In this podcast Iain Craighead gives the benefit of his experience as a BASICS Scotland Responder.

He stresses the importance of getting to know your Sandpiper bag and equipment inside out, as well the benefits of building a strong relationship with your local ambulance colleagues.

Iain also urges patience with gaining experience as a Responder and becoming a really valuable local emergency resource.

1  Know your kit inside out

2 Get to know your local ambulance colleagues and work closely with them

3 Stick with it!  Be patient and take time to gain the experience!

Dr Iain Craighead is a GP based in Dingwall and has been a BASICS Scotland Responder for the last 6 years. He qualified as a GP in 1996 and  worked in West Oxfordshire before spending 5 years working with International Nepal Fellowship based at Green Pastures Leprosy and Rehabilitation Hospital in Pokhara. On returning to the UK he lived and worked in Kirkwall where he attended a PHEC course and together with Dr Kirsty Cole and the local ambulance manager Lyndon Sinclair, set up a BASICS Scotland Responder scheme covering the Orkney mainland. In 2016 he moved south and joined Dingwall Medical Group and the Highland PICT team just at the point when it introduced a paramedic crewed response car. He remains an active BASICS Scotland Responder whilst at home on the Black Isle.

Dr Craighead has been a GP trainer for 10 years and is 1st team doctor for Ross County Football Club.