The University of Lancashire has collaborated with Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW) to support the review and quality assurance of its Remote Rescue Medical Technician (RRMT) course.
This is the qualification that allows rescue volunteers to provide medical care and critical interventions to injured and ill casualties in remote and dangerous situations.
The collaboration marks an important step in recognising the quality and strengthening the consistency and credibility of medical training for volunteer mountain and cave rescue personnel across the UK.
What has been known in Search and Rescue (SAR) as the "Cas Care" qualification has existed for many years. It has developed and evolved as medical technology has changed and as the standards expected of volunteer rescuers have changed too.– Alistair Morris, Medical Director of MREW
Drawing on the University’s academic expertise in mountain medicine and education, the collaboration focused on reviewing the RRMT syllabus, learning outcomes and the assessment processes to ensure they reflect current best practice and meet the needs of rescue teams. The review also supports MREW's long-term commitment to delivering high-quality, evidence-based training and operational clinical practice across its national network of teams.
Alistair Morris, Medical Director of MREW has been the main point of contact with the University of Lancashire over the past 12 months. He said: "What has been known in Search and Rescue (SAR) as the "Cas Care" qualification has existed for many years. It has developed and evolved as medical technology has changed and as the standards expected of volunteer rescuers have changed too. Renamed as the RRMT qualification, it continues to require significant work, commitment and professionalism from SAR volunteers.
“I am really pleased that we've been able to achieve the sort of recognition associated with this academic review as a mark of all that effort. The use of Medical Technician also highlights the comparability with other qualifications in the healthcare sector."
The MoU also opens opportunities for experienced mountain rescue volunteers to contribute to the delivery of our mountain medicine courses.– Nick Wright, Lecturer in Mountain Medicine
Following the successful collaboration on the RRMT review, the University and MREW have formalised their relationship through a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which sets out a shared commitment to research, knowledge exchange, and innovation in mountain rescue education and practice.
Nick Wright is a Lecturer in Mountain Medicine at the University of Lancashire who has been involved in developing the relationship with MREW.
He said: “The MoU also opens opportunities for experienced MR volunteers to contribute to the delivery of our mountain medicine courses and for the University to further support the work of RRMTs and the healthcare professionals volunteering in mountain rescue in future.”