News | Press Releases
June 19, 2015
CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS PARTNERS WITH FESTIVAL MEDICAL SERVICES FOR GLASTONBURY 2015
Festival Medical Services ready to man one of the busiest medical facilities in the country – Over 200,000 festival goers and site workers will result in approximately 4,000 patients during the festival in 2015
Over 500 medical staff prepare to provide care over the period.
Glastonbury, UK. June 17th 2015 – From 24th – 29th June 2015 around 200,000 festival goers and site workers will converge at Glastonbury for the most anticipated music festival of the year.
Each year, a huge number of visitors and support staff continue to push the limits for Festival Medical Services, the charity responsible for providing medical care at Glastonbury. The medical team will serve one of the countries busiest medical facilities during the festival, treating over 4,000 festival goers in 2014, at an average of around 600 patients every day. This year, three local hospitals in Bath, Yeovil and Taunton will take referrals for major injuries.
The field hospital set up includes: two major medical centres for drop-in and ambulance patients, equipped and staffed for minor and major injuries; a 24-hour pharmacy; an emergency dentistry service; a mental health unit, led by consultant psychiatrists; a team of paramedics and first responders who cover the festival site both in 4×4 vehicles and on foot. For major injuries, there is a two-bed resuscitation area directly connected to an ambulance bay as well as a helicopter ambulance facility to provide fast and effective journeys for those needing urgent treatment.
Dr. Mark Regi, consultant vascular interventional radiologist at the Sheffield Vascular Institute heads up the medical imaging team at Glastonbury: “The provision of care at the festival grows more comprehensive each year. It’s important that fast assessment of injury is made to ensure the quickest possible path to treatment is provided. The imaging services save a significant number of transfers to local A&E departments due to the capability on-site. It’s a huge operation for the duration of the festival”.
The shifts at the main medical centres are headed by an A&E doctor, who will work with a team of other specialty doctors working in shifts through the festival. The team is backed up by a team of nurses, physiotherapists and podiatrists. In addition to this, every day, a consultant paediatrician, a surgeon, gynaecology consultant, a consultant radiologist and anaesthetist are available for referrals from the A&E unit as patients are triaged through assessment to treatment quickly and effectively.
Working in partnership with the Festival Medical Services team, the Canon medical ultrasound imaging equipment forms an important part of the services care provision. A 24-hour ultrasound service is manned by a team of six consultant radiologists, all from major teaching units covering a range of sub-specialties. All are on-call over the six-day period and are backed up by a team of radiographers, providing constant and consistent availability for festival goers.
The imaging team usually performs over 20 ultrasounds per festival, using Canon Viamo™ portable ultrasound scanners, which are provided for the festival duration free of charge together with a team to help operate the equipment. Rob Hawkes, Consultant Paediatric Radiologist at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital helps lead the radiology team during the festival. He comments: “The imaging team provides an important role during the festival. In 2013, we had an unfortunate incident where a festival goer suffered a penetrating chest trauma injury. Having easy and immediate access to the imaging equipment helped save a life with an echo cardiograph showing serious bleeding around the patient’s heart. The story ended well with the patient recovering after emergency stabilising interventions on site and rapid transfer to the regional cardiothoriacic centre. It’s an effective demonstration of the speed with which we can assess and refer quickly for treatment. From a scan taking place to the patient arriving at Bristol Heart Hospital happened within 35 minutes using land, then air ambulance.”
“As well as the patient benefits, there are strong economic reason for an onsite radiology unit. It costs on average £250 for each hospital transfer, not to mention the extra loading on local A&E departments and their radiology departments if we were to refer all patients. The imaging equipment allows us to provide a better service for festival goers through quick and effective on-site assessment and immediate treatment options for minor injuries.”
As well as the extremely rare medical emergencies, the last few festivals have seen emerging trends with regard to the importance of imaging with a growing number of festival goers in early pregnancy who have needed reassurance that their pregnancy remained healthy. Over the past three years the majority of the ultrasound has been of pregnant visitors and that number is growing every year. The women’s health service also includes a gynaecological consultant who works closely with a sonographer. Non urgent scans take place every morning during the festival.
Dr. Hawkes adds: “In terms of the most frequent injuries that require scans on site, the rain and mud have caused a growing number of lower leg fracture injuries over the last couple of festivals. In very muddy conditions, boots become stuck in the mud and festivals goers fall awkwardly causing severe strains or leg breaks at worst”.
Canon Medical Systems UK Managing Director, Mark Hitchman comments: “Canon Medical Systems is proud to support one of the world’s most popular festivals. Our flexible ultrasound imaging equipment will help fast and efficient identification of injury during the event, helping the services offer the best patient care of its kind”.
ENDS
ABOUT FESTIVAL MEDICAL SERVICES
Festival Medical Services is a registered medical charity, whose clinical volunteers are skilled and experienced health professionals.
We provide quality event medical services and all levels of medical care in a challenging environment. FMS supports charitable projects around the world.
FESTIVAL MEDICAL SERVICES IS:
- A registered charity providing comprehensive event medical services at mass gatherings
- A not for profit organisation raising funds for medical and environmental projects around the world
- Regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for Ambulance & Imaging Activities
- A regulated training organisation accredited by QualSafe to deliver OfQual regulated QCF awards
Festival Medical Services started in 1979 as a small group of local medical staff providing cover at the Glastonbury Festival. From simple beginnings and basic facilities in the early years, FMS kept pace as Glastonbury developed into the largest festival of contemporary performing arts in Europe and now, FMS provides a sophisticated range of services including, A&E specialists, four-wheel drive ambulance logistics, computerised patient registration and tracking, pharmacy services, dental services, mental health services, physiotherapy treatments, podiatry, safeguarding team, health & safety, command and control and many more. www.festival-medical.org
About Canon Medical Systems Corporation
Canon Medical Systems Corporation is a leading worldwide provider of medical diagnostic imaging systems and comprehensive medical solutions, such as CT, X-ray and vascular ultrasound, nuclear medicine and MRI systems, as well as information systems for medical institutions. Canon Medical Systems Corporation has been providing medical products for over 80 years. Canon Medical Systems Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon. For more information please visit www.toshiba-medical.co.jp/tmd/English
For further information:
Contact: Blaise Hammond / Phone: 07713 684597 / E-mail: blaise@terranovapr.co.uk
Rebecca Miller – rmiller@tmse.nl
About Canon
Canon is a world-leading diversified manufacturer, solutions provider and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products and systems. Canon Group brings innovation and imagination to a wide range of businesses: digital products, including LCD TVs, notebook PCs, retail solutions and MFPs; electronic devices, including semiconductors, storage products and materials; industrial and social infrastructure systems, including power generation systems, smart community solutions, medical systems and escalators & elevators; and home appliances. Canon was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 550 consolidated companies, with 210,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing 5.8 trillion yen (US$61.7 billion). Visit Canon’s website at http://www.toshiba.co.jp
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