Prometheus Medical chosen as Regional Finalist for Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year Award Category of National Business Awards

We are delighted to hear that we’ve been selected as a regional finalist in this year’s National Business Awards (NBA) Regional Programme in the category of Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year Award.  Last year, Prometheus' Managing Director, Dr Malcolm Russell, won the Regional NBA Entrepreneur of the Year Award (and was a national finalist) and Prometheus won the Chambers of Commerce regional award for Most Promising New Business of the Year, also going through as a national finalist.

We strive to produce excellence in all aspects of our business, to delight as many of our customers as we possibly can through innovative equipment design; robust medical planning and advice; and by delivering inspirational training.  By entering and being successful in these competitions our team gets recognition and encouragement, and, importantly, we get objective and independent feedback about our business.

The winner of the regional competition will be announced on the 16th July 2009, but even becoming a regional finalist makes the Prometheus team very happy.

Graham Bell of 'High Altitude' attends Surviving Adventure Course

Before launching the High Altitude series, Graham Bell came to Prometheus Medical to receive expert tuition in first aid in remote and wild areas, by taking part in the acclaimed 'Surviving Adventure' course.  This gave Graham the skills to use in minimising the risk of cold injury and hypothermia whilst filming in the mountains, and also the skills to provide effective first aid should one of his team become seriously ill or injured in the wilderness. 

Graham said, "When you are filming on a glacier in Patagonia 3 hours walk from the nearest refuge and a further 6 hours drive from the nearest hospital, even a relatively minor medical emergency can turn potentially life threatening.  The Prometheus Medical course teaches first aid for those situations when you can't just dial 999 and expect help to be minutes away.  By throwing you in at the deep end with all too real looking scenarios, the procedures you learn, covering a whole range of casualties, really stick in the memory."

Prometheus Tree Project

The whole Prometheus team is committed to supporting the environment and in the last two weeks we have completed a major project that will promote biodiversity and all the benefits that brings.  In a co-funded venture with the Woodland Trust we have planted nearly a thousand native British trees and shrubs on our training estate in Herefordshire.

On an area that was previously laid to grass, we have planted the following:

• 320 Ash
• 160 Pedunculate Oak 
• 120 Common Alder 
• 80 Silver Birch
• 40 Wild Cherry
•  40 Field Maple
•  16 Hornbeam
•  16 Rowan
•  8 Crab Apple
• 50 Hazel
• 25 Dogwood
• 25 Hawthorn
• 25 Alder Buckthorn
• 25 Guelder Rose

At the moment our new woodland is a forest (sorry) of biodegradable tree protectors, necessary, because of the local abundance of fallow deer.  It looks anything other than natural just now but, especially with the faster growing species like the Ash, within a few years we hope we will have a rich and diverse small patch of woodland. 

We recognise that this is only a small contribution to a globally massive problem, and we’re not so hypocritical that we don’t realise that there’s lots more we could and should be doing for the environment, but this is a step in the right direction in a world with ever-increasing manmade burden.  Every journey begins with a single step (even one shrouded in biodegradable plastic).

GO 60 HANDS OVER £200,000 TO THE BRITISH RED CROSS

GO60 completed an expedition for Land Rover employees from May to July 2008 that allowed participants to capture the spirit of adventure associated with the Land Rover vehicles used. The aim of the project was to help celebrate Land Rover's 60th Anniversary, while also raising over £200,000  for the British Red Cross.

Four groups of employees set out with the task to drive from Solihull to Singapore in 60 days. The trip recreated the first London to Singapore Overland Expedition, completed by Tim Slessor in 1956, this time with Discovery 3 and Defender vehicles. 

As well as a personal adventure, the expedition also helped to improve the lives of vulnerable children and their families along the way, as the trip contributed valuable support to the global work of the British Red Cross and all money raised by the trip was donated to the charity. Publicity was also generated to help raise awareness of the children throughout Europe and Asia who most needed the help of the British Red Cross.

Prometheus was proud to be an official sponsor of GO60 and provided doctors and specialist medical equipment for the trip.

NEW!! Online Equipment Shop

We are delighted to introduce our new Online Equipment Shop to our website, which includes items from North American Rescue Products, Vidacare, LifeSystems, LESS and Zoll as well as our own bespoke medical packs and equipment. 

All of our products have been carefully selected for the pre-hospital emergency care environment and aim to meet the requirements of the military, civil emergency and tactical customer.  Prometheus prides itself on identifying the latest technologies and most effective equipment and, as such, the shop will continue to develop dynamically.

