Ossian Medical Directors
Dr Stephen Hearns
MB ChB FRCP FRCS FCEM Dip.IMC DipRTM
Stephen is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine and an internationally recognised helicopter retrieval medicine specialist. He is a fellow of three medical and surgical Royal Colleges and has extensive experience of service development, training, research and clinical governance.
Stephen’s book on Performance Under Pressure was published in 2019.
In 2003 he initiated the concept of an aeromedical adult critical care service for rural Scotland. For 15 years he led the establishment of the UK’s first aeromedical retrieval team, the Emergency Medical Retrieval Service. This national service deploys a consultant led team by helicopter, plane or response car to stabilise patients with life threatening injuries and illnesses in small remote and rural hospitals or at the scene of their accident. Starting from a voluntary service with no budget, the now fully government funded service has an international reputation for the highest clinical governance, training and academic standards. EMRS won the British Medical Journal Group Award for the top UK hospital team in 2010.
Stephen and colleagues from EMRS deliver the annual international Retrieval Conference and he led the team establishing the Royal College of Surgeons Diploma in Retrieval and Transfer Medicine. Stephen is regularly invited to speak on mountain rescue, retrieval medicine, clinical governance and performance under pressure at national and international conferences He has produced over twenty peer reviewed publications and book chapters relating to these areas of patient care.
Stephen is regularly instructed as an expert witness in emergency medicine and pre-hospital care cases. He is instructed by the General Medical Council, The Procurator Fiscal, the Scottish Ombudsman, NHS Scotland and by pusuers’ solicitors.
In addition to emergency and retrieval medicine, Stephen has over 20 years of experience in search and rescue and remote medicine. He has provided medical support to seven international expeditions, working in remote arctic, mountain, desert and jungle environments. Stephen founded the first Expedition Medicine course in the UK. He has been a member of Arrochar Mountain Rescue Team, since 1997 and has published a number of research papers relating to mountain and expedition casualty care, including the biggest mountain rescue casualty case series in the world literature. He has completed the Mountain Leader Award, passing the six day assessment in 2007.
Stephen’s website relating to Performance Under Pressure is at Core Cognition.
Professor Alasdair Corfield
MBChB MRCP (UK) FCEM Dip.IMC DipRTM
Alasdair is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Retrieval Medicine based in Glasgow, Scotland.
Alasdair completed his training in Emergency Medicine in the UK and Australia, with a specialist interest in critical care delivery. The combination of working in Australia and critical care delivery led him to be involved in the inception and development of the Emergency Medical Retrieval Service. He has led research within the service from the outset, developing a programme of research that spans a broad range of topics and involves multiple agencies and professions. This research portfolio has produced over 55 peer reviewed publications, secured grants and informed practice in this field of medicine at a global level. He has been the champion of quality improvement within the service, implementing robust performance indicators, ensuring a rolling audit cycle and keeping the service at the forefront of research. The work done by Alasdair and his team has been presented at conferences nationally and internationally.
Alasdair was the Clinical Director for two busy Emergency Departments and a Minor Injuries Unit for 10 years from 2009-2018. This role required direct line management of 60 medical staff, as well as a sound understanding of finance within an NHS context. His skills in negotiation and achieving shared aims were developed as he worked with clinical and managerial colleagues to deliver clinical and strategic goals, in the context of a tightening financial situation.
Throughout his career, Alasdair has worked with all aspects of healthcare from small rural primary care practitioners to shaping governmental health policy both as a clinician and manager.
When he is not working, Alasdair is a keen cyclist and skier.