Suffolk Accident Rescue Service (SARS)

Immediate care saves lives!

SARS is an emergency medical charity founded in 1972. We provide volunteer clinicians to assist the East of England Ambulance Service at the scenes of serious medical emergencies or trauma.

Our clinical resource consists of a network of solo responders and mobile critical care teams who can respond to incidents across Suffolk and its adjacent counties.

SARS is mobilised via the EEAST Critical Care desk, which monitors all incoming 999 calls to the region.

SARS responders include anaesthetists, critical care paramedics and other clinicians with enhanced prehospital skills. These responders are authorised to carry specialist drugs and carry additional life-saving equipment not found on frontline ambulances. This means that SARS clinicians can provide a level of patient care that would not normally be available outside the hospital environment.

This can help save lives, reduce the chances of patients suffering permanent disability and provide relief from extreme pain. As our clinicians live locally, it also means that they can be on scene before any other resource - speed of response is vital for critically ill or injured patients.

Our aim is to get the right level of care to a patient at the right time.