If you would be interested in hearing from us when new items are added or in being informed of our offers and promotions, please subscribe and we will be happy to contact you.

Golf Charity Event Raises £6214 for MARS

Following the charity golf day on 22nd August, Prometheus Medical was delighted recently to present a cheque valued at £6214.50 to John Hall of Mercia Accident Rescue Service (MARS).

Prometheus organised the event to raise money for the local emergency charity, which provides immediate medical care for the critically ill and injured in Herefordshire and Worcestershire in support of West Midlands Ambulance Service.  All MARS members are volunteers and provide their experience and services free of charge. Last year alone they attended nearly 200 incidents across the two counties. Prometheus Medical Ltd considers MARS to be the most valuable of our local charities, providing life-saving care at the roadside and fully deserving of support from the community it helps.

The event, which was held at Belmont Golf Course, was supported in a number of ways including sponsoring a hole, donated prizes and a charity auction during the evening event.

The day was sponsored by numerous companies and individuals including SP Services, Cargill Foods, Big Bear Plastic Products, Mark Fenton Design Services, Chris Sanderson Financial Services, Credit Suisse, Boundtree Medical, Medical Advisory Support Services, Resuscitation UK, Heggies Butchers, Vidacare, Dolby & Steve Mulholland.

Over 20 teams participated during the day and over 150 people attended the evening event.  Among some of the items auctioned was a round of golf for 4 people at Wentworth, a signed Freddy Flintoff jumper and a bottle of House of Lords whisky signed by Margaret Thatcher.

Prometheus would like to thank all of the people involved in supporting this important event, both sponsors and participants for making the day so successful.

MARS Attends Two Serious Accidents - 2 December 2008

Dr David Houston attended two serious RTCs in one evening on 2 December 2008.

The first incident occurred at 1625hrs between Shelwick Green and Sutton St Nicholas when a red Peugeot 205 collided with wall of a bridge.  The sole occupant, a 17 year old male, sustained serious injuries to his chest and pelvis and required rapid extrication from the severely damaged vehicle by Fire Crews and Paramedics.  He was treated by Dr Houston and paramedics in the ambulance and was taken to Hereford County Hospital where his injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

Dr Houston said, "The vehicle sustained extensive damage to the driver's side in the collision with the wall.  Quick action by the Fire crews and Paramedics to rapidly free the driver from the wreckage allowed life saving treatment to be provided in the Ambulance."    
 
The second incident occurred at 1845hrs at the junction of B4224 and A449 at Old Gore Cross Roads near Ross-on-Wye.  The driver of one car was uninjured when the two cars collided, but a 53 year old female rear passenger of the other car sustained serious chest injuries.  The remaining three passengers of other car were uninjured.  The casualty was extricated by Fire Crew and Paramedics, given life saving treatment by MARS Doctor, Dr Houston in the ambulance and was then transferred to Hereford County Hospital where she is not thought to have life threatening injuries.

Prometheus Supports Sponsored CPR Training in Bromyard - 18 November 2008

Andy Purdie, Senior Instructor at Prometheus Medical, assisted 2 Community First Responders (CFR) and a paramedic from West Midlands Ambulance Service when they taught Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) to students at the Queen Elizabeth Humanities College in Bromyard. 

In addition to learning these important life skills, the training event was organised to raise money towards the provision of new medical bags for CFRs in the local area and each student was sponsored to carry out 5 minutes of continuous CPR.  Local response was amazing and the day raised well over £2000, which is enough for the first ‘First Responder Kit’.

CFRs are called to respond to many different types of medical emergency, including serious or life threatening injuries or illnesses and Prometheus was pleased to assist such a worthwhile initiative.

To find out more about QE Humanities College's other fundraising ideas:

http://www.webz.org.uk/brominfo/index.php

MARS Attends Accident near Titley - 31 October 2008

Dr David Houston attended a serious RTC on 31 Oct 08 on the B4355 near Titley, Herefordshire where a car had been in collision with a building, resulting in the driver being entrapped by his left leg.  Four Fire crews removed the vehicle’s roof and worked hard to release the casualty on the chilly evening, taking nearly two hours before he was finally freed from the wreckage.  Dr Houston provided a Hypothermia Prevention & Management Kit (HPMK) to prevent the casualty from developing hypothermia.  The self-heating blanket, warming to 52 degrees Celsius for up to 6 hours, made all the difference to the casualty’s condition and prevented his deterioration.  Dr Houston treated the casualty with Paramedics before he was transferred to Hereford County Hospital.   

http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/3810654.Crash_victim_trapped_in_near_freezing_conditions/

Most Promising New Business Award

Prometheus Medical Ltd is proud and excited to announce that the company has been awarded the ‘Most Promising New Business Award’ in West Midlands Region at The Chamber Awards 2008.  This prestigious award is presented to the company with the most promising performance and future projections in a successful new business that has been trading for fewer than three years.  Prometheus is now a national finalist at The Chamber Awards 2008 Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony to be held at the Natural History Museum in London on 27th November 2008.

