Venture-Medical

Brother I’m devastated beyond words. Your bravery and determination was as inspirational as it was humbling.
It was a pleasure to know you.
Rest easy Pete.

This time last year I’d just made it home after what had been, even now, our most challenging rescue and evacuation to date. Krakow to Odesa and back to Bristol via Germany at a time when Odesa was being hammered by missiles and drones, no power, no water, -8c.
We relayed part of the story for Shareef’s book and the rescue in real time featured in BBC Brits in Battle by Emma Vardy…..but, none of it can begin to explain everything we went through, only two people know the full story, one of epic proportions and of which we’re truly proud of.
Since then we have been directly involved in 60+ evacuations of seriously injured individuals.

Despite the current news, it’s still happening in Ukraine. Civilians are still losing their lives, brothers, husbands, sons, fathers, people who would never have normally joined the military, are dying and being maimed in the defence of their families, their homes and their country and heroic volunteers have stepped up from all nations.

Please don’t forget them

Slava Ukraine, heroyam slava

Watching the Rangers game with your boy via WhatsApp and iPad before he heads to Bondi Beach for his Xmas!

Expedition Nepal 2024 - Mount Thorong Peak (6144m) & the Annapurna Circuit

An opportunity to travel in one of the most stunning areas of natural beauty in the World, explore traditional villages and immerse in cultures full of ancient history as we travel along the routes of the pilgrims before us, leading to our ultimate challenge for the mountaineering minded among us, the ascent of the 6144m Mount Thorong by glacier, fixed rope, sheer will and determination.

In November 2024 once you’ve had the chance to soak up the chaos of Kathmandu, the sights and sounds of a capital city briming in history and World Heritage sites, we will set off by private vehicle to the foothills of the Annapurna mountain range, transferring to a 4x4 vehicle as we run out of metaled road until we can travel no further.
Our trek begins after two nights acclimatisation in the village of Manang, the home of the elusive Snow Leopard from where we set out on foot to follow the Annapurna Trail.

Onwards and upwards we walk among giants of the Himalaya with stunning views of the 8000m peaks of Annapurna I, Dhaulagiri, and the entirety of the Nilgiri and Annapurna Himal, heading towards the highest point of the trek, the famed Thorong La pass, standing at 5416m.

For the climbers among the group we leave the established trail as we head to the foot of Mount Thorong where we establish our base camp ready to make our summit bid the following day.

Our climb begins in the early hours as we head out to marvel at the Himalayan night sky, led by our UIAGM mountaineering guide and their team, fixing ropes where required on the two sections of steeper ground. The ascent of Mount Thorong has proven to be a perfectly attainable goal for the regular fit hill walker with winter experience of crampons and ice axe use. Training will be provided for those new to the techniques required to jumar and utilise fixed ropes and as such is the perfect introduction to high altitude Himalayan mountaineering.

After our successful summit we descend via the Thorong La Pass transferring from the Manang culture to that of the Mustang people, the area known as the desert of Nepal and a very different landscape from our previous days, reminiscent of the Steppes of the East. Passing the sacred temple of Muktinath, we will join the pilgrims who have made their journey to this revered holy site of Bhuddists and Hindus the World over, continuing lower through the valley, the ancient trade route between India and Tibet, before traveling by vehicle through the deepest gorge in the World, Kali Gandaki Gorge, stopping overnight at Tatopani where we can soak our weary limbs in the mystical natural hot springs of the village.

The following day sees us transfer to Pokhara, the jewel in the Himalaya, and so called for good reason. The second most populous city in Nepal it couldn’t be more different from Kathmandu with its lakeside location, chilled out vibe, and easy-going days. With two days here it’s a perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and visit some of the stunning attractions such as the International Mountaineering Museum, the World Peace Pagoda, Davis Falls or just go boating on Phewa Lake.

A short but stunning internal flight from Pokhara offers us a very different view of the giants of the Himalaya we have walked among, delivering us back to Kathmandu in 30 minutes where later that evening we will celebrate our success, our new friendships and our lifetime of memories.

Dates are 1st – 17th November 2024
Cost is £3000 ex Kathmandu including all transfers, domestic flight Pokhara-Kathmandu, guiding, porterage (need only carry a daysack), accommodation in Hotels, Tea Houses and Camp, all meals on trek and all associated expedition, trek and summit fees where required.
Suitable for beginners and seasoned alpinists alike, a full expedition dossier is available on request -
[email protected]

We have two spaces left on an Immediate Life Support course running on 15th April at
The Craigs Campsite & Training Centre
Torphicen
West Lothian
EH48 4NL

The certificated one-day Resuscitation Council (UK) content is being delivered by Dr Catriona Cochrane, A&E/ICU registrar and Resuscitation Council (UK) Advanced Life Support (ALS) instructor
Attendance requires that you are familiar with the content of the Immediate Life Support (5th edition) manual by pre-read, which will be sent to you on booking.
The one-day course will then focus on the more practical elements of the content and includes:

