Private event medical services at major incidents: missed opportunities? Part 2

The medical response to major incidents has recently seen encouraging developments within the UK. However, the role of independent ambulance provision and event medical services appears to have been largely ignored. Part 2 of this two-part article describes, analyses and discusses the results of a study using hybrid methodology. A total of 23 pieces of literature were identified for analysis, of which 12 were directly identified by the author. No journal articles were found that specifically researched the role of private event medical services in the event of a major incident or disaster, which shows there is a significant gap in research. Four themes were identified: the care gap; command; communications; and permissive versus non-permissive environments. These are important factors when considering both the role and significance of event medical services in major incident response. These themes urgently need consideration and research.