Dr Malcolm Russell, the Managing Director, said “It’s a great honour for Prometheus Medical to win this prestigious award, which is all down to the hard work, enthusiasm and professionalism of our staff.  Our Hereford-based team has taken this company to a market-leading position in the space of two years and we are very grateful for the recognition that this award represents.”

Prometheus won the BT-sponsored award because the judges were impressed by the way that the company had identified a gap in the market for specialist emergency medical support and noted that their competitive advantage comes from having real specialist know-how in their field.

Mick Hegarty, Marketing Director, BT Business commented; "This is a superb example of how new business can still thrive and prosper in the current climate. We are delighted that Prometheus Medical Ltd has had so much success and continues to show much promise.  It just shows how much can be achieved when you professionally plan and deliver that great business idea."

For more information on The Chamber Awards 2008 go to www.chamberawards.co.uk/2008/

MARS Attends Accident Near Leominster - 5 October 2008

Dr Malcolm Russell of Mercia Accident Rescue Service (MARS) was called out to an incident on the A49 north of Ashton near Leominster on 5 October at 1209hrs.  He attended four people involved in an accident, 2 of whom had what appeared to be minor injuries.  Two vehicles were involved, one being a VW Golf that appeared to have gone across the road (heading South) and went sideways into an on-coming car.  One of the people involved was a young child who, thankfully, was secured in a well fitting car seat. 

 Three of the four people were sent to Hereford County Hospital for assessment and treatment.

 Dr Russell commented, “This incident serves as a powerful reminder to everyone of the value of properly fitted car seats for children”.

MARS Attends Accident near Ross-on-Wye - Hereford Times 25th September 2008

Dr Malcolm Russell of Mercia Accident Rescue Service (MARS) took almost an hour to free a driver involved in a head on collision with a van on Friday 19th September.  The man, who had serious but non-life threatening injuries, was airlifted to hospital.  The van driver was taken to hospital by ambulance.

MARS attends major incident on M5

Dr Malcolm Russell, in his role as a MARS doctor, attended a serious road traffic incident on Friday 30th May in which three people died.

Dr Russell arrived at the scene on the M5 near Tewkesbury where there were a further 15 casualties and a number of entrapments in nine other vehicles. The emergency services worked together to manage this difficult situation and the County Air Ambulance played an important role in transporting the first casualty to hospital. Dr Russell assessed and treated other survivors and accompanied the most serious to Selly Oak Hospital in a police helicopter.

The incident occurred shortly before 7.30pm when a van, carrying beer barrels, crashed through the central barrier of the motorway and collided head-on with a Mitsubishi Colt car. A woman and an 11yr old child were also seriously injured.

BBC News - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/7428999.stm

Dr David Houston Returns from GO-60 Expedition

Having successfully completed Leg 2 of the Land Rover GO 60 Expedition in aid of the Red Cross, Dr David Houston returns home. "The trip was an experience that I knew would be both immensely enjoyable and hard work as we travelled overland from Moscow to Almaty in Kazaksthan in 17 days covering over 3,500 miles in Land Rover Defenders and Discovery 3 vehicles.

"My job was to ensure everyone returned safely and was treated for any illness or injury along the away. The only injury sustained was by myself when we swapped our vehicles for horses after meeting a horse-backed shepherd and I was caught out by the sharp-edged dashboard of the saddle.”

Another benefit of undertaking the expedition is that it served to validate the training and equipment that Prometheus provide.  The Land Rover employees all undertook the two-day Surviving Adventure course in Hereford that was supplemented with bespoke training for situations such as border crossings and casualty extrication from a vehicle using minimal equipment. 

“In additional to providing medical support, I made sure that the team had safe drinking water and emergency satellite communications.  The JWP water purification system proved to be a reliable and efficient way of producing clean drinking water for the group.  But the real winner was being able to quickly and easily establish internet access and a phone line in the middle of nowhere at any time of the day using the Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN).  Once set up, I was suddenly everyone’s best friend!”

It was a huge challenge for the team as they were on the whole unsupported in remote locations in a harsh environment. 