• Recognition and Prevention of deterioration (lecture)
• Airway assessment (Skills station)
• CAS demo – recognising deterioration
• Demonstrating ILS/ALS algorithm
• CPR and safe defib workshop and scenarios
• Rhythm recognition
• Post resus care
• Scenarios
• Debrief/feedback

This course is suitable for doctors, medical students, nurses, nursing students, midwives, paramedics and student paramedics, physiotherapists, dentistry professionals and other health and care professionals. It may also be suitable for fire service technicians, police personnel and prison officers.
Minimum level for attendance will be current FREC3 or equivalent.
Cost is £150 including certification, manual and tea/coffee throughout the day

***CPD Opportunity***

Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC)

I will be running a Tactical Combat Care Course on 16th April 2023 at Torphicen, near Bathgate on 16th April 2023 with the profits of the course being used to continue funding our training and medic work in Ukraine.

This one-day course is the same as we are currently teaching to military and civilian defence forces and is ideal for experienced first-aiders who want to learn more about the MARCH algorithm and the current techniques employed in dealing with trauma in hostile and austere environments.

Topics being covered include:

Introduction to TCCC
Individual First Aid Kits (IFAK)
MARCH Algorithm
Tourniquet Masterclass – Purpose, Types, Staging, Carry, Self-Application, Casualty Application
Airway Management – Including training in the use of Nasopharyngeal Airways
Respiration issues/Chest wounds – Dangers, casualty examination techniques, chest seal application, chest needle decompression
Circulation issues – Trauma dressings, effective wound packing, impalements, evisceration management
Hypothermia mitigation – wraps and carries

The course is a practical hands-on one with appropriate models and mannequins for some of the more technical aspects of training and is obviously suitable for those across the experience spectrum including first aid instructors looking to deliver catastrophic bleed training.

Your instructor is currently an operational medic and instructor in Ukraine and has also worked on front-line ambulances and within A+E in the heart of the cartels of Mexico which a wealth of over 30 years of knowledge and experience around ballistic trauma both as a medic and a qualified fi****ms officer.

Cost of the course is £115 and includes a CPD attendance certificate.

Places are limited.

This a small insight into what we do, but we can't do it without YOUR help.

It costs around £2500 to medically evacuate a casualty overland from Ukraine to Poland and there's no shortage of need, just a shortage of funds.

You can help by donating to:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/reactaid

EVERY little helps

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001jh60/our-world-brits-in-battle-ukraine

Please share.......

Our World - Brits in Battle: Ukraine Emma Vardy meets the soldiers who are drawn to the conflict in Ukraine.

So...... was kind of an exciting weekend...... Just about recovered. Claim to fame is we kept Harry off the front page of at least one newspaper after the television interview though I reckon he'd approve given the tasking.

Scots medics on daring mission to rescue seriously injured UK fighter in Ukraine Craig Borthwick and Ewen Cameron got Shareef Amin safely on a plane back to the UK where surgeons are attempting to rebuild his shattered body.

Great video showing a witnessed Cardiac Arrest and how prompt CPR and the use of a defib can help save a life.

It's a simple skill and there are numerous defibs located in public spaces.

There really is no excuse

Video: Seventh fan suffers cardiac arrest at Brighton FC's football ground | Daily Mail Online Seventh fan suffers cardiac arrest at Brighton FC's football ground. Bob Whetton was coming back from a football game when he had a cardiac arrest. Thanks to simple A&E skills it saved it's life.

Set off for our base camp today from where we will attempt two separate peaks I. Two roped teams of three alpine style. Its been a blast so far however unseasonably bad snow conditions have meant the abandonment of our original plan for safety reasons. Having already witnessed an avalanche on an aspect of slope similar to ours it makes sense

The first glimpse of our destination, the peaks of the Langtang Valley

Climbing permit in the bag Kathmandu. Made the death defying scooter ride worth it. Time for a few beers

I may just have had the ride of my life. Get your minds out the gutter! Kathmandu rush hour on the back of a scooter..... TWICE!! Now that was an experience.

Ill-prepared journalists is not something you'd expect nowadays with the amount of training available but that's what this video shows.

Know your kit, have it staged properly, and be ready to go.

When the s**t hits the fan it's not the time for faff!!!!

Journalists dive for cover just in time as Russian shell explodes in Luhansk JOURNALISTS narrowly escape with their lives by jumping for cover just in time as a Russian shell explodes just inches away from them in this heart-stopping ...

Good to see *CORRECT* information being posted for a change!!

FREC3 students, I'm sharing this opportunity below on behalf of a colleague.

Potential FREC3 students we still have a couple of places on our upcoming course, as you can see, there's good work out there for those qualified....

"I know your all busy
£270 per day
£50 expenses
7 weeks work starting asap

Ideally the same team of people for the same 7 weeks and blocks of work

It's working on the common wealth games in Birmingham providing first aid cover . kit and uniform are provided.

