Aaron Denham survived catastrophic spinal injury and wasn’t expected to survive let alone recover after his bike was in collision with a car near Southampton.
He was lucky to have a trained nurse nearby who stabilised him – and then the advent of BASICS Hampshire doctor (and Southampton consultant) Nick Maskery, who arrived with the Hants and IoW air ambulance.
The pre-hospital critical care Aaron got meant he was delivered to the experts at Southampton General in the best possible way. Yet another argument for the NHS to fund prehospital expertise which BASICS Hampshire provides voluntarily.
It’s reminiscent of the BASICS Hampshire/Southampton General save of Chris Stewart, who suffered internal decapation and survived to recover brilliantly in 2006.
Even so Aaron’s recovery is amazing, a tribute to prehospital care and the expertise at Southampton General and the rehabilitation he had – and not least to Aaron’s own determination.
And a great example for the drive for better pre-hospital critical care and trauma networks. For the last ten years BASICS Hampshire have argued the NHS have ignored critically ill and injured patients – and South Central Ambulance Service have taken up the fight for the sort of expert care which means more people will live and recover better.