“I think that this expedition demonstrates that even with a group of novice adventurers, good planning and preparation, along with the support from Prometheus Medical, a potentially hazardous expedition can go smoothly without incident or accident.  And of course with a large amount of good luck!” 

Catch up on his adventures on the Blog page and keep an eye out for more Blog entries when Malcolm Russell joins the expedition in Leg 4.

First Aid Course: Bandages, broken bones and bangs in Herefordshire

Prometheus' Surviving Adventure Course is reviewed in Adventure Travel Magazine May/June 2008.

"You like to get away from it all and trek far from the madding crowd. Make sure that if anything unplanned and unpleasant happens to you or your trek mates, you're prepared for it. Lara Dunn takes a lesson from the experts on a 'Surviving Adventure' first aid course.

"Surviving Adventure is the name of the course, and without a doubt the name of the game with Prometheus Medical's offering. From the outset, the differences from other similar courses are clear. Although the same crucial basics are dealt with, you don't usually get taught to staunch the flow of a gushing wound by ex-special forces who have helped save the lives of casualties all over the world. The tuition here is from individuals who have experienced some of the most extreme first aid situations in some of the most hostile environments on the planet.

"The climax of the weekend's tuition is the night exercise on the Saturday night. When most people are enjoying a pint or two at the pub, volunteers will be charging into the night, in search of a whole new class of scenario. Too much information would spoil the impact, but suffice it to say, all your new learnt skills will be tested to the max."

Adventure Travel - Issue 75 May/June 2008

Click for Part 1

Click for Part 2

Prometheus Moves to New Premises

Prometheus Medical Ltd has now moved to its new training facility at The Old Rectory in Herefordshire. The premises was acquired in February and since then extensive work has been done to convert the Coach House into the new administration centre and offices while work continues on the main property. The training facility will be completed within the next two months and will consist of a number of classroom blocks, accommodation in the main house for residential courses, and the ten acres of grass and woodland will be used to host outdoor training scenarios and moulages. 
The Old RectoryHope-under-DinmoreHerefordshireHR6 0PW
Tel: 01568 613942Fax: 01568 620032

MARS is visible - Hereford Times 8th May 2008

Click Here for article 

The Independent newspaper features Surviving Adventure

The Traveller section of The Independent on Saturday 26th April 2008 features a one-page article on Prometheus' Survivng Adventure Course.

"A new course teaches would-be adventurers how to cope in times of extreme medical emergency. Mark Harris enrols for a weekend of simulated carnage in Herefordshire."

"...forget calmly applying triangular bandages to dummies in the classroom, the Surviving Adventure weekend with Prometheus Medical throws you right in at the deep end."

"Surviving Adventure is based around a series of "moulages" - scenarios where instructors take the part of victims, complete with convincing props, vocal performances and buckets and buckets of artificial blood. There's little warning about when casualties might appear or what injuries to expect, although rest assured you'll get plenty of opportunities to apply dressings, take pulses and even use some more esoteric bits of medical equipment."

The Independent, Saturday 26 April 2008

Prometheus Acquires New Premises

Set in over ten acres of Herefordshire countryside, The Old Rectory is the perfect site for Prometheus’ continually expanding business. The main property is an impressive Gothic Revival residence dating back to 1859 and serving as high-quality accommodation for students attending residential courses. The Old Rectory is furnished with modern facilities providing an ideal environment for learning.

Within the grounds stands The Coach House that contains the main offices and boardrooms from where the business operates.  Two separate, modern classroom blocks offer lecture rooms and break-out areas equipped with the latest educational technologies.  Outdoors, the expansive grounds provide the ideal training environment for interactive scenario-based exercises enhancing Prometheus’ innovative training philosophy.

Commenting on this acquisition, Dr Malcolm Russell, Prometheus’ Managing Director said, “This is a significant step forward in the development of Prometheus Medical. I believe that this training facility will, in time, become recognised as a centre of excellence for pre-hospital care training with the innovative training that Prometheus conducts, provided in a state-of-the-art facility.

“Since the establishment of Prometheus nearly three years ago, we have grown substantially and now have a diverse spread of satisfied customers nationally and internationally.  The new site will allow us to continue to serve our customers’ needs, and to allow strategic growth in both capacity and capability. Despite having international commercial interests, Prometheus is nonetheless a local company, employing local people, so we are delighted to remain embedded in the local community.”

Prometheus will start running residential courses at the Old Rectory from the summer of 2008, once refurbishment has been completed.  In the meantime, training will continue to be delivered using current facilities.

The Old Rectory

Hope-under-Dinmore

Herefordshire

HR6 0PW