You must have a
UTR number
DBS on update service
FREC 3 as a minimum

Pm of your interested or email

[email protected]

Folks I've had a short run of 50 of these made up to sell at £10 each. Quite a few have gone already.
3" embroidered patch with velcro backing.
Profits are used to purchase equipment for the Volunteer Medical Battalion that I am teaching in Ukraine.

I know some of you know the attached and what I've been doing in Ukraine but for those that don't, a lovely bit of unexpected recognition.

Small cog in a big wheel.

As the numbers of injured in Ukraine increases and the barbaric Russian military action intensifies, the need for more trained medics able to perform life saving medical field work is also increasing. Craig Borthwick from Uddingston has been in Ukraine training front line medics. He has already trained 100 Ukrainian medics and will shortly be returning to Lviv to train others. Craig is also appealing for specific medical supplies to assist his life saving work. It was my absolute privilege to recognise Craig's outstanding work in Ukraine, which builds on many years of volunteering across the globe.

***Ukraine🇺🇦***

The UK public has been brilliant in donating items or cash to the current Ukraine conflict. As ever with these things, there’s a rush on all sorts of articles and now there are issues at the borders where stuff is being stockpiled and it won’t get used because, no matter how well-meaning the donations are, they are not always suitable.

Medically this is normally because the items being sent are not actually of any REAL use where needed or there’s a massive surplus of kit.

Here’s the request, a field hospital in Ukraine is in need of the items below. If you can spare the cost of a “Cup of Costa” and are so inclined, then please consider buying the item on my Amazon list. It’ll be sent to me. We have updated the list as we have gone along and the response has been overwhelming.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/1FEAONVI4777O?ref_=wl_share

I could set up a GoFund me page but they’ll take some of that money and I want to/need to be in a position to get stuff ordered asap, it’s kind of time-critical and it all needs to be compiled by the 28th of March.

I can also guarantee that the kit will get to where its currently needed………

Thanks folks

Check out my list on Amazon We use cookies and similar tools that are necessary to enable you to make purchases, to enhance your shopping experiences and to provide our services, as detailed in our Cookie Notice. We also use these cookies to understand how customers use our services (for example, by measuring site visits) so w...

Good effort!!

We run very few "open" dates for our Adventurous Activities Outdoors, 2 day course which is aligned to the Institute of Outdoor Learning, Band 3 for appropriate courses for the outdoors professional.

Despite being the very same course and content we teach to mountain rescue personell and rescue teams in both the UK and countries around the World such as Tanzania, Indonesia and Nepal, we welcome all outdoor enthusiasts, amateur and professionals alike, who want to learn in an environment honed to deliver the maximum skill level to everyone from the absolute novice to the veteran performer.

No gimmicks, just proper training of not only the rules around first aid but the realities of doing it outdoors from instructors with many years of experience in rescue, pre-hospital, remote, austere and hostile environments who not only still teach the subject but perform operationally to ensure their skills are current and up to date.

This weekend we've had the pleasure of mountain bike instructors, kayak and paddle board coaches, scout leaders, mountain leaders, forest school leaders, University climbing club students and medical professionals.
From no prior knowledge to returnees on their FOURTH course with us all have left with new knowledge and new skills which we hope they never have to use but are confident that if they do, they will make a difference.

We'll be advertising a couple more courses this year as there's clearly a demand so stay tuned to our social media.
Tick boxers need not apply.

Sunday morning scenarios

What's not to love!

Proper outdoor first aid. The basics done right.

As we prepare for our November 2022 expedition to Nepal and our attempt at the first recorded Scottish ascent of Baden Powell Peak, via its North Face, we were blessed with a fantastic training day on Schoolhouse Ridge in Glencoe and a timely reminder of why many believe that Scottish winter mountains are the best training ground for the greater ranges.

***If you are feeling adventurous, fancy a chance at a wee part in Himalayan history and are free in November next year, we still have a couple of places available on the team***

+

Oh go on then......

New boots breaking in time!

Certainly don't feel like they'll need much, most comfortable feeling boot from the moment I tried them on.

Did you know our flagship Adventurous Activities Outdoors Course is confirmed by the Institute For Outdoor Learning as aligned at Band 3 of their Outdoor First Aid Training Bands?

This means that you can rest assured that the content of our course is matched with the IOL Statement of Good Practice on Outdoor First Aid and is appropriate for the needs of self-reliant outdoor activity instructors, teachers or leaders and outdoor learning specialists operating in situations where a number of hazards may be present or help may be up to a few hours away e.g. Outdoor Education Tutor, Mountain Leader, DofE Assessor, bushcraft instructor, forest school leader, canoe expedition leader, etc.

Our instructors are operational medics with a wealth of knowledge being at the sharp end of the Worlds of remote/hostile/austere medicine and rescue around the globe.

Places still available on our upcoming course dates:

20-21 November - Glasgow
29-30 January - Bathgate

www.venture-medical.com



.uni.mountaineering

Not quite as pleasant today!!!



www.venture-medical.com