are now a familiar sight in Bransgore and the area surrounding it in their distinctive response car sponsored by Gates of Brockenhurst.
Group Spokesman Mike Jukes said, "We have had approval from South Central Ambulance Service to expand our area to include the area west of Bransgore and the villages of Sopley and Ripley Although we are not expecting to get lots of additional call outs as a result, we should be able to get to calls in that area, within the time limits set for us. We have no blue lights or sirens and have to comply with traffic laws but nonetheless we think we can be with a patient quickly enough to provide support to those whose condition requires a very urgent response. "
| "The wellbeing of the patient is our primary concern and expansion of our scheme to that area will be good for the community of Sopley and Ripley, will assist the ambulance service and be good for our responders. Discussions are also taking place with the ambulance service covering Dorset so that we could be sent by them to emergencies in the Winkton and outer Burton area which we can also reach within the time limits. We hope to be able to include that area before very long. Once we have achieved that the final area we want to include will be part of Burley, although that wish may still be a couple of months away."
The team hope to start operations in Sopley and Ripley within two weeks, Winkton within the month and Burley within two months. The Responders will carry their usual equipment of a heartstart defibrillator, oxygen and resuscitation equipment, together with some other medical items, and additional lighting.
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